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7 Best Social Listening Tools to Unlock Brand Insights

Categories: 
Author
samuelstapp
Published
November 8, 2024
Woman holding a phone with icon of an ear floating next to her.

Social media isn’t just for posting and calling it a day—it’s a vibrant hub of continuous conversations, opinions, and trends. For brands, keeping up with these discussions is crucial to stay relevant and connected with audiences. This is where social listening tools come into play, enabling you to monitor, analyze, and act on the conversations that matter most to your business.

What Are Social Listening Tools?

Social listening tools are platforms that track and analyze online conversations across social media, blogs, forums, and other online spaces. They help brands monitor mentions of their name, products, competitors, or industry-related keywords in real time. (Yes, it’s like magic!) 

But it’s more than just keeping an eye on what people are saying—social listening tools dive deeper into sentiment analysis, trends, and audience insights, giving brands actionable data to refine their marketing strategy and respond proactively.

Long story short, these tools help brands:

  • Gauge customer sentiment around their products or services.
  • Stay on top of trends and conversations within their industry.
  • Track competitor performance and spot opportunities for growth.
  • Identify potential crises early and respond before they escalate.

The 7 Best Social Listening Tools

With so many options available, choosing the best social listening tool for your needs can be a daunting task. To point you in the right direction, we've compiled an in-depth list:

1. Talkwalker

Page showing analytics table and data offered by Talkwalker.
Source: Talkwalker
  • Coverage: Monitors conversations across 30+ social networks and 150 million websites globally
  • AI Capabilities: Offers AI-driven insights, real-time analytics, and image recognition
  • Best For: Brands seeking comprehensive coverage and advanced analytics

Talkwalker is a powerful social listening platform that provides extensive coverage and advanced AI capabilities. With its ability to monitor conversations across a wide range of sources and languages, Talkwalker is ideal for brands looking to gain a global perspective on their online presence.

2. Hootsuite

A collage showing different charts and graphs within Hootsuite.
Source: Hootsuite
  • Integration: Seamlessly integrates social listening features into its social media management platform
  • Features: Offers keyword tracking, sentiment analysis, and collaboration tools
  • Best For: Businesses seeking an all-in-one solution for social media management and monitoring

Hootsuite is a well-known social media management platform that offers integrated social listening capabilities. Its user-friendly interface and collaboration tools make it an excellent choice for teams looking to streamline their social media efforts while staying on top of important conversations. (after all, teamwork makes the dream work!)

3. Brandwatch

Sneak peak of Brandwatch's social listening tool, showing an image of a burger and total mentions of a keyword.
Source: Brandwatch
  • Data Analysis: Provides in-depth analysis of consumer conversations across various digital channels
  • Features: Includes trend tracking, historical data access, and customizable dashboards
  • Best For: Brands requiring extensive data analysis and insights for strategic decision-making

Brandwatch is a robust social listening platform that excels at providing in-depth analysis of consumer conversations. With its ability to track trends, access historical data, and create customizable dashboards, Brandwatch empowers brands to make data-driven decisions and stay ahead of the competition.

4. Brand24

Overview of Brand24 tool showing the online reputation tool.
Source: Brand24
  • AI-Powered: Utilizes AI to track mentions across social media, blogs, and news sites
  • Features: Offers real-time alerts, sentiment analysis, and influencer identification
  • Best For: Small businesses needing affordable yet effective brand monitoring solutions

Brand24 is an AI-powered social listening tool that offers an affordable solution for small businesses. (We all love a good deal, right?) Its features include real-time alerts, sentiment analysis, and influencer identification capabilities, helping brands stay on top of important conversations and quickly identify potential opportunities or threats.

5. Sprout Social

Sprout social media listening tool homepage.
Source: Sprout Social
  • Versatility: Combines social listening capabilities with a range of social media management features
  • Features: Includes engagement tracking, audience insights, and sentiment analysis
  • Best For: Brands looking to combine social listening with a wider range of social media management features

Sprout Social is a versatile social media analytics tool that offers social listening capabilities alongside an extensive suite of other features. Its engagement tracking, audience insights, and sentiment analysis tools make it an excellent choice for brands looking to gain a comprehensive understanding of their social media presence.

6. Meltwater

Example of Meltwater social listening tool presenting analytical data in the form of bar graphs and pie charts.
Source: Meltwater
  • Media Intelligence: Provides insights from both social and traditional media sources
  • Features: Offers comprehensive search capabilities, sentiment analysis, and custom reporting
  • Best For: Brands looking to monitor their presence across multiple media types and channels

Meltwater is a media intelligence platform that offers social listening capabilities alongside traditional media monitoring. With its comprehensive search capabilities, sentiment analysis, and custom reporting features, Meltwater is ideal for brands looking to gain a holistic view of their media presence.

7. Mentionlytics

Mentionlytics social listening tool showing bar graphs and pie charts.
Source: Mentionlytics
  • User-Friendly: Offers a user-friendly interface for monitoring brand mentions across social media and the web
  • Features: Includes advanced sentiment analysis, multilingual support, and influencer tracking
  • Best For: Brands focused on gaining insights from diverse online conversations, especially in various languages

Mentionlytics is a user-friendly social listening tool that helps brands monitor mentions across social media and the web. With its advanced sentiment analysis, multilingual support, and influencer tracking capabilities, Mentionlytics is an excellent choice for brands looking to gain insights from diverse online conversations in multiple languages.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right social listening tool depends on your brand’s needs and goals. Whether you’re a small business looking to stay informed or an enterprise requiring advanced analytics, these powerful tools can help you unlock valuable insights, stay ahead of the competition, and build stronger connections with your audience. 
Let us help you elevate your brand monitoring strategy - request a proposal from That RANDOM Agency today and take the first step towards unlocking your brand's full potential.

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