8 Best Social Media Listening Tools to capture your audience

There is nothing more valuable for a brand than a personal recommendation from one friend to another and many of these recommendations come through word-of-mouth conversations taking place on social media channels. Utilising social media listening tools to find out what those recommendations will not provide key insights to hone your targeting, it can provide a multitude of audience preferences to ensure your save time and that you deliver successful marketing campaigns.

I have used many different social media listening platforms over the years’ and I have listed below some of the most popular ones – all of them provide great insights and have different pricing options, depending on your requirements.

1. Buzzomo

Be Inspired stay informed a tried and tested trooper of social media listening world, Buzzomo allows businesses to track and analyse online conversations about their brand, industry or competitors. You can gain valuable insights into content performance, influencer identification, competitor analysis and lots more. By monitoring mentions and tracking trending topics you can discover new content opportunities which will really support and drive your strategy.

Buzzumo pricing:

2. Hootsuite

Easily identified by its cute Owl logo, Hootsuite has been around for over a decade and is one of the world’s leading social media management platforms – delivering a whole host of capabilities to allow you to monitor conversations, track brand mentions, and gather insights across multiple social media channels.

Hootsuite pricing:

3. Talkwalker

Monitor social, reviews, blogs, forums, news sites & more on all markets in 198 languages. Talkwalker is a powerful social media listening and analytics platform. It enables businesses to monitor online conversations, track brand mentions and gain insights into consumer sentiment. With advanced features like real-time alerts, competitive analysis and image recognition it helps businesses make data-driven decisions and optimize their social media strategies effectively.

4. Sprout Social 

Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media management platform that empowers businesses to manage, monitor and analyse their social media presence. With features like scheduling, engagement tools, and robust reporting, Sprout Social helps businesses streamline their social media efforts, engage with their audience and gain valuable insights to drive their social media success.

5. Brandwatch

Recognised as a leader in the social media listening and analytics platform. It offers businesses real-time monitoring of online conversations, sentiment analysis, and influencer identification. With advanced features like image recognition and topic analysis, it will help you uncover valuable insights to inform their marketing strategies, track brand reputation, and stay ahead in the competitive landscape.

Brandwatch packages:

6. Awario

A great social media monitoring platform suitable for small to medium businesses. Awario offers real-time tracking of brand mentions, competitor analysis, and sentiment analysis to help businesses understand their online reputation.

Available packages:

7. Sprinkler

With multiple services on offer e.g. Transformation, Moderation, Strategy & Analytics and Managed Services, Sprinklr is a full service social media provider. Each service has its own individual options under Social, Insights and Marketing and caters for agencies, partners and businesses.

8. Meltwater

A fully comprehensive media intelligence platform that helps businesses monitor, analyze, and make data-driven decisions based on real-time insights. Meltwater features include media monitoring, social listening and competitive analysis, track brand mentions, measure campaign performance and stay informed about industry trends to drive strategic business outcomes.

Meltwater pricing:

Frequently asked questions:

1. What is a social media listening Tool?

A social media listening tool is a software application or platform that allows businesses and individuals to monitor and analyze conversations and mentions happening on social media platforms. It helps track and collect data about brand mentions, customer feedback, industry trends, and competitor activities across various social media channels. The power of using these tools should never be underestimtated, especially if you can respond in real time to comments and insights.

2. How does a social media listening tool work?

Social media listening tools work by continuously monitoring social media platforms for specific keywords, hashtags or mentions related to your brand, product or topic. These tools use advanced algorithms to process the data and then provide insights. Depending on your objectives, you can identify brand sentiment, track competitors and overall gain a better understanding of what your customers are saying about you in their conversations on social media. All of the insights gathered can be fed into developing a stronger picture of your customer experience and customer profile.

3. Why should I use a social media listening tool?

• Brand monitoring – by tracking brand mentions and sentiment, businesses can proactively manage their online reputation and address customer concerns. Great to use around campaigns, product launches etc.
• Customer insights – Social media listening tools provide valuable data on customer opinions, preferences, and feedback, helping businesses understand their target audience better. Effectively you are listening to and seeing the comments that people make in social circles and comments that you never see on other marketing channels.
• Competitive analysis – These tools enable businesses to monitor their competitors’ social media activities, allowing them to identify industry trends, benchmark performance and gain a competitive advantage.
• Influencer identification – Social media listening tools can help identify influential individuals or organizations discussing relevant topics, facilitating influencer marketing strategies.

4. What features should I look for in a social media listening tool? 

Ensure the tool supports the social media platforms relevant to your business, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.

Look for tools that provide real-time or near real-time data collection and analysis to keep you updated on the latest conversations and trends.

Check if the tool offers sentiment analysis capabilities to determine the overall sentiment (positive, negative or neutral) associated with brand mentions and customer feedback.

Consider tools that provide comprehensive reporting and analytics features, including customizable dashboards, data visualizations, and the ability to export data for further analysis.