Social Media Monitoring: Overview, Trends and Strategy

What is social media monitoring?

Social media monitoring is the process of tracking, analyzing and responding to conversations, mentions and trends related to a brand, product or industry across various social media platforms.  

It gives you a real-time view of all the talk around your brand — product reviews, customer questions, service complaints — you name it, and it’s on your radar.   Key activities of social media monitoring include: 

• Tracking mentions: Monitoring direct mentions of your brand, products, or services on social media platforms. 

• Analyzing conversations: Understanding the context and sentiment behind social media discussions, whether they directly mention your brand or not. 

• Responding in real-time: Engaging with users by responding to comments, questions, or complaints promptly. 

• Identifying trends: Recognizing emerging trends and topics within your industry to stay ahead of the curve. 

• Competitor analysis: Keeping an eye on competitors’ activities and strategies to gain insights and improve your own approach. 

• Reputation management: Addressing negative feedback and managing crises effectively to maintain a positive brand image 

Why is social media monitoring important?

As we mentioned earlier, people are often talking about your brand without directly tagging you — just casually mentioning your name in conversations. These mentions won’t appear in your usual social media notifications, which means you could miss important insights. 

That’s why reliable social media monitoring tools are essential. They help you uncover these hidden conversations that might otherwise go unnoticed, ensuring you stay informed about what’s being said, even if you're not directly mentioned. 

Top benefits of social media monitoring

Here’s a closer look at some specific benefits of social media monitoring, along with real examples.  

1. Efficient crisis management 

Social media crises are inevitable, but how you handle them can make all the difference. Social media monitoring helps you spot and address issues before they spiral out of control, enabling you to protect your brand reputation and customer trust.   

Example: There are many inspiring examples of efficient social media crisis management facilitated by monitoring. Here’s one from Samsung:  

When Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 faced battery issues that led to product recalls, social media monitoring played a key role in tracking the backlash and responding to customer concerns in real time. Their swift action helped minimize further damage and Samsung eventually retained its market position despite the crisis.

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👉 Bonus: The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Crisis Management 

2. Enhanced brand awareness and recall

When you actively listen to what customers are saying, even when they’re not tagging you directly, it gives you the chance to engage in meaningful conversations. This not only strengthens customer relationships but also boosts your brand awareness. Plus, people are more likely to notice — and remember — brands that make an effort to engage with them authentically, which is a huge win on crowded social platforms. 

Example: Wendy’s is known for its witty social media repertoire. The brand frequently engages with customers, even when they’re not directly mentioned. In one instance, a customer praised a team member at a local Wendy’s and the brand responded publicly. This simple interaction not only increased customer loyalty but also amplified Wendy’s brand awareness by showing others that they’re attentive and responsive to all kinds of customer experiences. 

Source

👉 Bonus: Responding to Customers on Social Media [Tips + Examples]   

3. Proactive customer service

Social media customer service is now an essential part of modern customer care. Instead of relying solely on traditional channels like phone or email, customers increasingly turn to social platforms to ask questions, share concerns, or offer feedback. With social media monitoring, you can stay ahead of these conversations, providing timely and effective responses.   

This proactive approach not only improves customer satisfaction, but also supports brand reputation management. By showing that you value customer feedback and are quick to respond, you exemplify customer centricity in a sea of self-serving brands.  

4. Timely competitive intel

Social media monitoring offers a real-time view of what your competitors are getting right and where they’re struggling. Using social media monitoring tools, you can keep tabs on their mentions, campaigns and customer feedback — even if they aren’t directly tagged.   This gives you a clear understanding of how people react to their strategies and products. Whether it’s identifying weaknesses in their customer support or spotting marketing tactics that are gaining momentum, these insights allow you to fine-tune your own approach and avoid their pitfalls.   

5. Astute influencer Identification

By using social media monitoring, brands can find influencers who are already advocating for them and partner with them strategically to drive both awareness, credibility and sales. 

