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Abstract

e)</h2><figure id="cedd"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*pT41NLhZq8nY6ck7dd_Kbw.png"><figcaption>Easily set up Google Alerts at <a href="https://www.google.com/alerts">https://www.google.com/alerts</a></figcaption></figure><p id="f787">Google Alerts is a free tool that sends email notifications whenever your brand is mentioned online. It has been in existence for a long time and is the first tool I ever used years ago. I still use it to date. However, Google Alerts has some major limitations. For example:</p><ul><li>You only get alerts on recent mentions.</li><li>Doesn’t cover mentions from social media channels (This is a huge one!)</li><li>The results are not comprehensive. They may only feature mentions from big publications and renowned authors.</li><li>Only includes alerts from indexed web pages.</li></ul><h2 id="afe3">2. Hootsuite (Must-Have)</h2><p id="8d32">I used to only rely on social media posts where I’m either tagged or it’s posted on my timeline. This meant I missed out on many opportunities where brands I manage were mentioned without tags. <a href="https://www.hootsuite.com/plans">Hootsuite</a> is now my go-to social media listening tool. It allows you to monitor and manage your brand’s social media presence.</p><p id="fa13">Hootsuite has a host of other social media management features. They have a 30-day free trial offer on all their paid plans.</p><figure id="8071"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*6fC8bCsK9Ssnwx7_TSXkzA.png"><figcaption>Hootsuite pricing for 2023</figcaption></figure><h2 id="2b99">3. Brand24</h2><p id="dee8">This is a social media listening tool that allows you to monitor your brand’s mentions and track your online reputation. <a href="https://brand24.com/features/">Brand24 </a>is especially good for media monitoring for tracking your brand mentions on online news sites.</p><figure id="f183"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*fotv0MkpILqfMxH2zauARQ.png"><figcaption>Brand monitoring with Brand24</figcaption></figure><p id="87f0">While they offer a free trial, I found Brand24 to be too expensive for most of my smaller clients. Prices start at $49 per month for monitoring a single keyword and jump up to$ 348 per month for 25 keywords.</p><h2 id="81d1">4. Mention</h2><p id="64a7"><a href="https://mention.com/en/">Mention </a>lets you track your brand’s mentions across social media, blogs, forums, and news sites. It offers most of the advantages of Google Alerts and Hootsuite combined.</p><p id="404f">I would recommend it to anyone with a medium-range marketing budget. Prices start at $41 per month for up to 5,000 mentions.</p><figure id="b528"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*wXwUdKYif7lIcjYEbJx1ZQ.png"><figcaption>Mention — One of the best social media listening tools in 2023</figcaption></figure><h2 id="ea95">5. Sprout Social</h2><p id="2530">This is a complete social media management tool that includes a monitoring feature to help you track your brand’s social media presence. You can also monitor other social profiles including

Options

employee profiles (for employee advocacy) and competitor profiles.</p><figure id="d0e5"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*ypQFLhWUADVHlJmd8CuiTg.png"><figcaption>Sprout Social has one of the most comprehensive solutions for social media management</figcaption></figure><p id="8961">Because of its many valuable features, Sprout Social comes at a higher price point than most of the other tools I have mentioned. The standard plan starts at $249 per month with the professional and advanced plans going for$ 399 and $499 respectively.</p><h2 id="9111">6. Awario</h2><p id="41b4">Awario is a great social listening tool. One advantage they have is their highly responsive team. They will assist you to define and set up your keywords so you don’t miss out on important brand mentions.</p><figure id="ecbd"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*ZszTNVb1usPuaxqwv61_9A.png"><figcaption>Awario plans and pricing 2023</figcaption></figure><p id="6f47">Their starter pack costs$ 24 per month while their pro and enterprise packages cost $74 and$ 249 per month respectively.</p><h2 id="2f4b">7. Ahrefs Alerts (Best of All in My Opinion)</h2><figure id="914a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*Hyaf0H6EUhEIH-RON8CDrA.png"><figcaption>Ahrefs plans and pricing for 2023</figcaption></figure><p id="a5c7">I personally think <a href="https://ahrefs.com/">Ahrefs </a>is the best in class for tracking your brand and competitors. Ahrefs is primarily an SEO tool with very many keyword-tracking functions that go beyond brand monitoring. I get to do so much on Ahrefs including:</p><ul><li>Monitoring search traffic for specific keywords.</li><li>Identifying top-ranking websites and competitor web pages for particular keywords.</li><li>Gathering data on what my target audience is searching for on Google.</li><li>Finding related keywords for the topics I’m interested in.</li><li>Identifying potential SEO issues in the websites I manage.</li><li>Estimating the rank potential for keywords I’m interested in.</li><li>Identifying potential sources for backlink campaigns.</li><li>Monitoring the ranking progress of my websites.</li><li>Finding blind spots in my content strategy.</li></ul><h2 id="d6ab">Conclusion</h2><p id="27d8">Websites, blogs, video channels, and social media channels are great sources of market intelligence. Knowing what people are saying about your brand, products, industry, and competitors can inform your next marketing strategy to improve your products/services, boost customer engagement, and drive your lead generation.</p><p id="9bb7">It’s worth noting that some of these tools can be expensive, so it’s important to choose one that fits your budget and specific needs. While I have two of my favorites, there are many more brand monitoring services that can help you scale your marketing.</p><p id="5f54">Which one do you find works best for you? Please let me know in the comments. And if you need any digital marketing services, get in touch at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p></article></body>

What Did You Say About Me? How to Monitor What People Are Saying About Your Brand Online

7 Brand Monitoring Tools Every Marketer Should Know About (Starting with the 2 tools I Can’t Do Without + Price Comparisons)

What are people saying about you and your brand? (Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko)

We all want to know what people are saying about us and what they think of us. For marketers, this is not an issue of ego or vanity. Brand monitoring is crucial for the performance of your brand image and your marketing campaigns.

