Looking for the best social media monitoring software? Our comprehensive buyers guide reviews and compares the top options to help you make the right choice. From features to pricing, we've got you covered. Click to learn more!
Social media monitoring software enables you to enhance your social media strategy and offers a range of capabilities, from tracking brand mentions and sentiment analysis to competitor analysis and social listening. With the ability to collect real-time data across various social media platforms, you can optimize your online presence and make data-driven decisions to improve your business.
By 2026, the global social media market is expected to reach $833.50 billion and the social media analytics market is forecast to grow to $9.3 billion. That’s a lot of data to monitor and process, so having the right technology in place to help is crucial.
In this buyer's guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about social media monitoring software, from its key features to the different types available, to help you make an informed purchase decision.
What is social media monitoring software
Social Media Monitoring Software is a powerful tool that enables organizations to track and monitor conversations on social networks. It provides businesses and social media marketers with the ability to monitor mentions of their brand, competitors and industry, and analyze the data gathered to make informed decisions. The software works by collecting data from various social channels, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. It then analyzes this data to help companies track and understand customer sentiment, identify emerging trends, and respond to customer inquiries and complaints in real-time. Here are some common use cases for Social Media Monitoring Software:
Reputation Management: Companies use this software to track mentions of their brand, products and services to maintain their reputation.
Customer Service: It allows you to respond to customer inquiries and complaints in real-time to improve customer satisfaction.
Competitor Analysis: It allows you to monitor your competitors' social media posts and activity to identify emerging trends, identify your competitive advantages and stay ahead of the competition.
Influencer Marketing: It allows you to identify and partner with potential social media influencers who have a large following to promote their brand. However, sometimes it's best to partner with micro-influencers depending on your marketing strategy and goals.
Product Development: You can also gather insights on customer preferences and feedback to make informed decisions about product development.
A wide range of companies utilizes Social Media Monitoring Software, including:
Marketing and Advertising Agencies
Public Relations Firms
Retail and E-commerce Companies
Hospitality and Tourism Companies
Healthcare Providers
Financial Institutions
Government Agencies
The benefits of social media monitoring software
Social media monitoring software has become an essential tool for businesses in recent years. While social media presents a plethora of opportunities for businesses to connect with customers, it can also lead to negative mentions, comments and criticism. This is where social media monitoring software comes into play, as it can help businesses stay on top of their online reputation. Here are some of the main benefits of using social media monitoring software:
Brand reputation management: It allows businesses to keep track of what is being said about them online, in real-time. This enables them to respond to negative comments quickly and effectively.
Customer service improvement: Businesses can identify and respond to customer complaints and concerns quickly. This helps to improve engagement rates, customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Marketing and sales campaigns: By monitoring social media conversations, businesses can gain insights into their target audience's preferences, interests and behaviors. This information can help them create more effective marketing campaigns.
Crisis management: Businesses can identify potential issues before they escalate and become a crisis. By keeping a close eye on social media conversations, businesses can respond quickly and mitigate any negative impact on their reputation.
In summary, Social media monitoring software is an indispensable tool for businesses. It can help businesses stay on top of their online reputation, improve customer service, gain insights into their target audience and respond effectively to any issues that arise.
8 features of social media monitoring software
Social media monitoring software is a vital tool that businesses can use to stay on top of their social media presence. It enables them to track and analyze important metrics, such as mentions, shares and engagement levels.
Here are 8 most common features of social media monitoring software.
Real-time monitoring: The best monitoring tools provide real-time updates on brand mentions and industry trends. This feature allows businesses to respond quickly to customer feedback and inquiries.
Sentiment analysis: With sophisticated algorithms that analyze text and images, social media monitoring software can determine the sentiment behind posts and comments. This information can help businesses assess public perception and gauge the success of social media campaigns.
Competitive intelligence: Most monitoring software allows businesses to track their competitor's social media activity. This feature provides valuable insights into industry trends, popular hashtags and competitor performance.
Social listening: Social listening involves analyzing social media conversations to identify customer needs and preferences. Leading social listening tools can accomplish this by tracking trending topics and hashtags related to your industry.
Analytics and Reporting: Social media monitoring software provides detailed analytics and reporting on social media activity. These reports give businesses insights into which posts and campaigns are performing well and which ones need improvement.
Customizable alerts: Customizable alerts are a useful feature that allows businesses to set alerts for specific keywords, mentions or hashtags. This feature ensures that businesses receive timely updates related to their brand.
Integration with other tools: Social media monitoring software integrates with various other valuable tools such as social media management tools and customer relationship management (CRM) software. Integration with these tools provides businesses with a comprehensive platform that streamlines all aspects of social media management.
AI-powered automation: Social media tracking tools often employ Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning technologies to automate social media management. By automating routine tasks such as posting, responding to comments and measuring analytics, AI-powered tools save businesses time and effort.
These are the top 10 most common features of social media monitoring software that businesses should consider when selecting a monitoring tool. By staying on top of their social media presence, businesses can maintain a positive online reputation, improve customer engagement and drive sales.
Considerations of Social Media Monitoring Software
When looking for social media monitoring software, there are several factors that businesses should consider.
Functionality: The software should have comprehensive and accurate monitoring capabilities, with the ability to track your brand on multiple social media networks. It should also provide detailed analytics that give business owners and marketing teams insight into what customers are saying about their brand.
Usability: A good social media monitoring software should be user-friendly, with easy-to-use dashboards that provide at-a-glance information. Similarly, the software should provide customizable alerts that allow users to set up notifications for mentions that specifically matter to them.
Level of integration: Ideally, the software should integrate seamlessly with your existing software. This allows for a more streamlined approach to managing customer interactions and keeping tabs on mentions of your brand.
Cost of software: While it's important to choose software that offers the functionality needed for effective social media monitoring, it's equally important to choose a software that fits within your budget. Business owners and marketing teams should consider the long-term value the software will provide, and weigh this against the cost.
Vendor reputation: Look for software vendors that have a strong reputation in the market, and that provide excellent customer support. This ensures that you can receive timely assistance when needed and any problems can be resolved quickly.
5 social media monitoring tools you should know about
Social media monitoring tools have become an integral part of managing online presence for businesses, and it is essential that they keep abreast of the latest trends in this area.
These top 5 social media monitoring tools have evolved to provide businesses with even more powerful features.
1. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is comprehensive social media management platform that allows businesses to manage their social media presence from one single dashboard. With powerful social media analytics, scheduling features and the ability to monitor multiple social media channels, Hootsuite is a top choice for businesses this year.
2. Sprout Social
This is another popular choice for businesses looking for a comprehensive social media monitoring tool. It offers powerful analytics and customizable reporting, as well as a suite of engagement tools that help businesses to manage their social profiles.
3. Meltwater
This one provides businesses with real-time insights into their brand's online presence. It is particularly powerful for tracking mentions of a brand or product across multiple social media channels, allowing businesses to respond to customer feedback in real-time.
4. Cyfe
It offers businesses access to a wide range of analytics, including social media metrics and website analytics. It also offers the ability to create custom dashboards and track KPIs.
5. Talkwalker
Talkwalker provides powerful analytics and reporting features, as well as the ability to monitor and track social media conversations in multiple languages.
Overall, the biggest social media monitoring tools are moving towards more comprehensive features and real-time insights. With them, businesses can stay ahead of the competition by monitoring their social media presence and engaging with their audience in real-time.