15 Social Listening Global

Social Listening & Monitoring (Global)

> Listen before you speak. Understand what customers are saying, how they feel, and where the market is headed — before competitors do.

Information Gathering

Ask up to 4 questions:

• Brand / product? Brand name, primary product names, founder name (if personal brand).
• Main competitors? List 2–3 direct competitors to monitor.
• Current concern? Bad reviews? Trend tracking? Competitor watch?
• Most important channels? Twitter/X, Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, Google Reviews, all of the above?

Framework: Listen → Analyze → Report → Act

LISTEN    — Collect mentions, comments, reviews, related posts
    |
ANALYZE   — Classify sentiment, identify trends, detect anomalies
    |
REPORT    — Aggregate into weekly/monthly reports with clear insight
    |
ACT       — Respond, adjust strategy, manage crises

Channels to Monitor (Global)

Channel List

| Channel | Content type | How to monitor | Frequency |

|---------|--------------|----------------|-----------|

| Twitter / X | Mentions, threads, retweets | Native search + saved searches + Tweetdeck | Daily |

| Reddit | Subreddit discussions, AMAs | Subreddit search + Reddit RSS | Daily |

| TikTok | Comments, duets, stitches, hashtags | Hashtag search + comments on brand videos | Daily |

| Instagram | Comments, mentions, story tags | Native notifications + hashtag search | Daily |

| Facebook Groups | Discussions, Q&As, reviews | Group keyword search | Daily |

| Facebook Pages | Comments, reviews, mentions | Page notifications + keyword search | Daily |

| YouTube | Video comments, review videos | Search brand + product names | 2–3x/week |

| Google Reviews | Business reviews | Google Business Profile dashboard | Daily |

| Google Search | Articles, news | Google Alerts on brand keywords | Automated |

| Trustpilot / G2 / Capterra | Product/service reviews | Native dashboards + email alerts | Daily |

| Discord communities | Niche industry discussions | Server-by-server, manual | 2x/week |

| LinkedIn | Posts, mentions (B2B) | LinkedIn search + saved searches | 2x/week |

| Quora | Questions about brand/category | Topic follows + alerts | Weekly |

| Online press | News articles, PR | Google News Alerts | Automated |

| Amazon / Shopee / Etsy | Product reviews | Review tab on listings | 2–3x/week |

Keywords to Monitor

| Keyword group | Examples |

|---------------|----------|

| Brand name | "[Brand]", "[Brand] review", "[Brand] scam", "[Brand] worth it" |

| Product name | "[Product]", "[Product] price", "[Product] review" |

| Founder name | "[Founder]", "[Founder] who" |

| Competitors | "[Competitor 1]", "[Competitor 2]", "[Competitor] vs [Brand]" |

| Industry | "[Industry keyword]", "[Common industry pain]" |

| Negative phrases | "not good", "disappointed", "scam", "low quality", "false advertising" |

| Positive phrases | "amazing", "recommend", "best ever", "worth it", "loving it" |

Sentiment Analysis

Sentiment Scale

| Level | Score | Description | Example |

|-------|-------|-------------|---------|

| Very negative | 1 | Outrage, public callout, boycott calls | "Total scam, reporting them to FTC" |

| Negative | 2 | Disappointment, complaint, unfavorable comparison | "Tried it for 3 months, way worse than X" |

| Neutral | 3 | Asking info, comparison, on-the-fence | "Anyone tried [Brand]? Thoughts?" |

| Positive | 4 | Satisfied, recommends, praises | "Been using for 3 months, happy with it" |

| Very positive | 5 | Enthusiastic advocate, brand champion | "Best service ever, told all my friends" |

Categorization by Topic

| Topic | What to monitor | Meaning |

|-------|-----------------|---------|

| Product / Quality | Reviews, comparisons, feedback | Product improvement |

| Service / Experience | Comments about staff, processes | Operations improvement |

| Pricing | Price comparisons, complaints | Pricing/communication adjustment |

| Marketing / Advertising | Reactions to content, ads | Creative improvement |

| Competitors | Comparisons, switching mentions | Opportunity or threat |

Crisis Detection

Early Warning Signals

| Level | Signal | Threshold | Action |

|-------|--------|-----------|--------|

| Green — Normal | Steady mentions, neutral/positive sentiment | <5 negative mentions/day | Standard monitoring |

| Yellow — Watch | Rising negative mentions, 1–2 high-engagement complaint posts | 5–15 negative mentions/day OR 1 post >100 engagements | Increase monitoring frequency, prep response |

| Orange — Alert | Negative mentions spreading fast, press picking up | 15–50 negative mentions/day OR press coverage | Activate response workflow, brief leadership |

| Red — Crisis | Viral negative, opposition hashtags, revenue impact | >50 negative mentions/day OR trending topic | Full crisis response activation |

