Curious about what people really think of your brand, products, or campaigns? Forget follower counts and shares\u2014social media sentiment analysis is the key.<\/p>\n
Sentiment analysis on social media lets you monitor online discussions<\/a> about your brand and competitors in real time. By analyzing sentiment, you can uncover valuable insights into customer perceptions.<\/p>\n Ready to dive in? We\u2019ll show you how to conduct a step-by-step social media sentiment analysis with practical tips for improving your social media strategy. \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFree 30-Day Trial<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n Social media sentiment analysis is the process of collecting and analyzing information on the emotions behind how people talk about your brand on social media. <\/strong>Rather than a simple count of mentions or comments<\/a>, sentiment analysis considers feelings and opinions.<\/p>\n Social media sentiment analysis is sometimes called \u201copinion mining.<\/a>\u201d That\u2019s because it\u2019s all about digging into the words and context of social posts to understand the opinions they reveal.<\/p>\n Measuring social sentiment is an important part of any social media monitoring plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Running a social media sentiment analysis program is both an art and a science. It\u2019s not just about the tools you use, but how you use them. Let\u2019s break it down.<\/p>\n The first step of social media sentiment analysis is to find the conversations people are having about your brand online.<\/strong> The challenge is that they won\u2019t always tag you in those conversations.<\/p>\n Fortunately, you can set up Hootsuite Streams<\/a> to monitor social channels for all mentions of your brand, even when you\u2019re not tagged. Here\u2019s how to collect them all in one place.<\/p>\n In the Hootsuite dashboard, navigate to Streams<\/strong>. Then, choose New board<\/strong> to add a stream for each of your social accounts. This will track the mentions where people tag your accounts on social media.<\/p>\n You might want to organize all of your Mentions streams<\/strong> into a Social Mentions board to make them easier to view at a glance.<\/p>\n On some social media platforms, you can even track the posts where you\u2019re not tagged by monitoring hashtags and keywords related to your brand.<\/p>\n Be sure to create streams for your brand name and your product or service names. <\/strong>Again, a board can be a helpful way to organize all of these streams on one screen.<\/p>\n For more details on getting set up to track your mentions (tagged or not), check out our full post on social listening tools.<\/a><\/p>\n Next, you\u2019ll look for terms that indicate sentiment within your mentions.<\/strong> Think about the kinds of positive or negative words people might use to talk about your brand. Examples might include:<\/p>\n There will likely be other terms specific to your product, brand, or industry. Make a list of positive and negative words and scan your mentions for posts that include these terms.<\/p>\n You can set Hootsuite up to do some of this work automatically. In the dashboard, create a search stream <\/strong>using your name plus \ud83d\ude42 to indicate positive sentiment. Then create a search stream using your name plus \ud83d\ude41 to indicate negative sentiment.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re tracking sentiment manually, keep in mind that you need to watch out for the context<\/strong>. Is someone being sarcastic when they say they had \u201cthe best\u201d customer experience with your brand?<\/p>\n You can calculate your social sentiment score in a couple of ways:<\/p>\n Which method you use doesn\u2019t really matter, as long as you are consistent. That\u2019s because the most important thing to watch for is change.<\/p>\n The second method will always result in a higher score.<\/p>\n Ready to put these strategies into action? Here are some of the best social media sentiment analysis tools<\/a> available today.<\/p>\n Hootsuite Streams is great, but if you\u2019re tired of doing the math for social media sentiment analysis manually, you might consider Hootsuite Insights<\/a>, an advanced real-time social media monitoring and sentiment analysis feature that does the math for you. <\/strong><\/p>\n Available to enterprise plan<\/a> customers and above, it allows you to track conversations across multiple platforms, languages and locations, identifying patterns and trends in customer attitudes.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a must-have for any organization that considers social sentiment analysis a major component of their strategy.<\/p>\n Other Hootsuite Insights features include:<\/p>\n Hootsuite Insights also offers customizable dashboards and reports<\/strong>, making it easier to track sentiment over time and share insights with key stakeholders. Plus, it\u2019s available within the same dashboard you use to schedule, post, track, and analyze your social posts. <\/p>\n Source: <\/em>Talkwalker<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Talkwalker<\/a> is another powerful social media sentiment analysis tool (available on its own or within Hootsuite). It allows you to monitor and analyze sentiment across multiple social media platforms, as well as in news articles, support tickets, and emails<\/strong> to give a complete view of your customer sentiment.<\/p>\n Because, let\u2019s be honest, social media is not the only channel your customers are sharing their feelings on.<\/p>\n Additional Talkwalker features include:<\/p>\n Talkwalker can also be seamlessly integrated with your Hootsuite dashboard<\/strong>, to make it easier to track and analyze sentiment in one central location. Download the Talkwalker for Hootsuite app<\/a> and get access to over 150 million social data sources.<\/p>\n Source: <\/em>Brand24<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, social media sentiment analysis tools have become even more sophisticated and accurate. One example is Brand24<\/a>, which uses AI to analyze sentiments in real time<\/strong>\u00a0across social media platforms.<\/p>\n Gathering insights from 25 million online sources, Brand24 analyzes sentiment, identifies influencers, and even predicts possible crises before they happen.