In 2020, skincare brand CeraVe saw an unexpected explosion in popularity, all thanks to a viral TikTok video. Skincare influencer Hyram Yarbro raved about the brand’s products, and within months, sales skyrocketed by 89% globally.
CeraVe wasn’t just lucky, it was paying attention. By tracking online conversations and engaging with new audiences, the brand capitalized on the buzz and turned social media hype into real revenue.
Now, imagine the opposite scenario. A brand ignores a viral post, whether it’s a negative review, a product complaint, or a customer question. Without brand monitoring, they miss the opportunity to respond, control the narrative, or even leverage organic exposure. In today’s fast-paced digital world, keeping track of what people say about your brand isn’t optional, it’s a necessity.
In this guide, we’ll break down what brand monitoring is, why it matters for businesses of all sizes, and the best tools to track and analyze online mentions.
What Is Brand Monitoring?
Every brand has a reputation, whether they actively manage it or not. Customers leave reviews, discuss their experiences on social media, and compare brands with competitors. Some businesses stay on top of these conversations, while others only realize what people are saying when a crisis hits.
Brand monitoring is the practice of tracking these online mentions across various platforms to understand how a brand is perceived, identify potential risks, and uncover new opportunities.
Companies that monitor their brand can respond to customer feedback, prevent minor complaints from turning into bigger issues, and make data-driven decisions. Positive reviews can be acknowledged, while negative ones can be addressed before they cause reputational damage.
How Brand Monitoring Works
Brand monitoring tools scan the internet for mentions of specific keywords related to a company, including its brand name, product names, executive names, and branded hashtags. These tools then categorize the mentions by sentiment, positive, neutral, or negative, and provide insights into trends, audience engagement, and areas that require attention.
For example, if a company launches a new product, brand monitoring can reveal how customers are reacting across different platforms. If a major influencer mentions the product, businesses can track the engagement and see whether the sentiment is positive or negative. If a complaint starts gaining traction, the brand can step in and address it before it escalates into a full-blown PR crisis.
Key components of brand monitoring:
- Tracking brand mentions across social media, blogs, news sites, and review platforms
- Analyzing customer sentiment to measure public perception
- Identifying trends that could impact brand reputation or marketing strategy
- Responding to feedback in real time to manage customer relationships
- Monitoring competitors to gain insights into industry positioning
Brand Monitoring vs. Social Monitoring vs. Brand Tracking
Many businesses confuse brand monitoring, social monitoring, and brand tracking, but each serves a different purpose.
- Brand Monitoring: Tracks all online mentions of a brand across multiple channels, including social media, review sites, blogs, news articles, and forums. It focuses on real-time insights and reputation management.
- Social Monitoring: Specifically tracks conversations about a brand on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. It helps businesses engage with customers and respond to brand mentions directly.
- Brand Tracking: Measures long-term brand performance by analyzing brand awareness, customer perception, and market positioning. It’s often based on surveys, research reports, and analytics over time.
Brand monitoring is the most comprehensive approach because it covers multiple platforms and provides real-time data, whereas brand tracking focuses on long-term insights and social monitoring is limited to social media engagement.
Why Monitoring Your Brand Is Important
Brand monitoring is not just about tracking mentions. It helps businesses protect their reputation, understand customer sentiment, and uncover opportunities to strengthen their brand.
A well-monitored brand can engage with its audience, address concerns before they escalate, and capitalize on positive mentions. Without it, companies risk being blindsided by negative reviews, competitor strategies, or industry trends that could impact their market position.
1. Understanding Brand Sentiment
Brand sentiment analysis categorizes mentions as positive, negative, or neutral to help businesses gauge how customers feel. Tracking sentiment over time allows brands to:
- Identify positive feedback that can be leveraged in marketing campaigns.
- Spot negative sentiment trends before they escalate into a PR crisis.
- Measure the impact of new product launches or campaigns on brand perception.
A 2023 study found that 64% of consumers expect brands to respond to complaints within one hour, but most businesses fail to meet this expectation. Ignoring negative sentiment can lead to long-term brand damage. Source: HubSpot.
