Explore
Straight answers about listening to your market.
One question per page, answered in the first paragraph, with the sources under it. Written for people who asked an assistant and want to check the answer against something that shows its working.
Social listening
What it is, what it covers, and what it cannot do.
What is social listening?
Reading what people say in public about your brand, your competitors and your category, then acting on it — as opposed to counting how often your name appears.
Read the answerIs social listening worth it for a small business?
Often not yet. It depends almost entirely on whether your category generates enough public conversation to read, and there is a free way to find out.
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Brand monitoring
Finding every mention, and knowing when you have missed one.
What is the difference between social listening and brand monitoring?
Monitoring is the record of every mention. Listening is what you do with it. Most tools sell both under whichever name their buyer searches for.
Read the answerCan you monitor private Slack or Discord communities?
No tool in this category can, whatever the marketing implies. Here is what that means for your coverage and what to do instead.
Read the answerHow do you find brand mentions that don’t tag you?
Most mentions never tag you. Finding them is a keyword problem, and the work is in writing down every way your name gets typed.
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Measurement
Sentiment, share of voice, and which numbers survive a board meeting.
What is share of voice and how do you calculate it?
Your share of the public conversation about a named set of brands. Simple arithmetic; the judgement is in what goes into the denominator.
Read the answerIs share of voice the same as market share?
No. One counts conversation, the other counts revenue, and they routinely move in opposite directions.
Read the answerWhat is a good sentiment score for a brand?
There is no credible cross-industry benchmark. The only useful comparison is your own previous period, on the same channels.
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Choosing a tool
Prices, trade-offs and what the category does not advertise.
How much do social listening tools cost?
Entry plans run from about $30 to $2,500 a month. What moves the number is mention volume, keyword count and whether API access is included or sold as an enterprise upgrade.
Read the answerWhy do social listening tools claim “30+ sources”?
Because a number is easier to advertise than a list, and harder to check. Here is how to test a coverage claim in about ten minutes.
Read the answerDo social listening tools include API access?
Some include it from the entry plan; others gate it behind plans costing $499 to $1,099 a month. It is the most common hidden cost in the category.
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