What Are Social Mentions? How to Track and Respond?

Social media mentions should be a metric that you follow. But what are social media mentions? Why do they matter? How do you track mentions?

We’re going to break down the barriers to help you answer each of these questions.

Mentions are an integral part of “making it” on all social networks, and you can use social media search engines to monitor all of your mentions in one place.

What Are Social Mentions?

Mentions are just like they sound – mentions. If you’re on X and someone tweets @nike, it’s a mention for the Nike brand. People are talking about the brand, and it’s an opportunity to join in on the conversation.

But mentions don’t just stop there.

You’ll find a lot of conversations about Nike on all platforms, and many of the people talking about the brand will not “@” the company. Even without the direct mention, if someone mentions the name on a post, it’s still a mention.

And you may not even reply to 98% of these mentions, but they still matter a lot when trying to grow your account.

Why Do Mentions Matter?

So, someone mentioned you or your brand, why does it matter? That’s where some creators “get it,” and others do not. Mentions are crucial because they allow you to view insights that aren’t available on analytics.

You can see who is:

Feedback doesn’t just come in DMs and comments – or those pesky surveys after you buy a product. Instead, feedback can also come from organic conversations people are having online that you may never know about.

If someone does “@” you, it’s easier to track than if someone doesn’t.

Imagine, as a brand, that you’re seeing conversations pop up often where people are mentioning that they’ve received broken products. You can reach out to them and start doing damage control by offering to replace the broken items.

Creators can also use these insights for their own benefit because they’ll be able to learn:

You might find a lot of people talking about the one post that you made and wondering what happened afterward. Using this information, you can then create an upcoming post explaining exactly what transpired and really meet the needs of your followers.

Data is power, but you need to be able to use it properly.

How Do You Track Social Mentions?

If you see the benefits of social media mentions, you’ll need to know how to follow them. You can use a few different methods for tracking mentions, including but not limited to:

1. Create a Hashtag

Anyone can create their own hashtag, and it’s as simple as telling people:

If you instruct people to use a certain hashtag, you can then follow the tag and see what people are saying. User-generated content like this is fantastic for sharing on your website or on your own social media.

You’ll find most brands place this hashtag in their bio so that when people follow them, they know to use this hashtag.

But keep a few things in mind:

2. Search Your Name

One simple way to track mentions is to search for your business name on social platforms. Every platform has its own search features. 

For example, on Facebook, you can type in your brand name in the search bar and then click the Posts tab to find posts that include your name. On X, you can type in your brand in quotation marks to get an exact match in your results.

Searching your name is a simple way to check for mentions, but if you want to streamline things, a social monitoring tool may be the better option.

3. Use Social Monitoring Tools

Social monitoring tools alert you whenever someone mentions your brand on social media. These tools scan social media platforms to collect data in real-time and will alert you whenever someone mentions your handle. You can also use specific keywords, topics or hashtags to filter conversations.

How to Respond to Mentions?

Whenever someone mentions you on social media, you should make it a point to respond to their feedback, even if it’s negative. Responding gives you a chance to thank the person for their positive comment or to solve the problem if the person has an issue.

1. Be Quick to Respond

If someone mentions your brand – either positively or negatively – don’t wait to respond. People expect real-time responses and interactions, so do your best to reply as quickly as possible. 

This is where monitoring tools can be helpful. They’ll alert you whenever someone mentions your brand so that you can respond right away.

2. Take the Conversation to Your DMs

If someone has a question or an issue, offer to take the conversation to your DMs. You’ll see a lot of brands asking followers or customers to message them privately to resolve the problem. You can send them a link to a support channel or an email address where they can contact your team.

Make sure that you follow up to verify that the problem was solved.

3. Thank Users for Positive Feedback

If someone praises your brand, mentions you in an article or shares a positive experience, thank them. Let them know that you appreciate them taking the time to give your brand a shoutout.

What About Negative Mentions? Apologize and Take Action to Solve Problems

In a perfect world, all of your social mentions would be positive. But you can’t please everyone. Whether you’re a brand or an influencer, you’re bound to have at least a few negative mentions. Brands shouldn’t ignore these mentions.

By responding to negative mentions in a positive, constructive way, you show people that you care about making things right.

Final Thoughts

Social mentions can help build brand awareness and expand your reach. Sometimes, mentions can be positive, where someone praises your brand or shares a great experience. But, negative mentions can hurt your reputation if you don’t respond. It’s important to track your mentions and respond quickly to continue building a positive reputation.