2. Reputation and Crisis Management
A single negative review can turn into a viral controversy if left unchecked. 88% of consumers are less likely to buy from a company that ignores bad reviews. Source: Clutch.
By actively monitoring brand mentions, businesses can:
- Respond quickly to negative feedback before it escalates.
- Address misinformation and prevent false claims from spreading.
- Manage PR crises by crafting timely and strategic responses.
A strong crisis management strategy starts with real-time brand monitoring. Companies that track their reputation consistently are better equipped to handle unexpected challenges.
3. Identifying Customer Issues and Product Improvements
Customers share their experiences with brands daily, often providing valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t. Many companies invest in market research when they could simply monitor what customers are already saying online.
Brand monitoring helps businesses:
- Detect common complaints about products or services.
- Identify feature requests and opportunities for innovation.
- Enhance customer experience by addressing concerns in real-time.
For example, brands that actively track feedback on social media and review sites can improve products faster, leading to higher customer satisfaction and retention rates.
4. Creating Two-Way Communication with Your Audience
Customers expect engagement from the brands they support. A Forrester study found that 77% of consumers want brands to respond to feedback on social media. Source: Forrester.
Businesses that engage with their audience can:
- Strengthen brand loyalty by acknowledging positive feedback.
- Show accountability by addressing concerns publicly.
- Build stronger relationships with customers through direct interactions.
Ignoring customer interactions can lead to frustration and loss of trust, while active engagement helps brands foster long-term loyalty.
5. Tracking User-Generated Content (UGC) and Brand Advocacy
User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most powerful marketing tools. Customers frequently create content about brands, including:
- Social media posts featuring products.
- Videos and reviews sharing personal experiences.
- Blog articles highlighting brand recommendations.
Studies show that 79% of consumers trust UGC as much as personal recommendations. Source: Stackla.
Monitoring UGC helps brands:
- Identify their biggest advocates and reward loyal customers.
- Reshare positive content to increase brand credibility.
- Track trends in organic mentions to refine marketing strategies.
By engaging with UGC, brands can amplify positive word-of-mouth marketing and build stronger communities around their products.
What Should You Monitor About Your Brand?
Brand monitoring isn’t just about tracking your company’s name. Customers, competitors, and industry influencers mention brands in different ways, sometimes without directly tagging them. To get a complete picture of your brand’s online presence, businesses need to track multiple elements, from product mentions to industry trends.
Here are the key aspects every business should monitor to stay ahead.
1. Your Brand and Product Mentions (Including Name Variations)
Customers might not always mention your brand the way you expect. Some use abbreviations, common typos, or even slang to refer to a company or product. Monitoring different variations of your brand name ensures you don’t miss important conversations.
For example, Coca-Cola tracks mentions like Coke, Coca Cola, and even misspellings like Cocacola to ensure they capture every mention. The same approach should be applied to product names, marketing slogans, and branded keywords.
What to track:
- Exact brand name (e.g., “Nike”)
- Common abbreviations or nicknames (e.g., “Coke” for Coca-Cola)
- Product names (e.g., “AirPods” for Apple)
- Misspellings (e.g., “MacDonalds” instead of “McDonald’s”)
2. Branded Hashtags and Keywords
Hashtags are a powerful way for customers to discuss brands, products, and campaigns. Businesses that don’t track their branded hashtags might miss viral discussions or valuable user-generated content.
For instance, Starbucks actively monitors hashtags like #Starbucks, #PumpkinSpiceLatte, and seasonal campaign tags to measure engagement. Even generic industry keywords related to your brand can reveal conversations that include potential customers.
What to track:
- Branded hashtags (e.g., “#NikeAir” or “#ShareACoke”)
- Campaign-specific hashtags (e.g., “#RedCupSeason” for Starbucks)
- Industry-related hashtags (e.g., “#RunningShoes” for Adidas)
3. Competitor Mentions and Industry Trends
Keeping an eye on competitors provides insights into what customers like or dislike about other brands. If a competitor receives backlash for a product issue, your brand can learn from it. If their campaign goes viral, you can analyze why and adjust your marketing strategy.
