Social Listening: What Is It & How to Start? [Best Practices + Examples]

Marketers are crazy for data! After all, the best decisions you can make are based on relevant data about your target consumer and your competitors!

This is where social listening comes in—monitoring relevant conversations about your brand, industry, or competitors to gain insights and improve strategies.

You must start looking into the user-generated content created both by other brands and your target audience, as they offer endless opportunities to learn.

Want to know what you’re doing right, where can you improve, how consumers feel about your products and services, and what resonates with them?

Then, keep on reading, as I tell you all there is to know about social listening!

What is social listening?

Social listening is like eavesdropping on conversations about your brand—but in a totally ethical and smart way. It’s all about tracking what people are saying about your business, your competitors, and your industry across social media channels and other platforms.

‘Social listening’ meaning

But it’s more than that since social listening goes deeper—it helps you understand why people are saying what they do about your products and competitors.

Think of it as a way to tune into the pulse of your audience and use that knowledge to make better decisions, build stronger connections, and even get social proof.

When done right, social media listening helps you:

• Discover marketing messages that strike a chord with your audience;
• Uncover new challenges and pain points your customers are experiencing;
• Explore trending topics and interests that captivate your customer base;
• Identify strategies to give your business an edge over competitors;
• Spot opportunities to engage in conversations with your audience.

You need social listening if you want to know who your target audience is, what they want, how they engage with you, and why they like or dislike your products.

Social listening vs social monitoring

While used interchangeably, social listening and social monitoring are different!

Social monitoring relies on data like brand mentions and unique brand hashtags to show you what exactly people are saying on social media. On the other hand, social listening goes beyond the numbers to describe the general sentiment about your brand and competitors.

So while social monitoring means gathering information in the short term, social listening is a long-term strategy for analyzing data and extracting insights.

Here’s a brief overview of both concepts and how they differ:

Example: Imagine Coca-Cola launches a new flavor and tracks the hashtag #NewCokeFlavor. Social monitoring would show how many people mentioned the hashtag and whether the reaction was positive or negative.

Social listening, on the other hand, would analyze the deeper sentiment behind these mentions—are customers excited about the flavor, suggesting tweaks, or comparing it to a competitor’s product like Pepsi?

This insight could help Coca-Cola adjust its marketing strategy or even tweak the product based on audience feedback.

Read more:

11 Best Social Media Monitoring Tools

6 reasons why social listening is important for brands

So, why is social listening more than just a marketing buzzword? When done right, it’s a game-changer for any brand for several reasons:

• Understand your audience on a deeper level—social listening helps you go beyond surface-level demographics to uncover what your customers truly care about, their pain points, how they feel about your brand, and how they respond to your marketing campaigns;
• Stay ahead of competitors—by monitoring conversations about your competitors, you can identify their weaknesses, learn from their successes, and find ways to outshine them;
• Prevent potential PR crises—catching negative conversations early can help you address issues before they escalate, protecting your social media reputation;
• Shape your product or service offerings—listening to feedback, both good and bad, gives you insights into what customers want, helping you refine your offerings;
• Craft better marketing strategies—understand which messaging resonates most with your audience to create campaigns that hit the mark every time;
• Spot emerging trends and opportunities—keeping an ear to the ground helps you identify social media trends and seize opportunities to engage your audience.

By integrating social listening into your strategy, you’re not just monitoring social conversations—you’re building a brand that listens, evolves, and thrives.

How to create an effective social listening strategy?

So, how do you create an effective social listening strategy? Well, there are several steps involved to ensure you maximize your time and efforts:

1. Set clear objectives

Before diving into social listening, ask yourself: Why are we doing this?

Do you want to:

• Understand customer sentiment around your brand?
• Analyze what competitors are doing?
• Spot emerging trends in your industry?

For instance, if you’re launching a new product, your goal might be to monitor conversations about its reception and identify areas for improvement. Write down your objectives and use them to guide the rest of your process.

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2. Pick the right social listening tools for the job

Using the right social listening tool is crucial. Without one, you’d spend hours manually combing through social media. Social media monitoring tools like EmbedSocial, Sprout Social, and Talkwalker simplify tracking mentions, hashtags, and sentiment.

• Example: EmbedSocial allows you to collect UGC from Instagram and analyze brand mentions, while Talkwalker offers sentiment analysis and competitive insights.

Pro tip: Look for tools that let you filter data by platform, audience type, or geographic location for more targeted insights.

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3. Focus on the platforms that matter

You don’t need to monitor every platform—just the ones where your audience is most active.

• When it comes to B2C brands platforms like Instagram and Facebook are hotspots for customer feedback and UGC.
• As for B2B brands, LinkedIn might be more relevant for monitoring professional conversations.

Example: If you’re a beauty brand, Instagram could reveal how customers feel about your latest product launch through hashtags like #NewGlowSerum.