<\/strong> It also offers in-depth reporting and analytics, allowing you to track changes in sentiment over time and measure the impact of your social media efforts.<\/p>\n Additional Brand24 features include:<\/p>\n Source: <\/em>Hootsuite Apps<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n For those looking for a comprehensive social media sentiment analysis tool that also includes brand monitoring and media intelligence<\/strong>, Meltwater<\/a> is an excellent option.<\/p>\n In addition to tracking sentiment across various social media platforms, Meltwater also monitors news articles, blogs, forums and reviews to give you a complete view of your brand\u2019s reputation<\/strong>. Its AI-powered analytics provide insights on customer sentiment, trends, influencers and more.<\/p>\n Other Meltwater features include:<\/p>\n Hootsuite users can benefit from the Meltwater integration<\/a>, which allows for seamless tracking and analysis of social media sentiment right from your Hootsuite dashboard.<\/strong><\/p>\n Source: <\/em>Idiomatic<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a social media sentiment analysis tool that specializes in customer feedback, Idiomatic<\/a> is worth considering. It uses AI and natural language processing to analyze customer reviews, surveys, and other forms of feedback to understand overall sentiment toward your brand.<\/p>\n Some key features include:<\/p>\n To make your life easier, we\u2019re giving away a free social media sentiment analysis report template<\/a>. It\u2019s designed to house all your valuable data in a convenient, easy-to-digest format. Download it, use it, and watch your social media sentiment strategy soar. \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Bonus: <\/strong>Get a free social media sentiment report template<\/strong><\/span> to easily track audience sentiment over time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Social media sentiment analysis tools can provide valuable insights into how your brand is perceived online. But how do you use these insights to improve your brand sentiment? Here are a few tips.<\/p>\n Understanding your audience and their preferences is key to improving brand sentiment on social media.<\/p>\n While sentiment analysis can give you an overall view of how your brand is perceived, it\u2019s important to dig deeper and identify specific segments within your audience<\/strong>. This will help you tailor your messaging and content to better resonate with them.<\/p>\n For example, footwear brand Crocs was once marketed as an easy-to-wear beach and boat shoe<\/a>. The company had some initial success but eventually petered out. That is, until they tuned into their customer sentiment.<\/strong><\/p>\n It turns out consumers didn\u2019t care about waterproof slip-ons or comfy boat shoes<\/strong>\u2014they craved uniqueness and style. Crocs heard the message and responded by featuring the shoe in a 2018 Balenciaga show. From there, they upped the drama with a range of wild, crazy, and frankly, pretty strange offerings, like Shrek-themed Crocs and a collaboration with KFC<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s weird, but it worked. Crocs has 2.1 million followers on TikTok and saw an 11% boost in revenue<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n Have you ever posted about a negative brand experience on social media in the hope of getting a resolution? If the brand didn\u2019t respond or responded negatively, chances are your opinion of that brand would take a hit. The same goes for your followers.<\/p>\n When sentiment analysis flags negative mentions of your brand, it\u2019s important to take action. By responding to and addressing issues in a timely manner, you can turn a negative situation into a positive one<\/strong> and improve overall brand sentiment.<\/strong><\/p>\n For example, if a customer complains about a faulty product on Twitter, a fast apology and offer to replace or refund the product could mean the difference between a lost customer and a lifelong one.<\/strong><\/p>\n Take this example from bike brand Peloton, whose prompt response quickly turned this customer\u2019s negative sentiment into a positive experience.<\/p>\n So @PeloBuddy<\/a> \u2026 do you have an update on this glitch? Can\u2019t publish ride to FB post @onepeloton<\/a> rides from bike screen. (Works from iPhone.) Started about 3-4 days ago. Not sure if a fix\/update is coming soon. Thanks for all your diligent investigative work. \ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffc\ud83d\udeb4\ud83c\udffc\u200d\u2642\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/EZNj3IyrJy<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Making A Podcaster (@makinapodcaster) February 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Monitoring sentiment provides two major benefits for customer service and support<\/a>:<\/p>\n In this example, Air Canada\u2019s X customer support team was able to resolve an issue and leave the customer happy even though they were not tagged.<\/p>\n Air Canada allowed my kids to fly to YVR together then threatened to hold them hostage there if I didn\u2019t pay another $100 for my youngest to fly home. Evidently his brother wasn\u2019t old enough to accompany him despite AC having their birth dates when I booked them together.<\/p>\n \u2014 Michelle Evans (@onelifeyourway) February 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n By following trends and investigating spikes in positive, negative, or neutral sentiment, you can learn what your audience really wants<\/strong>. This can give you a better idea of what kind of messaging you should post on each social network<\/a>.<\/p>\n You may even gain insights that can impact your overall brand strategy<\/a> and product development.<\/p>\n For example, Zoom monitored their social sentiment to uncover that teachers were struggling with some of the platform\u2019s features. They then created a series of TikTok videos to clear up these issues, improving customer confidence.<\/p>\n They also regularly create videos to answer the most commonly asked customer questions on social media, thereby reducing the workload for the customer service team<\/strong> while highlighting new features. Some of the ideas for new features even came from social listening and analysis.