{"id":7520,"date":"2024-05-09T17:24:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T17:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tup.kxe.temporary.site\/why-social-mentions-matter-and-how-to-track-them\/"},"modified":"2024-05-09T17:24:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T17:24:01","slug":"why-social-mentions-matter-and-how-to-track-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okdesign.ca\/en\/why-social-mentions-matter-and-how-to-track-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Social Mentions Matter (And How to Track Them)"},"content":{"rendered":"


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If people were talking about your brand on social media, you\u2019d want to know about it, right? Well, guess what: It\u2019s happening all the time, whether you\u2019ve noticed or not. If you have any kind of social presence, your brand is probably receiving social mentions.<\/p>\n

Read on to find out why social mentions are so important, how to track them, and how to respond to people talking about your brand.<\/p>\n

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Bonus: Download a free guide<\/span><\/strong> to learn how to use social media listening to boost sales and conversions today<\/em>. No tricks or boring tips\u2014just simple, easy-to-follow instructions that really work.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

What are social mentions?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Social mentions are social posts that include a reference to your brand.<\/strong> This includes posts where your brand is tagged (often referred to as @mentions) or simply mentioned by name in the caption.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of two Hootsuite mentions in some recent comments. One is tagged, and one is untagged:<\/p>\n

\"Hootsuite<\/a><\/figure>\n

Source: <\/em>Hootsuite on Instagram<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

With @mentions, the social user is usually trying to get your brand\u2019s attention. With untagged mentions, they are talking about your brand but not specifically drawing your attention to that fact.<\/p>\n

Both kinds of social mentions can be either positive or negative (or even neutral).<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find social mentions on every social media platform, including Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Read on to learn how to monitor, track, and respond to tags on every platform.<\/p>\n

Why are social mentions so important?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Being mentioned on social media means that people are taking notice of your brand, which is great news for social media managers trying to get eyes on their products or services.<\/p>\n

Keeping tabs on social mentions allows you to tap into ongoing conversations and see what people are saying about your brand. This is an easy way for you to understand the good, the bad, the ugly, and the fabulous in those conversations and learn about your customers.<\/p>\n

5 reasons to monitor your social mentions<\/span><\/h2>\n

Social proof<\/h3>\n

Social proof<\/a> is a psychological and social phenomenon that says people tend to follow others\u2019 actions or decisions when uncertain about what to do. These social mentions of your brand act as de facto reviews, so knowing what people say is critical.<\/p>\n

Monitoring social mentions allows you to reshare positive mentions while building a library of user-generated content<\/a> (UGC) that highlights the benefits of your brand in action.<\/p>\n

Since 75%<\/a> of users turn to social sites for brand research, this is an important way of showing potential customers that you live up to your brand promise.<\/p>\n

Social customer service<\/h3>\n

Customers view social media as a quick way to get contact a brand\u2019s customer service<\/a>. When you monitor your mentions, you can meet them where they are.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s a quick question or an emotional complaint, every service-oriented social mention of your brand provides an opportunity to show you care. Not only will that help satisfy the customer who mentioned your brand \u2014 it also shows other social users that you take requests seriously.<\/p>\n

Crisis control<\/h3>\n

Social mentions are an early warning system for looming problems.<\/p>\n

Mentions can alert you to an issue before it worsens into a crisis, allowing you to take steps to resolve the issue and communicate the fix<\/a>. They can also help you understand what your target audience<\/a> expects from you as you navigate troubled waters.<\/p>\n

Understanding your audience<\/h3>\n

Social mentions are an incredibly valuable source of audience research. Who is mentioning you? What are they saying? Are they tagging friends to spread the message? All these data points can reveal valuable insights about your audience.<\/p>\n

Social mentions help you understand everything from demographics<\/a> to customer expectations. With this data in hand, you can create content, products, and services that resonate with your followers.<\/p>\n

Humanizing your brand<\/h3>\n

Responding to social mentions allows you to engage in real conversations with fans and followers. You can show off your brand personality and make your brand feel warm and welcoming. It\u2019s a good way to build a more intentional online presence and establish lasting follower relationships.<\/p>\n

4 tools to track your social media mentions<\/span><\/h2>\n

Manually search social media mentions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Most social networks have a notification option to alert you when someone tags your brand on social media. In order to find social mentions this way, you\u2019ll need to open each social media account and check your notifications or alerts. One. By. One.<\/p>\n

Each network is a little different, but they almost all involve clicking your Notifications<\/strong> icon<\/strong>, then clicking a Mentions tab<\/strong>. Let\u2019s use Instagram as an example.<\/p>\n

From your main feed, click the heart icon<\/strong> in the top-left corner:<\/p>\n

\"instagram<\/a><\/figure>\n

This will display all your notifications:<\/p>\n

\"instagram<\/a><\/figure>\n

Slide over to the right and select Tags & mentions<\/strong> to filter your notifications:<\/p>\n

\"notifications<\/a><\/figure>\n

For social mentions that don\u2019t tag your brand directly, you\u2019ll need to use the social media platform\u2019s search function to find relevant posts.<\/p>\n

Remember to search for common misspellings, too. For example, Hootsuite could be misspelled Hoot Suite<\/em> or Hootsweet<\/em>. Search for each of these misspellings or any other ways people might refer to your brand to find your mentions.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at LinkedIn as an example this time. Type your brand name (or misspelling) into the search bar, then click Posts<\/strong> to find your mentions.<\/p>\n

\"search<\/a><\/figure>\n

Track and respond to mentions using Hootsuite<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Using software to monitor social media mentions<\/a> saves a ton of time and makes sure you don\u2019t miss anything, since you can check mentions for multiple accounts from one screen.<\/p>\n

Hootsuite comes with a built-in social mention tool you can use to see who\u2019s talking about your brand on these social media platforms:<\/p>\n