Crisis Response Workflow

Step 1 — Identify (within 1 hour)

| Item | What to check |

|------|---------------|

| Origin | Which post/comment started it? Who posted? |

| Spread velocity | How many shares/comments? How fast is it growing? |

| Accuracy | Is the claim accurate? Is there evidence? |

| Impact | Who's affected? Customers, partners, employees? |

Step 2 — Respond (within 2–4 hours)

| Situation | Response approach |

|-----------|-------------------|

| Valid complaint | Apologize + acknowledge + concrete fix + timeline |

| Misinformation | Official correction + evidence + calm tone |

| Trolls / defamation | Don't argue publicly + save evidence + report to platform |

| Major crisis | Press statement + founder video + continuous updates |

Step 3 — Resolve (1–7 days)

| Item | What to do |

|------|------------|

| Direct resolution | Privately contact the complainant, resolve individually |

| Public update | Communicate progress on main channels |

| Lessons learned | Internal post-mortem, root cause, prevention plan |

| Post-crisis monitoring | Sentiment tracking 2 weeks after, measure brand impact |

Step 4 — Recover (2–4 weeks)

| Item | What to do |

|------|------------|

| Recovery content | Boost positive social proof, testimonials, case studies |

| Positive PR | Articles about improvements, quality commitments |

| Engagement push | Increase community responsiveness, faster reply time |

| Effectiveness | Compare sentiment before — during — after crisis |

Niche Research — 20 hot topics in 7 days

> Adapted from social-media-skills/niche-research for global channels.

Goal

Each week, surface the 20 hottest topics/trends in your niche to:

• Create timely content (don't lag competitors)
• Spot content opportunities first
• Know what customers are arguing/curious about

Research Workflow (30–45 min/week)

| Step | Source | How | Time |

|------|--------|-----|------|

| 1 | Reddit (niche subreddits) | Sort by Top this week, scan high-engagement posts | 10 min |

| 2 | TikTok Discover | Hashtag search, filter 7-day, review videos > 50K views | 10 min |

| 3 | Google News | Search "[industry] news", filter past 7 days | 5 min |

| 4 | Twitter / X (industry lists) | Saved lists of industry voices, scan top tweets | 5 min |

| 5 | Industry forums / Discord | Active threads from past 7 days | 5 min |

| 6 | KOL / Influencer feeds | Watch what 5–10 niche leaders posted this week | 5 min |

Output Format

# Niche Research — Week [X] ([DD/MM] – [DD/MM/YYYY])

| # | Topic / Trend | Source | Heat | Discussion focus | Content angle | Suggested post |
|---|---------------|--------|------|------------------|---------------|----------------|
| 1 | [Topic] | Reddit / TikTok / News | High/Med/Low | [Summary] | [Description] | [Idea] |
| 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 20 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

Rules

• 7-day window only — anything older drops out
• Verify post date before adding to the table
• Never invent links or stats — real data only
• If you can't find 20 — record the actual count, don't pad
• Prioritize topics with debate or high engagement — not just news
• Tip: pair with Content Matrix → take hot topics → fill matrix → timely content

Trend Identification

Trend Types to Watch

| Type | Description | Action |

|------|-------------|--------|

| Rising topic | New industry topic gaining discussion | Create content early, claim first-mover |

| Viral format | Spreading content format (sound, POV, trend) | Adapt for brand within 24–48h |

| Seasonal | Recurring seasonal trends | Plan 2–4 weeks ahead |

| Competitor moves | New campaigns, new products, pricing changes | Analyze + strategic response |

| Industry sentiment | Shifts in overall industry feeling (e.g. trust loss, rising expectation) | Adjust tone, messaging |

