Ultimate Brand Monitoring Guide For Tracking Online Reputation

You’ll be surprised to know that 93% of users admit that online reviews have impacted their buying decision. That means a couple of negative reviews can actually be a potential reason for lesser lead generation.

Despite the risk, over 70% of businesses don’t reply to negative reviews. These unresponded snippets float around and become a looming threat to your brand. 

On the other hand, your credibility boosts up if somebody mentions your brand and talks about the wow experience they had with you. That’s the best form of marketing every brand dreams of. 

Though everybody knows these basics, what needs to be improved is its execution. How do we know what every customer is talking about? Is it negative feedback or a happy pat on the back?

We don’t have the luxury of watching out for every notification. And some posts won’t even tag you while reviewing. So the bigger question is how to dig those out quickly and improve your online reputation at stake. 

Well, all your worries point to one solution— brand monitoring! 

What is brand monitoring?

Brand monitoring is when businesses keep an eye on what people say about them online, especially on social media.

For example, a fast-food restaurant opens near you, and they start social media marketing aggressively. How will they know if they are delivering the best experience? 

They can use social monitoring tools to see what people say about them on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites. They might also look at reviews on sites like Yelp to see what people say about their food and service.

By doing this, businesses can better understand what people think about them and their products and use that information to improve their business. They might respond to negative comments to make things right or use positive comments in their marketing to show people they’re doing a good job.

Brand monitoring is undeniably a promising way to keep track of what people say about them online and use that information to improve their business. 

Why is brand monitoring important for you?

If you have been on and off about committing to brand monitoring, here’s what you need to know. 

Improved customer service: By using brand monitoring tools, companies can quickly respond to any negative comments or complaints that customers may have. 

For example, if someone tweets at Domino’s Pizza that their pizza was cold, the company can respond and offer to make it right. This is an example of improved customer service by ensuring satisfaction and loyalty.

Better product development: Companies can use brand monitoring to see what people say about their products and services. 

For example, if people complain that their headphones keep breaking, a company like Bose can use that feedback to improve their products and make them more durable.

Crisis management: In a crisis or negative publicity, brand monitoring can help companies respond quickly and effectively. 

For example, if a product is recalled, a company like Tesla can monitor social media and news outlets to see what people are saying and take action to address any concerns or issues.

Competitive analysis: Companies can also use brand monitoring to monitor their competitors. 

For example, if McDonald’s sees people raving about a new burger at Burger King, they can use that information to improve their menu offerings.

Brand reputation management: Brand monitoring helps companies to maintain a positive reputation

For example, if Nike sees people praising their new shoes on social media, they can use that feedback in their marketing materials to showcase positive reviews and build trust with potential customers.

Regret not starting early? You can start doing it right away with the steps we covered in the next section. 

How should you monitor your brand for free?

  1. Sign up for a Keyhole account for your free trial and login into the dashboard.
  1. Go to Profile Analytics. Then add a new profile by clicking the “+Add New Profile” button on the top right corner of the screen.
  1. Select the @Analyze New Profile option from the drop-down. Click on the icons to choose your preferred social media platform. Enter your profile handle. 
  1. Select your profile from the drop-down and tap on “Analyze Profile”. You’ll be redirected to your account’s dashboard page. 
  1. Select the date range for which you want to monitor the mentions from the top right corner. You can choose from the past week, month, or year or set a custom date range.
  1. Select Mention from the navigation panel on the left. You’ll see posts that have mentioned you. 

Tip: If you notice a lock symbol next to that, you must authenticate your profile on Keyhole. You can go for the authentication process by clicking the Authenticate button below your profile name in the account dashboard. 

  1. Now you can view the mentions in real-time on the dashboard. Click on posts that interest you and reply to them with appropriate responses. 

You can also discover sentiments by tracking your brand names, hashtags, keywords, etc., from the Listening & Campaigns tab. 

  1. Add a keyword, brand name, product, or relevant hashtag by clicking “+Add New Tracker”. Fill in respective details.
  1. Once added, you’ll see a tracker dashboard. From the left navigation panel, select Sentiment. 
  1. Keyhole will display a sentiment analysis graph showing the percentage of positive, negative, and neutral mentions of your brand. You can also view the actual mentions and filter them by sentiment.
  1. Filter posts and see the respective sentiments. Use the insights gathered from the monitoring and sentiment analysis to make informed decisions about your brand’s online presence and reputation.

And that’s it! Following these simple steps, you can monitor brand mentions and perform sentiment analysis without wasting much time and effort.

5 Expert tips for brand monitoring for beginners

Still not able to reap the benefits of brand monitoring? Here are some expert tips if you are just starting:

1. Choose a tool: There are many monitoring tools available. Choose the one that not only fits your needs and budget but also is easy to use. You’ll spend more time learning it, ultimately saving none of it. 

2. Set up your keywords: Be keyword-specific and try out different combinations. For example, if you want to monitor a brand’s name, you would set up multiple variations of your brand name in mentions.

3. Customize your settings: Most monitoring tools allow you to customize your settings, such as how often you want to receive notifications or what type of content you want to monitor (e.g., social media, news sites, blogs, etc.). So please make the most of it. 

4. Review your results: Once you’ve set up your monitoring tool, review the results regularly. Look for patterns or trends in what people are saying about the brand. Are there recurring complaints or issues that need to be addressed? Are customers expressing satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the brand?

5. Take action: The most important part of brand monitoring is taking action on the information you receive. If you notice recurring complaints or issues, work with the company or brand to address them.

If customers are satisfied, consider what you can do to continue meeting their needs. Also, find ways to communicate with customers that suit their preferences. For example, soliciting feedback through text messaging rather than intrusive calls lets you gauge your brand’s reputation less disruptively.

Conclusion

Brand monitoring is important for any business or brand to track what people say about them online. It allows them to make better product or service decisions and maintain a good reputation.

Keyhole is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a great brand-monitoring tool. No need to be a data geek! You can access advanced analytics from day 1 and monitor your brand effectively. With Keyhole’s real-time tracking capabilities, you can stay on top of what people say about your brand and take action when needed.

And the best part? Keyhole offers a free trial, so you can try it out for yourself and see why it’s the best choice for brand monitoring. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to take your brand to the next level! Sign up for Keyhole’s free trial today and start monitoring your brand like a pro.

Related Articles:

8 Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Social Media Monitoring Efforts

What Are Social Mentions & How To Track Them

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is brand monitoring, and why is it important?

Brand monitoring involves tracking and analyzing the online conversations and mentions related to your brand, products, and services. It lets you gain insights into what people say about your brand, identify potential issues or opportunities, and take appropriate action. Brand monitoring is important because it helps you protect your brand's reputation, improve customer satisfaction, and stay competitive in your industry.

2. What are some tools for brand monitoring?

​​Various tools are available for brand monitoring, including social media monitoring tools like Keyhole and web monitoring tools like Google Alerts. These tools allow you to track mentions of your brand, monitor social media conversations, analyze sentiment, and identify influencers and competitors.

3. What are some best practices for brand monitoring?

To effectively monitor your brand, it's important to establish clear objectives and metrics for your monitoring efforts. You should also define your target audience and the channels and platforms where they are most active.

It's important to regularly monitor and analyze the data and feedback you receive and use the insights gained to optimize your brand strategy and improve customer satisfaction. Additionally, it's important to be responsive and engaged with your audience, responding to feedback and comments promptly and professionally.

Put an end to manual legwork once and for all.