Social listening

Social listening

Influencer

Social listening is tracking public social media conversations about a brand, its competitors or a topic to learn what people say and how they feel.

What is Social listening?

Social listening tools collect public posts, comments and mentions across networks and the web, then group them by topic, sentiment and volume. Brands use them to spot complaints early, find creators already talking about them, follow competitors and measure share of voice. Listening vs monitoring: monitoring answers "who mentioned us today?" so you can reply. Listening looks for patterns over time, such as rising complaints about a product or a new trend in a category. Limits: networks restrict what third parties can collect, so no tool sees everything, and private messages and closed groups are out of reach.

Example

A drink brand’s listening report shows a spike in posts calling a new flavor "too sweet". The brand adjusts the recipe for the next batch and replies to the most-shared posts.

Why Social listening Matters

Listening shows what customers say when they aren’t talking to you, which surveys and support tickets miss.

Social listening FAQ

What is the difference between social listening and social monitoring?

Monitoring tracks individual mentions so you can respond. Listening analyzes conversations over time to find trends and opinions.

Does Spark! do social listening?

No. Spark! is creator and affiliate software; for listening you’d use a dedicated social listening tool.

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