The Ultimate Guide to Growing Brand Mentions

What is brand monitoring? 

Brand monitoring is defined as keeping track of and analyzing mentions of a brand on the internet. 

This process gives companies insights into the public’s perception of not only their brand, but their competitors as well. 

Brand monitoring is a foundational piece of building a robust and successful online presence. 

Because with knowledge comes power. And the more you know what people are saying about your brand and competition, the more equipped you’ll be to cater to your audience’s needs. 

How to build brand identity 

Brand identity is a cornerstone of your efforts and if you’re unfamiliar, HubSpot defines it as, “...what your brand says, what your values are, how you communicate your product, and what you want people to feel when they interact with your company. Essentially, your brand identity is the personality of your business and a promise to your customers." 

That said, have you defined your brand’s value, mission statement, and vision? 

• Brand values – Your organization’s guiding principles and beliefs. 
• Brand mission statement – A succinct message about your organization’s overall purpose and goals. 
• Brand vision – Your organization’s plans and goals. 

These pieces will help you establish a clear brand identity that influences your marketing roadmap. 

Your unique brand voice is what turns these ideas into campaigns to effectively communicate and connect with your target audience. 

Visual elements also play an integral role in building your brand identity. This includes logos, brand colors, typography, etc. 

Using these elements in every campaign and on every channel helps build your identity, improve brand recall, and overall recognition. 

While this was a high-level overview, the lesson remains, investing in building a strong brand identity is crucial as it acts as a magnet for brand mentions.  

What is a brand mention? 

We briefly touched on it in the branding monitoring section, but a brand mention is anytime your business, product, or service is mentioned online. These mentions could be in social media posts, articles, reviews, etc. 

Whether they’re good, bad, or indifferent, brand mentions are valuable as they provide companies with insights into the minds of their target audience. 

These mentions reveal a brand’s reach, impact, awareness, and opportunities for improvement. 

Why are Brand Mentions Important? 

Tracking brand mentions is like having an ear to the ground to fully understand your target audience’s perspective. 

But, brand monitoring and brand mentions aren’t a passive endeavor. 

Brands need to be active with these mentions. 

No matter the sentiment, brand mentions and monitoring give companies the opportunity to quickly and efficiently engage with their audiences by responding to feedback. 

This level of immediacy can help amplify good reviews and mitigate potential crises. 

Did you know ACCESSWIRE Media Monitoring tool includes sentiment analysis? This feature allows you to toggle between Negative, Positive, and Neutral sentiments around your brand and competition.   

By analyzing the content’s tone, you can identify and address negative feedback and amplify positive reviews. 

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How to monitor brand mentions 

Tracking and analyzing brand mentions is critical for companies to build and succeed. 

While tools like Google Alerts serve a purpose in staying up to date, they don’t necessarily provide a full picture look at the internet. 

This is where a dedicated Media Monitoring tool comes into play. 

We designed our Media Monitoring tool so it’s constantly scraping the internet and providing our customers with real-time access to valuable insights from around the internet, not just Google. 

Tips for generating brand mentions 

Positive brand mentions are fuel for a brand. 

You’ve likely made a purchase based on someone you know and trust’s recommendation. The same can be said for brand mentions. 

The more people positively talk about your brand online, the more eyeballs you’ll get on your brand, and the more likely you’ll be to convert them into customers. 

Here are some strategies to help increase your brand mentions: 

• Engage with your audience on social media – Use your channels to connect and communicate with your audience. Respond to their direct messages and comments and be social on social. The more interactions you have with your followers, the more apt they’ll be to talk about your brand with their followers. 

• Encourage customer reviews – Customer reviews and testimonials are worth their weight in gold as they help build your authority, credibility and your target audience’s trust in your brand. Encourage your happy customers to share a testimonial on your most used review site. This could be G2, Google Reviews, Yelp, etc. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely people are to do business with you. 

• Give your audience something to share – Whether it’s helpful tips on how to use your product/service, answering FAQs, or busting industry myths. Create content that speaks to the interests, pain points, and questions of your target audience. Pair that information with attention-grabbing visuals and videos to make your content more engaging and shareable. 

• Collaborate with influencers – Influencers have, you guessed it, influence. But don’t think you have to partner with someone with a following like Kim Kardashian to make waves. Micro influencers are just as valuable. Though these influencers might have a smaller following, comparatively speaking, their audience is engaged and trusts their recommendations which can be beneficial for your brand. 

Monitor Your Brand Mentions with Confidence 

Our Media Monitoring tool is part of our Media Suite, our all-in-one media outreach tool. 

To learn more about how you can amplify your brand’s reach and message, schedule a demo. 

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