Example: Airbnb has leveraged influencer partnerships to boost brand awareness and drive bookings. During their Airbnb Experiences campaign, influencers posted profusely about their experiences, generating widespread social media buzz. Through social media monitoring, Airbnb identified these influencers and collaborated with them for future campaigns, leading to a noticeable increase in bookings and enhanced brand visibility.

Source

👉 Bonus: 8 More Ways to Find Influencers on Social Media  

How social media monitoring works: Key components

Many moving parts integrate to build a social media monitoring strategy that helps your business stay in the loop on social media trends, feedback and conversations that could affect their reputation or decision-making. Here are the key components that make up social media monitoring:  

1. Data collection

The first step in social media monitoring is gathering data from various social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and more. Specialized social listening tools are used to scrape and collect posts, comments, hashtags, mentions and other relevant information.   

Metric focus: Volume of mentions, platform breakdown, and frequency of posts  

Point to note: Sprinklr’s social listening allows you to gather and analyze data from over 30 social platforms, including mainstream, niche networks, and review forums. Plus, it can detect logo usage in user-generated content (UGC) and visuals as well.

Get a Demo of Sprinklr 

2. Keyword tracking

You can’t monitor everything, so focusing on specific keywords, hashtags, or phrases is needed here. Whether it’s your brand name, competitors, or industry-specific terms, keyword tracking lets you zero in on the most relevant conversations.  

Metric focus: Number of keywords mentioned, reach (how many people are exposed to those keywords) and engagement rates (likes, comments, shares on posts that mention those keywords).  

3. Sentiment analysis

Another key component of social media monitoring is social media sentiment analysis which helps you gauge whether the comments and mentions are positive, negative, or neutral, giving you insights into how customers feel about your brand. It’s vital for global brands to use an enterprise tool like Sprinklr that caters to 100+ languages and offers 80% sentiment detection accuracy. 

Metric focus: Sentiment scores (percentage of positive, negative and neutral mentions), overall sentiment trend (how it changes over time).  

4. Real time alerts

Real time alerts notify you instantly when there's a significant uptick in brand mentions or sentiment changes. This helps manage crises or capitalize on positive trends right when they happen.   

Metric focus: Trend analysis of mentions, comments, or posts related to a specific topic, keyword, or brand across social media platforms. These surges can indicate a viral moment, a trending discussion, or even the beginning of a PR crisis.  

🚩Stay Ahead of Crises with Smart Alerts 

Never miss a critical trend or issue impacting your brand.  

Powered by Sprinklr’s Smart Intuition, Smart Alerts, can proactively monitor social media conversations in real time and notify instantly when anomalies are detected on metrics of your choice. The Smart Alert AI model then predicts the movement in the future and flags deviation from its prediction. What’s more, the algorithm also triggers an alert to notify your team immediately via email, SMS, or push notifications. 

Paired with social media monitoring, this feature ensures you and your team is always on top of your game, day or night. 

5. Competitor analysis 

Keeping an eye on your competition is just as important as monitoring your own brand. The best social media competitor analysis tools let you track how competitors are performing, what their audience is saying and how their campaigns are being received.  

Metric focus: Share of voice (how much of the conversation is about you vs. competitors), engagement comparison, sentiment comparison.     

6. Engagement tracking 

It’s not enough to just listen; understanding how your audience interacts with your content matters too. Tracking social media engagement involves monitoring likes, shares, comments and overall engagement, offering insight into what content resonates with your audience.  

Metric focus: Engagement rate (percentage of people interacting with your content), click-through rate (CTR) and conversion metrics (how many interactions lead to actions like signing up or purchasing). 

7. Reporting and insights 

The final piece is compiling all the data into actionable reports. These social media reports help you detect patterns, identify strengths and weaknesses of your campaigns and refine your social media strategy based on real time insights.  

