Social Media Mentions

Wondering what social media mentions are? Actually, social media mentions are exactly what they sound like. They’re references to your brand (or about your brand) from other users on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Why Social Media Mentions Are Important

Mentions are vital to understand because they can shape public perception of your brand — positively, negatively and even internationally — in minutes. That perception quickly gets shared. It’s important to have a handle on how to use social media mentions to successfully engage with consumers.

Naturally, you’ll want to track mentions and see what others say about your brand. Social intelligence tools like BrandGraph and tools that monitor reviews like ReviewTrackers can help brands keep track of mentions on social media.

It’s crucial to engage with the customers, influencers and/or bloggers behind the social media mentions. You’ll want to address any issues or questions they might have about your brand or product. Many consumers today say they would rather get customer service through social media than by email or phone.

Benefits of Mentions

Among the benefits of social media mentions are that they can grow brand awareness, engagement, website traffic and conversions. They can also help brands tweak products and services and quickly address quality concerns along with customer service and care issues.

Brands that are on top of mentions and immediately address them know that doing so is key to staying ahead of the game. It doesn’t matter if they’re engaging with consumers who are praising the brand or those who are complaining about it on social media. These brands know it’s crucial to help generate the best-possible public relations and customer service with consumers by being quick and proactive with responses.

For example, brands and/or their celebrity representatives can become embroiled in controversies. Mentions help them gauge how customers are responding to the news, signaling how brands might want to respond in turn. Consumers post quickly and passionately about purchases on social media, too. So, social mentions can also alert brands when they make product missteps or when in-store customer service isn’t up to par.

Examples of Brands Effectively Using Mentions

Some of the brands that have successfully tapped into the power of social media mentions include the following.

Zara

The Spanish fashion retailer Zara has more than a million followers on Twitter. It makes sense that the company uses the social media platform for customer service. Through Zara’s @ZARA_Care Twitter account, customer service reps quickly respond to consumer tweets about subjects like damaged items or delayed product deliveries.

Zappos

The online shoe and clothing company Zappos engages with customers on social channels including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, responding to their questions and needs. For instance, customer care representatives on Zappos’ Facebook page help customers find Zappos products they’re looking for and answer questions about product returns.

Best Buy

The consumer electronics company Best Buy tracks social media, not only for direct mentions but also for other references to its brand or products. By listening to social media conversations, Best Buy is able to discover customers who might need its products. The company can then address consumer needs by suggesting certain items for them to purchase.