Detection Methods

| Method | Tool | Frequency |

|--------|------|-----------|

| Trending hashtags | TikTok Discover, Twitter Trends | Daily |

| High-engagement comments | Comments on industry / influencer posts | Daily |

| Google Trends | Filter by region (US, UK, EU, etc.) | 2x/week |

| Industry reports | Reports from Gartner, McKinsey, Statista, eMarketer | Monthly |

| KOL / Influencer feeds | Top 5–10 niche voices | 3x/week |

Competitive Monitoring

Competitor Tracking Template

| Metric | [Competitor 1] | [Competitor 2] | [Your brand] |

|--------|---------------|---------------|--------------|

| Followers (TikTok) | [X] | [X] | [X] |

| Followers (Instagram) | [X] | [X] | [X] |

| Followers (LinkedIn — B2B) | [X] | [X] | [X] |

| Posts per week | [X] | [X] | [X] |

| Primary content type | [Description] | [Description] | [Description] |

| Avg engagement rate | [X%] | [X%] | [X%] |

| Tone of voice | [Description] | [Description] | [Description] |

| Communicated USP | [Description] | [Description] | [Description] |

| Most recent campaign | [Description] | [Description] | [Description] |

What to Watch on Competitors

| Item | What to track | Why |

|------|---------------|-----|

| New content | Posts, videos, stories | Learn effective formats, avoid duplication |

| Ads Library | Active ads (Meta Ads Library, TikTok Creative Center) | Understand strategy, creative, offers |

| Landing pages | Sales page, form, pricing | Benchmark conversion approach |

| Customer reviews | Reviews on Google, Trustpilot, FB | Find weak spots to target |

| Job postings | Open roles | Predict their direction |

| PR / Press | Articles, interviews | Read their comms strategy |

Brand Health Metrics

4 Core Metrics

| Metric | Formula | Benchmark | Frequency |

|--------|---------|-----------|-----------|

| Share of Voice (SOV) | Brand mentions / Total industry mentions × 100% | >15% is strong | Monthly |

| Net Sentiment | (Positive - Negative) / Total mentions × 100% | >60% is good | Weekly |

| Response Rate | Mentions responded / Total mentions needing response × 100% | >80% is good | Weekly |

| Response Time | Avg time from mention to response | <2h good, <30 min excellent | Weekly |

Detailed Benchmark

| Metric | Poor | Average | Good | Excellent |

|--------|------|---------|------|-----------|

| SOV | <5% | 5–15% | 15–25% | >25% |

| Net Sentiment | <40% | 40–60% | 60–80% | >80% |

| Response Rate | <50% | 50–70% | 70–90% | >90% |

| Response Time | >24h | 4–24h | 1–4h | <1h |

Tools (Global)

Free

| Tool | Channels | Use |

|------|----------|-----|

| Google Alerts | Web, news, blogs | Create alerts for brand + competitors, daily email |

| Meta Business Suite | Facebook, Instagram | Comments, mentions, messages — built-in |

| TikTok Studio | TikTok | Comment management, analytics |

| Google Trends | Google Search | Compare brand vs competitor keywords over time |

| Meta Ads Library | Facebook, Instagram | View competitor active ads |

| TikTok Creative Center | TikTok | Top ads, trending sounds, creative inspiration |

| Reddit search / RSS | Reddit | Subreddit-specific keyword tracking |

| Talkwalker Free Alerts | Web, social | Free brand mention alerts |

Paid (when scaling)

| Tool | Pricing | Strength |

|------|---------|----------|

| Brandwatch | Enterprise (custom) | Most powerful enterprise listening, AI sentiment |

| Sprout Social | From $249/mo | Listening + management + reporting in one |

| Mention | From $49/mo | SMB-friendly, real-time mentions across web + social |

| Brand24 | From $79/mo | Multi-channel monitoring, automatic sentiment |

| Hootsuite Insights | From $99/mo | Listening + scheduling integration |

| Meltwater | Enterprise | PR + social listening + media intelligence |

| Talkwalker | Enterprise | Image recognition, AI-driven insights |

Manual Workflow (small teams)

Daily (15–20 min):

• Check Facebook Page + Instagram notifications (comments, mentions, reviews)
• Check TikTok comments (latest 3 videos)
• Search brand on Twitter/X (filter: past 24h)
• Check Google Business Profile reviews

Weekly (30–45 min):

• Search brand on TikTok, Reddit, Facebook Groups
• Check Meta Ads Library for competitors
• Read Google Alerts digest
• Update competitor tracking sheet
• Write weekly report

Weekly Report

Template

# Social Listening Report — Week [X] ([Date] — [Date])

## Summary

| Metric | This week | Prior week | Change |
|--------|-----------|------------|--------|
| Total mentions | [X] | [X] | [+/- %] |
| Positive mentions | [X] | [X] | [+/- %] |
| Negative mentions | [X] | [X] | [+/- %] |
| Net Sentiment | [X%] | [X%] | [+/- %] |
| Response Rate | [X%] | [X%] | [+/- %] |
| Avg Response Time | [Xh] | [Xh] | [+/- h] |

## Top positive mentions

1. [Source + content summary + reach/engagement]
2. [Source + content summary + reach/engagement]
3. [Source + content summary + reach/engagement]