Metric focus: Summary of mentions, sentiment trends, social media metrics and overall social media performance.   

5 Steps to set up your social media monitoring strategy 

Ready to get started with social media monitoring and find the perfect approach for your brand? Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide to help you get started:  

Step 1: Choose the right social media monitoring tool 

The first step is selecting a tool that fits your business needs. Create a clear list of must-have features. This might include tracking specific keywords, monitoring hashtags, identifying influencers, or tracking mentions across multiple platforms.  

Consider what you need to monitor and make sure the tool covers those areas. If you're managing multiple social channels, ensure the tool supports those platforms too. Focus on tools that are scalable as your business grows. If you’re just starting out, you may only need basic features, but it’s worth choosing a tool that can expand to handle more complex needs as your business and social media presence grow. 

Pro tip: Ease of use matters. Test the interface and functionality before committing. If the tool is too complex, it may slow down your team and reduce efficiency. Look for something intuitive that aligns with your workflow. 

Step 2: List your search terms

The next step is creating a comprehensive list of search terms that relate to your brand and business. It could be your brand name, product names, key hashtags, slogans, and even competitor names. Include terms that are unique to your brand’s niche.  

Be sure to include variations, misspellings, and relevant industry terms. But be specific and avoid generic terms like “tech,” This helps you track a wider range of conversations. Remember, your goal is to capture as much relevant brand data as possible without overwhelming yourself with unnecessary noise. 

Additionally, consider potential negative search terms. For example, if your brand shares a name with something unrelated (like a place or product in another industry), add that to your list of exclusions to avoid irrelevant results. You can also exclude common spammy terms that clog your results. 

Step 3: Enter and refine your search terms 

Once you have your list of search terms, input them into your social media monitoring tool. This is where the process begins to take shape. As your tool starts gathering data, review the results carefully to refine your keywords and filters.  

Pay attention to the quality of insights you’re getting. If certain terms bring up too much irrelevant information, adjust or modify them based on how effective they are. 

Pro tip: Set up real time alerts for key search terms or issues that require immediate attention. This way, you can stay on top of important conversations, especially during campaigns or when responding to potential crises. 

Step 4: Refine and adjust over time

Once you’ve been monitoring for a while, you’ll start to see patterns in the data. As you track these patterns, don’t be afraid to fine-tune your search terms. 

If certain terms are producing too much irrelevant information, remove them or make them more specific. Conversely, if you notice certain conversations you're missing, add new terms to stay ahead. Social media trends evolve quickly, so keeping your search terms fresh and relevant is key to maximizing insights. 

Imagine you're tracking the keyword "apple." Initially, you’re flooded with data about the fruit rather than your tech company. To fix this, you can adjust your search term to “Apple Inc.” or “Apple iPhone” to filter out irrelevant posts about the fruit and focus on conversations about your brand. This simple tweak can significantly improve the relevance of the data you’re collecting. 

Pro tip: Keep an eye on new trends and add related keywords when necessary. If a new trend or slang emerges in your industry, add it to your monitoring list to stay ahead of the conversation. 

Step 5: Analyze your social media monitoring results

Once you’ve implemented your social media monitoring, it’s important to analyze whether your efforts are paying off. Use an analytics and reporting tool to track the goals you set initially, whether it’s improving customer sentiment, boosting engagement, or increasing brand awareness.  

Compare your metrics before and after starting your monitoring strategy. For example, if one of your goals was to improve customer sentiment, track how it has changed over time. Has it improved as a result of your proactive responses? If not, consider adjusting how you’re responding or what kinds of posts you’re prioritizing. 

Make sure your reporting aligns with your overall social media marketing strategy. Monitor the changes in engagement, customer sentiment and conversion rates to measure success. If something’s not working, don’t hesitate to pivot and try a different approach. 

Top social media monitoring tools

When choosing a social media monitoring tool, it's important to consider factors like features, ease of use and pricing. Tools like Sprinklr, Hootsuite and Sprout Social are popular for a reason, but they all bring something different to the table, and each has its strengths and limitations.  