<\/p>\n Brands cannot be all things to all people. Social sentiment can help you understand where you stand in your business niche. This, in turn, can help you reach the right audiences<\/a> with the right messages at the right time.<\/p>\n For example, the production team at the media company Underknown launched a YouTube channel called \u201cAccording to Science.\u201d They told stories based on scientific research. But after 60 videos, the channel wasn\u2019t growing.<\/p>\n After analyzing their data<\/a>, the team realized<\/a> that videos focused on survival got the most positive response. They tweaked their entire strategy and launched a new channel called \u201cHow to Survive.\u201d<\/strong> The channel gained a million YouTube subscribers in only 18 months.<\/p>\n When they discovered their most positive responses came from Americans aged 18 to 34, they further adapted by creating short videos that live on TikTok and regularly get more than a million views.<\/p>\n Influencers have the power to sway public opinion and greatly impact brand sentiment. <\/strong>By partnering with influencers<\/a> who align with your brand values and have a strong following, you can reach a larger audience and potentially improve sentiment towards your brand.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that authenticity is key<\/strong> when working with influencers. Choose those who genuinely support your brand and are likely to create genuine content rather than simply promoting it for payment.<\/p>\n Take this example from Stanley brand and Queer Eye host and interior designer Bobby Berk, who is known for home-y vibes\u2014just like Stanley.<\/p>\n Understanding the difference between macro and micro-influencers<\/a> can also help you choose the right influencer for your brand and target audience.<\/p>\n Social media sentiment is constantly changing, so it\u2019s important to regularly monitor and track changes in sentiment over time. This will allow you to see how your efforts are impacting brand sentiment<\/strong> and make adjustments as needed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Stanley brand, which rose to viral fame this year with its trendy Quencher tumbler, recently took a big hit in the public forum when some influencers found traces of lead in their cups<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stanley was quick to put out a statement that while they do use lead in their manufacturing process<\/a>, there is no risk to consumers. While some negative sentiment remains online, trending videos supporting the Stanley brand definitely out number them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Social media sentiment analysis tools like Hootsuite Insights<\/strong> and Hootsuite Analytics<\/strong> make it easy to track sentiment trends and measure the success of your social media strategies over time.<\/p>\n You can even compare and contrast your own sentiment analysis on social media with that of your competitors<\/strong>, to better understand how your industry and audience needs may be changing.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Inpost-CTA-Planner.png?ssl=1\"\/)
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t#1 Social Media Tool\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is social media sentiment analysis?<\/span><\/h2>\n
How to run a social media sentiment analysis in 3 steps<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Monitor your mentions<\/h3>\n
![\"Hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-1-620x416.png?resize=620%2C416&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n![\"hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-2-620x488.png?resize=620%2C488&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n2. Analyze the sentiment in your mentions<\/h3>\n
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![\"hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-3-620x1099.png?resize=620%2C1099&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n3. Calculate your social sentiment score<\/h3>\n
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5 of the best social media sentiment analysis tools<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Hootsuite Insights
![\"hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-5-620x284.png?resize=620%2C284&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/h3>\n![\"Hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-4-620x299.png?resize=620%2C299&ssl=1\")
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2. Talkwalker<\/h3>\n
![\"two](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-6.png?resize=540%2C270&ssl=1\")
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3. Brand24<\/h3>\n
![\"Brand24](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-7-620x648.png?resize=620%2C648&ssl=1\")
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4. Meltwater<\/h3>\n
![\"hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-8-620x332.png?resize=620%2C332&ssl=1\")
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5. Idiomatic
![\"idiomatic](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-9-620x408.png?resize=620%2C408&ssl=1\")
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Bonus: Free social media sentiment report template<\/span><\/h2>\n
9 ways to improve your brand sentiment on social media<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Know your audience<\/h3>\n
2. Monitor and respond to negative sentiment<\/h3>\n
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3. Improve customer service<\/h3>\n
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4. Tweak brand messaging and product development<\/h3>\n
5. Understand where you stand in your niche<\/h3>\n
6. Use influencer marketing<\/h3>\n
7. Keep track of sentiment over time<\/h3>\n
![\"hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-10-620x314.png?resize=620%2C314&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n![\"industry](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Social-media-sentiment-analysis-11-620x174.jpeg?resize=620%2C174&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n8. Play to your strengths<\/h3>\n