## Top negative mentions

1. [Source + summary + handled? + outcome]
2. [Source + summary + handled? + outcome]

## Notable competitor activity

- [Competitor 1]: [Notable activity this week]
- [Competitor 2]: [Notable activity this week]

## Trends this week

- [Trend 1]: [Description + brand opportunity]
- [Trend 2]: [Description + brand opportunity]

## Alerts

- [Level: Green/Yellow/Orange/Red] — [Situation description]

## Recommended actions

| # | Action | Priority | Owner | Deadline |
|---|--------|----------|-------|----------|
| 1 | [Description] | [High/Med/Low] | [Role] | [Date] |
| 2 | [Description] | [High/Med/Low] | [Role] | [Date] |

Monthly Report

Template

# Social Listening Report — Month [X]/[YYYY]

## Executive summary

**3 most important insights:**
1. [Insight 1]
2. [Insight 2]
3. [Insight 3]

## Brand Health Dashboard

| Metric | This month | Prior month | Change | Target |
|--------|------------|-------------|--------|--------|
| Share of Voice | [X%] | [X%] | [+/- %] | [X%] |
| Net Sentiment | [X%] | [X%] | [+/- %] | >60% |
| Response Rate | [X%] | [X%] | [+/- %] | >80% |
| Avg Response Time | [Xh] | [Xh] | [+/- h] | <2h |
| Total mentions | [X] | [X] | [+/- %] | — |

## Sentiment by topic

| Topic | Positive | Neutral | Negative | Trend |
|-------|----------|---------|----------|-------|
| Product | [X%] | [X%] | [X%] | [Up/Down/Flat] |
| Service | [X%] | [X%] | [X%] | [Up/Down/Flat] |
| Pricing | [X%] | [X%] | [X%] | [Up/Down/Flat] |
| Marketing | [X%] | [X%] | [X%] | [Up/Down/Flat] |

## Competitor analysis

| Metric | [Brand] | [Competitor 1] | [Competitor 2] |
|--------|---------|----------------|----------------|
| SOV | [X%] | [X%] | [X%] |
| Net Sentiment | [X%] | [X%] | [X%] |
| Notable content | [Description] | [Description] | [Description] |
| Notable campaign | [Description] | [Description] | [Description] |

## Monthly trends

| Trend | Strength | Brand opportunity | Recommendation |
|-------|----------|-------------------|----------------|
| [Trend 1] | [Strong/Med/Weak] | [Description] | [Action] |
| [Trend 2] | [Strong/Med/Weak] | [Description] | [Action] |

## Crisis / Incidents (if any)

| Date | Incident | Severity | Handled | Outcome | Lesson |
|------|----------|----------|---------|---------|--------|
| [Date] | [Description] | [Green-Red] | [Description] | [Description] | [Description] |

## Next month actions

| # | Action | Priority | Owner | Deadline | Measure by |
|---|--------|----------|-------|----------|------------|
| 1 | [Description] | [High] | [Role] | [Date] | [Metric] |
| 2 | [Description] | [Med] | [Role] | [Date] | [Metric] |
| 3 | [Description] | [Low] | [Role] | [Date] | [Metric] |

Skill Cross-references

• 08-competitor-research-global — deep competitor analysis (listening provides real-time data)
• 09-customer-insight-global — listening is the strongest qualitative source for insight
• 13-data-analysis-global — combine qualitative (sentiment) with quantitative (metrics)
• 07-marketing-report-global — brand health section in monthly reports
• 01-content-calendar-global — trends found in listening → fresh content ideas

Quality Checklist

Initial Setup

• [ ] Complete keyword list (brand + product + competitors + industry)
• [ ] Google Alerts created for each keyword group
• [ ] Notifications enabled on Facebook Page, Instagram, TikTok Studio
• [ ] Competitor tracking sheet created
• [ ] Crisis response workflow documented and team briefed
• [ ] Daily listening owner assigned

Weekly

• [ ] Daily checks completed every day
• [ ] Negative mentions handled within 24h
• [ ] Weekly report sent to team/stakeholders
• [ ] Competitor sheet updated
• [ ] New trends logged with content ideas
• [ ] Niche research done — at least 10 topics/week
• [ ] Hot topics fed into Content Matrix or content calendar

Monthly

• [ ] Full monthly report with 4 brand health metrics
• [ ] Competitor comparison updated
• [ ] Monthly trends summarized
• [ ] Next-month actions assigned with owners and deadlines
• [ ] Keyword list reviewed — added/removed where needed