Monitoring industry trends also helps businesses stay relevant. A rising conversation around sustainability, for example, might signal a shift in consumer expectations that your brand should address.
What to track:
- Direct competitor mentions (e.g., “Pepsi” if you’re Coca-Cola)
- Industry trends and emerging discussions
- Comparative mentions (e.g., “Which is better, iPhone or Samsung?”)
4. Brand Sentiment and Customer Perceptions
Brand sentiment goes beyond tracking mentions. It’s about understanding how people feel when they talk about your brand. Analyzing whether mentions are positive, negative, or neutral helps businesses measure customer satisfaction and adjust their strategies accordingly.
For example, if customers consistently express frustration about long shipping times, a brand can prioritize faster delivery options. If a new product receives overwhelming praise, the company might increase production or use customer feedback in marketing materials.
What to track:
- Overall sentiment trends (positive, neutral, or negative)
- Recurring complaints or praise about a specific issue
- Emotional triggers in customer conversations
5. Mentions of CEOs, Executives, and Public Figures Related to the Brand
Company leaders and public figures associated with a brand can influence its reputation. Whether it’s a CEO, a celebrity ambassador, or a major investor, their actions and statements can impact public perception.
For example, when Elon Musk tweets about Tesla, the brand’s stock price often fluctuates. Keeping track of how executives are mentioned ensures companies can respond quickly if needed.
What to track:
- CEO and executive mentions
- Brand ambassadors or influencers associated with the company
- Investor comments that might impact reputation
Key Channels to Monitor for Brand Mentions
.Tracking brand mentions across multiple platforms ensures businesses get a complete view of their reputation. Customers share feedback in different spaces, from social media to review sites, and missing conversations in key channels can mean lost opportunities or unaddressed criticism.
Here are the most important channels businesses should monitor to stay ahead.
1. Review Sites (Trustpilot, Yelp, Google Reviews, etc.)
Online reviews influence purchasing decisions. A BrightLocal survey found that 98% of consumers read online reviews, and 49% trust them as much as personal recommendations. Ignoring reviews can result in lost sales and a damaged reputation. Source: BrightLocal
Why it matters:
- Negative reviews impact trust and sales if not addressed.
- Positive reviews can be leveraged as testimonials or case studies.
- Unanswered complaints make a business appear unresponsive.
Where to monitor:
- Google Reviews
- Trustpilot
- Yelp
- Glassdoor (for employer reputation)
- TripAdvisor (for hospitality and travel businesses)
2. Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
Social media is where brand conversations happen in real time. Customers share experiences, post complaints, and engage with brands directly. Some businesses monitor only direct mentions but fail to track conversations that don’t tag them.
Why it matters:
- Viral trends can create both risks and opportunities.
- Customer engagement builds loyalty when brands interact.
- Competitor tracking reveals how other brands are perceived.
Where to monitor:
- Twitter (X) – real-time discussions and complaints
- Facebook – brand pages, comments, and groups
- Instagram – posts, stories, and hashtags
- LinkedIn – B2B discussions and professional reputation
- TikTok – viral trends and influencer marketing
3. News and Media Websites
Press coverage, whether positive or negative, shapes public perception. A single news article can boost credibility or trigger a PR crisis. Brands that don’t monitor the media risk being unaware of how they are portrayed in the press.
Why it matters:
- Crisis prevention by addressing negative press early.
- Industry positioning by tracking how the media compares your brand to competitors.
- Opportunities for press engagement through journalist outreach.
Where to monitor:
- Google News
- Major news outlets (CNN, BBC, Forbes, etc.)
- Industry-specific publications
4. Online Forums and Community Platforms (Reddit, Quora, etc.)
Not all customer discussions happen on social media. Many people turn to forums and community sites for honest, in-depth discussions about brands and products. These platforms can reveal common customer concerns and trends before they go mainstream.
Why it matters:
- Reddit discussions can shape public perception, especially in tech and gaming industries.
- Quora Q&A threads influence potential customers researching a brand.
- Niche forums provide unfiltered customer feedback.