So, it’s all about finding the one that fits your budget, your brand and what you really want to achieve with social media monitoring. Let’s break down the top tools and figure out which one’s the best match for you!  

1. Sprinklr

Best for large enterprises with comprehensive needs

Sprinklr is a leading all-in-one social media management and monitoring platform, particularly suited for large enterprises that need to handle multiple social channels, high-volume data and complex customer interactions. This tool empowers you to explore your audience’s interests and needs, leveraging unstructured social conversations to drive strategic, data-informed decisions.  

Key features: 

• Real-time insights on customers and competitors 

• Proactive reputation protection 

• Spot emerging trends 

• Broad channel coverage 

• Quick query setup and refined listening 

• Actionable reports for brand health 

• Advanced AI capabilities 

2. Hootsuite

A versatile tool for small and mid-sized brands

While Hootsuite provides solid social media monitoring, particularly for small to mid-sized businesses, its advanced social listening capabilities (like Hootsuite Insights) are reserved for enterprise users, meaning smaller businesses may need to upgrade to access more in-depth features. Compared to platforms like Sprinklr, Hootsuite’s AI-powered insights and data-driven sentiment analysis are somewhat limited. However, for businesses looking for user-friendly, cost-effective tools that offer great basic social media monitoring capabilities, Hootsuite remains an excellent choice. 

Key features: 

• Customizable Streams 

• Reputation management 

• Engagement in real time 

• Advanced listening with Hootsuite Insights  

3. Sprout Social

Best for small to mid-sized businesses seeking ease of use

Sprout Social provides a robust social media monitoring platform that seamlessly integrates into your social strategy, giving you the tools to track and respond to important interactions across major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok. It’s designed for businesses that want to simplify their social media management while gaining actionable insights. 

Key features: 

• Smart inbox 

• Crisis management 

• Competitor comparison & industry analysis 

• Comprehensive consumer research 

👉For more tools and information, read the top 10 social media monitoring tools for 2024 and beyond.  

Common challenges in social media monitoring and how to overcome them

Data overload: With the sheer volume of social media activity, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by endless data. The fix? Use advanced filtering tools to focus only on relevant mentions and conversations that impact your brand. Prioritizing key topics and setting clear goals will help cut through the noise.  

Sentiment analysis accuracy: Automated sentiment analysis can often miss the nuance in conversations, especially sarcasm or context. Regularly reviewing flagged content manually or using AI tools that improve over time will help ensure more accurate sentiment tracking.  

Staying responsive in real time: Responding in real-time on social media is challenging because the pace is relentless, and conversations can quickly escalate. A mention or crisis can go viral in minutes, and if not addressed promptly, it may lead to negative public sentiment or the spread of misinformation. Setting up smart alerts for important keywords and mentions helps you stay responsive and jump into conversations when it matters most.  

Monitoring global audiences: If your brand serves a global market, monitoring conversations in multiple languages can be tough. Opt for monitoring tools that support multilingual tracking or partner with local experts to ensure you’re capturing the right insights across different regions. 

Future trends in social media monitoring

Social media monitoring is stepping up in some pretty exciting ways. Here’s what’s coming: 

AI predicting trends 
It's no longer just about watching what's happening now. AI is starting to predict what’s coming next, analyzing past conversations to forecast future shifts in customer sentiment and brand buzz. 

Sharper sentiment analysis 
Sentiment detection tools are getting way better at understanding tone. With AI picking up on sarcasm, mixed emotions and even subtleties, businesses get a more accurate sense of how people really feel. 

Merging social listening with CRMs 
Integration of social media monitoring tools with CRM systems is a growing trend as brands seek better ways to connect with audiences. By combining social data — mentions, sentiment and engagement — with CRM profiles, businesses can deliver more personalized interactions, target responses more effectively and tie social trends directly to customer behavior. 