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4. Define your keywords and topics

The success of your strategy depends on tracking the right terms. Start by listing:

• Your brand name and its variations/misspellings (e.g., “EmbedSocial” vs. “Embed Social”);
• Product names, industry keywords, and phrases customers use;
• Competitor names and their hashtags.

Don’t forget to track general industry terms. For example, a travel company might listen for “cheap flights” or “last-minute travel deals” to uncover trends or customer needs.

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5. Set up alerts and automate tracking

Automation is your best friend when it comes to social listening. Most tools let you set up real-time alerts for mentions, so you’re notified immediately when something significant happens.

• Example: A restaurant chain could set alerts for keywords like “bad service” or “amazing pizza” to jump in and respond promptly.

Pro tip: Avoid alert fatigue by refining your keyword list. Exclude irrelevant terms to keep the results actionable.

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6. Analyze the data thoroughly

This is where social listening shifts from gathering data to gaining insights. Dive deeper into the following:

• Sentiment: Are mentions positive, negative, or neutral?
• Patterns: Do complaints spike after a product launch? Are certain campaigns driving engagement?
• Themes: What are customers consistently mentioning—pricing, quality, or customer service?

Example: If you notice a lot of negative customer feedback about shipping times, this insight could lead to operational changes to improve the customer experience.

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7. Act on what you learn

Social listening without action is a wasted effort. Use your findings to:

• Adjust your campaigns: If a slogan isn’t resonating, tweak it.
• Refine your product: If customers love a specific feature, highlight it in your marketing.
• Engage directly: Jump into positive conversations to thank customers or address negative ones to show you care.

Example: After noticing customers asking for more vegan options, a fast-food chain could introduce new menu items and promote them.

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8. Measure your success

Evaluate how well your strategy is performing by tracking key metrics, such as:

• Sentiment score: Are mentions trending positive or negative?
• Engagement: Are more people discussing your brand?
• Share of voice: How often is your brand mentioned compared to competitors?

Plus, most social listening platforms allow users to access metrics like clicks, reach, follower numbers, profile visits, engagement rates, and more.

Example: If your share of voice (mentions) increases after launching a new campaign, it’s a sign your social listening efforts are paying off.

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9. Refine and repeat

Social listening isn’t a one-off step. You must regularly revisit your goals, keywords, and platforms to ensure your strategy evolves with your audience and industry trends.

Remember: With these steps, you’re monitoring conversations and building an agile strategy that keeps your brand connected, informed, and ahead of the competition.

Example: A tech brand could shift its focus from Facebook to TikTok as younger audiences become their primary customers.

Pro tip: Embed the best social media mentions and hashtags on your websites after getting all the information you need to drive further engagement and conversions.

What social media listening tool should you choose?

An essential step in creating and implementing a social listening strategy is using the proper social listening tools, and EmbedSocial is among the best ones:

As the No. 1 UGC platform and social media aggregator, EmbedSocial collects, manages, and displays content from every social media platform.

However, in addition to embedding social media posts on your websites, it offers plenty of social listening features.

For starters, you can track hashtags and mentions across multiple business locations, languages, and regions and filter through all relevant social media posts.

But, that’s not all! These are all the social listening benefits you get:

• UGC aggregation—automatically collects and displays content from various social media platforms in embeddable website widgets to boost your credibility;
  • Pro tip: You can complement your Instagram social listening and Facebook social listening strategies with bespoke website widgets.
• Real-time monitoring—track brand mentions, hashtags, and keywords across multiple channels instantly, enabling prompt responses to customer feedback and emerging trends;
• Sentiment analysis—assess the tone of online conversations to understand public perception and make informed decisions to improve customer satisfaction;
• Customizable reports—generate detailed analytics reports tailored to your specific needs, facilitating data-driven strategies and demonstrating ROI;
• Seamless integration—easily integrate with your existing marketing tools and workflows, ensuring a cohesive approach to social media management.

As you can see, in addition to being a powerful social media management tool, you can leverage EmbedSocial’s robust features to effectively monitor and engage with your audience, turning insights into impactful actions that drive brand growth.

You don’t have to commit to it since it has a free tier and a 7-day free trial of the $29 per month paid tier. That said, there are higher tiers with advanced features, such as the PRO Plus ($49/month), the Premium ($99/month), and a custom Enterprise plan.

FYI: You can automatically embed an Instagram widget with a social media aggregator, bringing your website to life with fresh content.

Tips for optimizing your social listening strategy

Refining your social listening approach is essential as trends and tools evolve. Here are key tips to ensure your strategy stays effective in 2025:

• Leverage AI and automation tools—use AI-powered features like sentiment analysis and predictive insights for faster and more accurate data interpretation;
• Expand your listening to niche platforms—monitor emerging platforms like TikTok or Reddit to uncover trends competitors might miss;
• Track sentiment, not just mentions—focus on how people feel about your brand to spot areas for improvement or capitalize on positive buzz;
• Segment your audience for better insights—filter social listening data by demographics or regions to tailor your strategy to specific audience needs;
• Engage directly with your audience—respond to online reviews and mentions to build stronger connections and show your brand is listening;
• Regularly review your strategy—revisit your goals, keywords, and tools quarterly to adapt to changing trends.