Where to monitor:
- Reddit – brand-specific threads, industry discussions
- Quora – questions related to your business or industry
- Industry-specific forums
5. Search Engine Results and SEO Trends
What people find when they search your brand name affects their first impression. A negative article ranking high in Google search results can be damaging, while positive content can boost credibility.
Why it matters:
- Negative content in search results can drive customers away.
- SEO monitoring helps brands understand what content ranks for their name.
- Google’s autocomplete suggestions reveal common brand associations.
Where to monitor:
- Google Search results for brand-related queries
- Autocomplete suggestions for potential reputation risks
- Google Trends to track public interest in your brand over time
6. Podcasts and Video Platforms (YouTube, TikTok, etc.)
Podcasts and video content can shape public opinion just as much as written media. A YouTube review from a popular creator can boost sales, while a negative mention on a trending podcast can damage credibility.
Why it matters:
- Influencer reviews directly impact consumer trust.
- Negative content can spread without a brand knowing.
- Opportunities to engage with video creators or podcast hosts.
Where to monitor:
- YouTube – product reviews, brand-related discussions
- TikTok – viral trends and user-generated content
- Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts – mentions in business or industry-related episodes
Top Brand Monitoring Tools for Businesses
Competitors App – Overall Competitor Monitoring
Competitors App provides real-time brand and competitor tracking, helping businesses stay ahead of market trends. It tracks mentions across social media, websites, and news outlets, delivering instant alerts to keep businesses informed. The platform also monitors competitor activity, including website changes and marketing campaigns, making it a valuable tool for competitive benchmarking.
Features:
- Tracks competitor ranking changes, keyword shifts, and engagement trends.
- Monitors competitor video uploads, SEO optimizations, and performance shifts.
- Provides detailed insights into competitor strategies in real time.
Advantages:
- Fully automated tracking—no need to check manually.
- Helps identify what’s working for competitors immediately.
- Provides a complete view of your competitive landscape.
Limitations:
- Requires a paid subscription to access full features.
- More data-focused, so it may lack qualitative content analysis.
Pricing: Starts at $19 per month
More Features Include:
Tracks competitor social media updates across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and more.
Monitors changes on competitors’ websites, such as product updates, pricing adjustments, and new messaging, providing instant alerts to help sales teams respond promptly.
Tracks digital ad campaigns across platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. It provides details on ad creatives, spending, and performance metrics, helping teams analyze successful ad strategies.
Analyzes competitors’ keyword strategies, organic rankings, and backlinks, allowing teams to refine their own SEO tactics and boost search visibility.
Tracks competitors’ email campaigns, including content, frequency, and engagement metrics, helping sales teams understand email tactics that drive engagement and conversions.
Analyzes customer reviews and ratings for competitors, providing insights into customer feedback, pain points, and product strengths, helping teams craft better sales pitches.
Google Alerts – Free Mention Tracking
Google Alerts is a free and simple tool for tracking brand mentions in news articles, blogs, and websites. Businesses can set up alerts for specific keywords and receive email notifications when new mentions appear online. While it’s useful for basic brand monitoring, it does not track social media mentions or provide sentiment analysis.
Key Features:
✔ Free keyword-based mention tracking
✔ Email alerts for new mentions
✔ Covers news sites and blogs
✔ Easy setup with no technical expertise required
Pricing: Free
Talkwalker Alerts
Talkwalker Alerts functions similarly to Google Alerts but with broader tracking capabilities. It provides alerts for brand mentions across news, blogs, forums, and review sites. Businesses looking for a free tool with more coverage than Google Alerts can use Talkwalker Alerts to monitor brand visibility.
Key Features:
✔ Tracks brand mentions across multiple platforms
✔ Email notifications for new mentions
✔ Covers forums and review sites in addition to news and blogs
✔ Free alternative to premium monitoring tools
Pricing: Free
BrandMentions
BrandMentions is a dedicated brand monitoring tool that tracks mentions across websites, news articles, blogs, and social media platforms. It provides real-time alerts and sentiment analysis, making it useful for businesses focused on online reputation management.
