Free & Paid Social Listening Tools in 2024
by First Launch on Wednesday Mar 20
Understanding what people are saying about your brand, industry, or competitors on social media is essential for any business. Social media listening, also known as social media monitoring, is the process of tracking conversations happening across various social media platforms. These conversations provide invaluable insights that can shape marketing strategies, product development, and customer service. To efficiently conduct social media listening, businesses often rely on the expertise of a specialized digital marketing agency in Bangalore, which can leverage a wide array of paid and free social media listening tools.
Let’s delve into the world of social media listening tools that work, both free and paid, to help you make informed decisions and stay ahead in the digital landscape.
Understanding Social Media Listening
What is Social Media Listening?
Social media listening involves monitoring social media platforms for mentions, keywords, or conversations related to your brand, products, industry, or any other relevant topics. It’s not just about tracking direct mentions but also understanding sentiment, trends, and consumer behaviour.
Why is Social Media Listening Important?
Social media listening is important because it helps businesses understand customer opinions, manage their reputation, analyze competitors, handle crises effectively, gather product feedback, conduct market research, optimize content strategy, and identify leads and sales opportunities.
The Process of Social Media Listening
1. Set Objectives
Define what you aim to achieve through social media listening, whether it’s brand monitoring, competitor analysis, or trend identification.
2. Select Keywords
Choose relevant keywords, hashtags, or phrases to monitor across social media platforms.
3. Choose Tools
Select appropriate tools based on your budget, requirements, and desired features.
4. Monitor Conversations
Regularly monitor social media platforms for mentions, comments, and conversations related to your chosen keywords.
5. Analyze Data
Analyze the data gathered to gain actionable insights and make informed decisions.
Free Social Media Listening Tools in 2024
When starting with social media listening or operating on a tight budget, free tools can be incredibly valuable. Here are some effective free social media listening tools:
1. Google Alerts
A simple and free tool that allows you to monitor the web for mentions of specific keywords or phrases. You’ll receive email alerts whenever your chosen keywords are mentioned online.
2. Social Mention
Social Mention provides real-time social media search and analysis across various platforms. It offers insights into sentiment, top keywords, and influencers related to your search query.
3. TweetDeck
Owned by Twitter, TweetDeck is a powerful tool for monitoring Twitter in real-time. You can create custom columns to track specific keywords, hashtags, or accounts.
4. Hootsuite Free Plan
Using Hootsuite’s free plan, you can monitor and manage multiple social media accounts. While it has limitations compared to the paid plans, it’s still useful for basic social media listening.
5. Talkwalker Free Social Search
Talkwalker offers a free social media search tool that allows you to monitor mentions across various platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Paid Social Media Listening Tools
For businesses requiring more advanced features and comprehensive analytics, paid social media listening platforms offer robust solutions. Here are some top-paid social media listening tools:
- Brandwatch
- Sprout Social
- Meltwater
- Synthesio (now part of Ipsos)
- Sendible
1. Brandwatch
Brandwatch provides powerful social listening and analytics capabilities, including sentiment analysis, trend detection, and competitive intelligence.
2. Sprout Social
Sprout Social offers a suite of social media management tools, including listening, publishing, and analytics. It provides in-depth insights and customizable reports.
3. Meltwater
Meltwater offers media monitoring and social media listening tools to track brand mentions, sentiment, and competitive insights. It also provides AI-powered analytics for actionable insights.
4. Synthesio (now part of Ipsos)
Synthesio offers global social media listening solutions with multilingual support. It provides advanced sentiment analysis, audience insights, and crisis management tools.
5. Sendible
Sendible is a social media management platform that includes social listening capabilities. It allows businesses to monitor brand mentions, track keywords, and analyze social media performance across multiple channels.
Combining Paid and Free Social Media Listening Tools for Optimal Results
While paid social media listening platforms offer advanced features and comprehensive analytics, combining them with free social media listening tools can enhance your listening capabilities without breaking the bank. For example, you can use free tools like Google Alerts or TweetDeck for basic monitoring and supplement them with paid platforms for in-depth analysis and reporting.
By combining paid and free social media listening tools, businesses can create a tailored social media listening strategy that meets their specific needs and budget constraints. Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, leveraging the right mix of tools can help you stay informed, engage with your audience effectively, and drive business growth in today’s competitive digital landscape.
In conclusion, social media listening is not just an option but a necessity for businesses looking to thrive in the digital age. With a plethora of paid and free social media listening tools available, businesses of all sizes can harness the power of social media listening to gain valuable insights, build stronger relationships with their audience, and stay ahead of the competition. So, whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up your social listening efforts, there’s a tool out there to suit your needs.
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