Optimizing your social listening strategy will keep you ahead of the curve and ensure your efforts continue driving meaningful results.

3 real-world social listening examples done right!

The biggest brands know how to pull off the perfect social listening strategy:

1. McDonald’s: Engaging with viral trends

McDonald’s excels at using social media listening to monitor and engage with viral trends. A notable example is their response to the 2023 Grimace Shake trend on TikTok.

• Situation: After launching the Grimace Shake as part of a promotional campaign, McDonald’s noticed a surge in user-generated content on TikTok, where customers created humorous and sometimes eerie videos featuring the shake.
• Action: By actively listening to social media conversations, McDonald’s identified this trend and chose to engage playfully. They posted a meme stating: “me pretending I don’t see the grimace shake trend”, showcasing their awareness and sense of humor.
• Outcome: This engagement amplified the trend, leading to increased brand visibility and positive customer interactions across multiple platforms.

2. Nike: Understanding customer preferences

Nike employs social listening to gain insights into customer preferences and emerging trends, allowing them to tailor their marketing strategies effectively.

• Situation: By monitoring social media discussions, Nike identified a growing interest in sustainable and eco-friendly products among their target audience.
• Action: Leveraging this insight, Nike expanded their line of sustainable footwear and apparel, promoting these products through targeted social media campaigns that resonated with environmentally conscious consumers.
• Outcome: This approach strengthened Nike’s brand image as a leader in sustainability and increased engagement with a key customer segment.

3. Starbucks: Navigating Reputational Crises

Starbucks often utilizes social media listening to manage its online brand reputation and respond promptly to potential crises.

• Situation: In 2018, in a Philadelphia store two Black men were arrested while waiting for a friend, which led to led to widespread social media backlash about racial profiling.
• Action: Through vigilant social listening, Starbucks quickly became aware of the situation and the ensuing negative sentiment. The company responded by issuing a public apology, closing stores nationwide for racial bias training, and engaging directly with affected individuals.
• Outcome: Starbucks’ prompt and comprehensive response helped mitigate the crisis, demonstrating the company’s commitment to addressing social issues and maintaining customer trust.

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These examples illustrate how brands can leverage social media listening to engage with trends, understand customer preferences, and manage their online reputation.

Conclusion: Start social listening today to elevate your brand!

Regardless of your industry, successful business ideas are born after you fully understand your customers, their needs, and their problems, and social listening is the best way to do that as you are getting raw and unprompted opinions straight from your customers.

Additionally, you get plenty of other benefits, such as staying ahead of your competitors, preventing PR crises, and delivering improved products and services.

To save tons of valuable time, money, and effort by listening to your customers, you need the right tools for the job, such as EmbedSocial—provides insights about your products and competitors and builds captivating social media feeds!

What are you waiting for? Start creating your social listening strategy today!

FYI: You can automatically embed an Instagram widget with a social media aggregator, bringing your website to life with fresh content.

FAQ about social listening

What do you mean by social listening?

Social listening refers to the process of monitoring online conversations about your brand, competitors, or industry to understand public sentiment, identify trends, and gain actionable insights for improving strategies.

What are social listening tools?

Social listening tools are software solutions that track, analyze, and report on online conversations about your brand, competitors, or industry, helping you uncover insights, monitor sentiment, and inform strategic decisions.

What is an example of social media listening?

An example of social media listening is Starbucks monitoring Twitter for mentions of its new holiday drink. By analyzing the sentiment of these mentions, the brand can gauge customer reactions, address complaints, and refine its marketing strategy.

What are the three types of social listening?

The three types of social listening are:

Combined social listening—blending brand-specific and industry-wide listening for a comprehensive view of conversations and opportunities.

Basic social listening—focusing on tracking brand mentions and direct customer feedback to monitor online presence;

Deep social listening—analyzing broader industry trends, competitor activities, and audience sentiment to uncover strategic insights;

What is the purpose of social listening?

As mentioned before, social listening can be done to achieve various goals. However, the primary purpose of social listening is to help companies understand the conversation surrounding their brand, products, and/or services.

How is social listening measured?

Social listening is measured using key metrics such as:

Brand awareness—how recognizable your brand is measured through reach.

Sentiment score—the ratio of positive, negative, and neutral mentions about your brand;

Share of voice—how often your brand is mentioned compared to competitors;

Engagement rate—interactions like likes, comments, and shares on tracked content;

Reach—the potential audience size exposed to mentions of your brand;

Conversion rate—the number of leads or sales generated from social listening insights;