Key Features:
✔ Real-time tracking across websites and social media
✔ Sentiment analysis to measure brand perception
✔ Competitor mention tracking
✔ Custom reports and insights
Pricing: Starts at $99/month
Mentionlytics
Mentionlytics offers social media and web monitoring with AI-powered sentiment analysis. It helps businesses track brand reputation, identify trends, and analyze customer feedback. The tool also provides multilingual monitoring, making it ideal for brands with a global audience.
Key Features:
✔ Social media and web monitoring
✔ AI-driven sentiment analysis
✔ Multilingual tracking for global brands
✔ Competitor benchmarking features
Pricing: Starts at $49/month
Brandwatch
Brandwatch is an advanced brand monitoring tool that provides AI-powered sentiment analysis across multiple platforms. It tracks online conversations, consumer insights, and emerging trends, making it a preferred choice for enterprise-level brand management.
Key Features:
✔ AI-driven brand sentiment analysis
✔ In-depth consumer insights and trend detection
✔ Social media and news monitoring
✔ Competitive intelligence and market research
Pricing: Custom (Contact for details)
FAQs on Brand Monitoring
What is brand monitoring?
Brand monitoring is the process of tracking online mentions of a brand across multiple channels, including social media, news sites, forums, review platforms, and search engines. Businesses use brand monitoring to analyze customer sentiment, respond to feedback, prevent crises, and stay updated on industry trends.
Unlike traditional market research, which relies on periodic reports, brand monitoring provides real-time insights. This allows brands to react quickly to both opportunities and risks.
What are the four levels of brand awareness?
Brand awareness is the extent to which customers recognize and recall a brand. The four levels of brand awareness are:
- Brand Rejection – Customers are aware of the brand but associate it with negative experiences or perceptions.
- Brand Recognition – Customers can recognize the brand name or logo, but they may not recall specific products or services.
- Brand Recall – Customers remember the brand without external prompts, such as when thinking about a product category.
- Top-of-Mind Awareness – The brand is the first that comes to mind when customers consider a specific category.
Brand monitoring helps businesses measure where they stand on this spectrum by tracking mentions, sentiment, and customer engagement.
How does brand monitoring work?
Brand monitoring tools scan digital platforms for brand mentions, analyze their sentiment, and provide insights into how a brand is perceived. These tools work by:
- Crawling the web to find mentions on news sites, blogs, and social media.
- Categorizing mentions based on positive, negative, or neutral sentiment.
- Providing alerts when important brand-related discussions emerge.
- Generating reports to track trends over time.
Some platforms, like Competitors App and Brandwatch, also track competitor mentions, helping businesses stay informed about industry trends.
What type of content should a brand monitor?
Brands should monitor a variety of content types to ensure they capture all relevant discussions:
- Brand name and product mentions (including common misspellings and variations).
- Social media posts and comments discussing the brand.
- Customer reviews on platforms like Trustpilot and Google Reviews.
- News articles and press releases mentioning the company.
- Competitor mentions and industry discussions.
- Influencer and user-generated content that impacts brand perception.
Tracking these content types ensures that businesses don’t miss valuable insights from different platforms.
How do you monitor brand performance?
Monitoring brand performance involves tracking key metrics that indicate how a brand is perceived and engaged with online. These include:
- Brand sentiment – The percentage of positive, neutral, and negative mentions.
- Share of voice – How often a brand is mentioned compared to competitors.
- Engagement rate – Likes, shares, comments, and interactions on social media.
- Search volume trends – How often people search for the brand on Google.
- Customer review scores – Ratings and feedback on review platforms.
Businesses can use brand monitoring tools to generate reports that track these metrics over time, helping them measure brand health and improve their marketing strategies.
What is an example of brand tracking?
Brand tracking measures long-term brand performance rather than real-time mentions. A good example of brand tracking is Coca-Cola’s brand awareness studies, where the company conducts surveys to measure how well customers recognize their products.
Another example is Nike’s customer perception tracking, where the company measures sentiment over time to understand how its campaigns impact brand loyalty. Unlike brand monitoring, which is focused on real-time data, brand tracking relies on historical data, surveys, and trend analysis.