Real time competitor tracking
This is becoming a major trend as brands look for ways to stay agile in fast-changing markets. Sprinklr’s competitive benchmarking tool allows businesses to monitor competitors’ moves and customer reactions instantly. Whether it’s tracking the launch of a new product or a marketing campaign, brands can quickly assess how well it's being received and adjust their strategies in real time. This trend also enables businesses to capitalize on emerging opportunities, respond to market shifts immediately and stay ahead of their competition with sharper, faster decision-making. 

Visual content monitoring 
Visual content monitoring is becoming very essential as platforms like Instagram and TikTok dominate social media. Tools like Brandwatch and Sprinklr are evolving to track visual elements, including brand logos, product placements  and even facial expressions in videos and images. For example, AI-driven image recognition can detect when a brand’s logo appears in user-generated content or when products are showcased in influencer posts. 

How to measure the ROI of social media monitoring 

Measuring the ROI of your social media monitoring efforts comes down to tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) that directly connect to your business goals.  

Here’s how you can do it in a simple, actionable way: 

Track customer sentiment

Use tools like Sprinklr to monitor how people feel about your brand — whether they’re happy, upset, or neutral. If you notice more positive sentiment over time after acting on the data, that’s a clear return on investment. For example, if you’ve made changes based on negative feedback and start seeing more positive sentiment over time, that’s a clear return on investment. Keep an eye on long-term trends, such as shifts in customer perception before and after campaigns or product releases, to gauge how your actions are shaping how customers view your brand. 

Measure engagement rates

Engagement measures how actively your audience interacts with your social media content — through likes, shares, comments and mentions. Higher engagement generally means your content resonates with your audience, leading to increased brand awareness and loyalty. Similarly, if your engagement spikes after a strategic campaign or product launch, it's a sign that your monitoring efforts are delivering value.  

Sprinklr’s social media analytics and reporting capabilities can help you easily track and analyze these interactions and numbers over time and understand what content works best, allowing you to make data-driven decisions to keep your audience engaged. 

Reduce crisis response times 

The sooner you spot and address these issues, the less harm they can do to your brand's reputation. By using monitoring tools, you can set up real-time alerts for specific keywords or sudden spikes in negative sentiment, allowing you to contain the situation before it escalates. 

Tie monitoring to lead generation and sales 

Social media monitoring can directly impact your sales funnel by driving traffic to your website and converting that traffic into leads or customers. A real-world example might involve a special offer shared on social media. If you track mentions of your promo code and see that it’s driving clicks to your website and those clicks lead to purchases, you can attribute those sales directly to your social media monitoring efforts. This connection between social media activity and conversions is a clear indicator of return on investment (ROI). 

Gain a competitive edge

Real time competitive intelligence allows you to keep a close eye on what your competitors are doing, helping you adjust your own marketing strategy to stay ahead. For example, let’s say you notice through your monitoring tool that a competitor just launched a major discount campaign that’s gaining attention. You can quickly respond by adjusting your own strategy — maybe offering a similar promotion or emphasizing what makes your product better in some way. After implementing these changes, if you notice an increase in engagement, traffic, or sales compared to before, that’s measurable ROI from using real time competitor tracking. 

Track, engage, repeat 
Once you’ve got your social media monitoring strategy set, remember — it’s not a one-time thing. It’s an ongoing loop. Track to see what’s being said, engage with authenticity and then do it all over again. Each round helps you improve, especially when you’ve got the right tools in place to refine your approach. 

When choosing your monitoring tool, ensure it covers all your active social platforms in one place. The less time you spend toggling between tabs, the more time you’ll have to focus on what really matters: building real connections and maximizing the impact of your marketing campaigns. 

Ready to level up your social media monitoring? Request a Sprinklr Demo and see how smooth the social monitoring cycle can be. 

Frequently Asked Questions