Social media listening tools to help drive growth

Social media listening tools to help drive growth

Understanding your audience isn’t just about tracking metrics – it’s about uncovering the conversations, trends, and sentiment shaping your market in real time. Social listening tools give marketers the edge by transforming unfiltered online chatter into actionable insights. From identifying emerging opportunities to sharpening your strategy, these tools help you stay ahead of the curve and make smarter, faster decisions.

Here’s a breakdown of the 6 key tools that are team use for social media listening and intelligence. They help us make more informed decisions and may help you too:

AnswerThePublic
Great for: Deciphering Audience Curiosities.

Ever wished you could understand exactly what questions your audience is asking? AnswerThePublic aggregates search queries from platforms like Google and Bing to visualise the topics and questions on your audience’s mind. It’s a go-to tool for content marketers looking to create relevant, high-value content. With free daily searches and paid plans, it’s an affordable and highly effective entry point into social media listening.

Exploding Topics:
Great for: Riding the Wave of Emerging Trends.

The next big thing in your industry is already gaining momentum – you just need to spot it. Exploding Topics identifies rising trends before they hit the mainstream, giving you a head start on crafting campaigns that resonate. For marketing teams focused on innovation, this tool is invaluable. A free plan is available, as well as a range of paid options.

SparkToro:
Great for: Illuminating Audience Insights.

What does your audience read, watch, or listen to? SparkToro takes audience analysis a step further by showing you their habits and preferences. For marketers refining targeting strategies, SparkToro provides actionable insights into how to connect with your ideal customer. A free plan that offers five searches per month is available, as well as paid plans.

Mention:
Great for: Real-Time Brand Monitoring.

Brand reputation can change in an instant. Mention keeps you in the loop by tracking conversations about your brand, competitors, and industry across multiple platforms. With real-time alerts, you’ll never miss an opportunity to engage or address a concern. Mention currently only offer paid social media listening plans. Their entry level one covers up to 5,000 mentions, making it perfect for mid-sized marketing teams.

Brand24:
Great for: Comprehensive Monitoring at Scale.

Need to track your brand, competitors, and industry trends all in one place? Brand24 delivers keyword monitoring, sentiment analysis, and comprehensive reporting in an easy-to-use platform. For teams managing multiple campaigns, its robust capabilities make it an essential tool. It’s one of the more expensive options out there but is a great choice for marketers who need an all-in-one solution.

Brandwatch:
Great for: Enterprise-Grade Listening and Analytics.

For large-scale operations, Brandwatch is the gold standard in social listening. With access to over 1.7 trillion data points and advanced sentiment analysis, it’s designed for teams that require deep, data-driven insights to shape strategy. Pricing is customised, reflecting its enterprise-level capabilities, but its depth of features justifies the investment for those at scale.

And finally…

By leveraging these tools, marketing professionals can gain a deeper understanding of their audience, stay ahead of competitors, and craft campaigns that truly resonate. Choose the social media listening tool that aligns best with your goals, and start turning insights into impact today! Need help with your social media strategy? Contact us today.