Reasons Why You Need to Monitor Brand Mentions

Monitoring brand mentions is an important part of maintaining a strong positive online presence. It also ensures that your brand is effectively engaging with customers and addressing any concerns.

Some of the top reasons I recommend marketers use brand monitoring tools are:

Lead generation: Find out who is interested in your products or services. Create strategies to reach new markets and customize marketing campaigns in line with what your new prospects are saying about your brand.
Reputation management: By monitoring brand mentions, you can quickly identify any negative feedback or comments about your brand and take steps to address them. This helps to protect and improve your brand’s reputation.
Customer engagement: Monitoring brand mentions can help you identify when customers are talking about your brand online. This provides an opportunity to engage with them, answer any questions they may have, and build stronger relationships with your customers.
Competitor analysis: By monitoring brand mentions of your competitors, you can gain insights into their marketing strategies, product launches, and customer sentiment. This can help you stay competitive and make informed business decisions.
Content marketing: Monitoring brand mentions can provide ideas for content marketing, such as blog posts or social media updates, that address customer concerns or interests.
Crisis management: In the event of a crisis or negative news story, monitoring brand mentions can help you quickly identify the issue and take steps to mitigate any potential damage.
Passive link prospecting: For guest-posting, searching outreach prospects, and finding opportunities for collaboration.
Identify influencers: Find people who have an authoritative presence and can help scale your marketing efforts.

The Best Brand Monitoring Tools I Have Used (Starting with My 2 Must-Haves)

There are many online brand monitoring tools available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of the best options:

1. Google Alerts (Must-Have)

Easily set up Google Alerts at https://www.google.com/alerts

Google Alerts is a free tool that sends email notifications whenever your brand is mentioned online. It has been in existence for a long time and is the first tool I ever used years ago. I still use it to date. However, Google Alerts has some major limitations. For example:

You only get alerts on recent mentions.
Doesn’t cover mentions from social media channels (This is a huge one!)
The results are not comprehensive. They may only feature mentions from big publications and renowned authors.
Only includes alerts from indexed web pages.

2. Hootsuite (Must-Have)

I used to only rely on social media posts where I’m either tagged or it’s posted on my timeline. This meant I missed out on many opportunities where brands I manage were mentioned without tags. Hootsuite is now my go-to social media listening tool. It allows you to monitor and manage your brand’s social media presence.

Hootsuite has a host of other social media management features. They have a 30-day free trial offer on all their paid plans.

3. Brand24

This is a social media listening tool that allows you to monitor your brand’s mentions and track your online reputation. Brand24 is especially good for media monitoring for tracking your brand mentions on online news sites.

While they offer a free trial, I found Brand24 to be too expensive for most of my smaller clients. Prices start at $49 per month for monitoring a single keyword and jump up to $348 per month for 25 keywords.

4. Mention

Mention lets you track your brand’s mentions across social media, blogs, forums, and news sites. It offers most of the advantages of Google Alerts and Hootsuite combined.

I would recommend it to anyone with a medium-range marketing budget. Prices start at $41 per month for up to 5,000 mentions.

Mention — One of the best social media listening tools in 2023

5. Sprout Social

This is a complete social media management tool that includes a monitoring feature to help you track your brand’s social media presence. You can also monitor other social profiles including employee profiles (for employee advocacy) and competitor profiles.

Sprout Social has one of the most comprehensive solutions for social media management

Because of its many valuable features, Sprout Social comes at a higher price point than most of the other tools I have mentioned. The standard plan starts at $249 per month with the professional and advanced plans going for $399 and $499 respectively.

6. Awario

Awario is a great social listening tool. One advantage they have is their highly responsive team. They will assist you to define and set up your keywords so you don’t miss out on important brand mentions.

Their starter pack costs $24 per month while their pro and enterprise packages cost $74 and $249 per month respectively.

7. Ahrefs Alerts (Best of All in My Opinion)

I personally think Ahrefs is the best in class for tracking your brand and competitors. Ahrefs is primarily an SEO tool with very many keyword-tracking functions that go beyond brand monitoring. I get to do so much on Ahrefs including:

Monitoring search traffic for specific keywords.
Identifying top-ranking websites and competitor web pages for particular keywords.
Gathering data on what my target audience is searching for on Google.
Finding related keywords for the topics I’m interested in.
Identifying potential SEO issues in the websites I manage.
Estimating the rank potential for keywords I’m interested in.
Identifying potential sources for backlink campaigns.
Monitoring the ranking progress of my websites.
Finding blind spots in my content strategy.

Conclusion

Websites, blogs, video channels, and social media channels are great sources of market intelligence. Knowing what people are saying about your brand, products, industry, and competitors can inform your next marketing strategy to improve your products/services, boost customer engagement, and drive your lead generation.

It’s worth noting that some of these tools can be expensive, so it’s important to choose one that fits your budget and specific needs. While I have two of my favorites, there are many more brand monitoring services that can help you scale your marketing.

Which one do you find works best for you? Please let me know in the comments. And if you need any digital marketing services, get in touch at [email protected].