{"id":10123,"date":"2017-02-07T16:57:37","date_gmt":"2017-02-07T15:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mention.com\/blog\/?p=10123"},"modified":"2025-03-05T13:22:58","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T13:22:58","slug":"biggest-social-media-monitoring-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mention.com\/en\/blog\/biggest-social-media-monitoring-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"The 7 Biggest Social Media Monitoring Mistakes You Can Make"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"simpsons<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"simpsons<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We all know the feeling. You get a brand new toy, and all you can think about is playing with it. Forget the instructions, forget the careful set-up. Let\u2019s just dive right in!
\nNext thing you know, this:
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\n…has turned into this:
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\nThis happens all the time for users testing out social media monitoring.
\nMention offers users a free trial, and we get more than 10,000 sign-ups per month. Naturally, those users dive right in, create alerts (sometimes at random), and then are surprised when the results aren\u2019t interesting.
\nWe want to put an end to all this wasted effort. Starting now, let\u2019s nip this in the bud.
\nSo I talked to our expert account managers to find out where most people are going wrong. Here are the seven most painful monitoring mistakes they see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Not having a plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to our Customer Success team, most monitoring failures come from the same place: the user hasn\u2019t thought it all through.
\nIt\u2019s tempting to charge in, create alerts, and assume your monitoring tool will give you what you need. But it just doesn\u2019t work like that. You get the best results by carefully setting up your account, thinking hard about what you want to achieve.
\nIt\u2019s not exactly exciting, but it\u2019ll save you time and energy in the long run.
\nTo begin, ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What information am I hoping to find?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do you want to know when people mention you, your competitors, or your wider industry? Are you looking for reviews, comments from customers, or news mentions?
\nIf you try to monitor all of the above, don\u2019t be surprised when you\u2019re staring at a mess of mentions, with little idea what to do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the best keywords to use?<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"apple<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Your keywords are the single most important aspect to monitoring. Media monitoring is basically \u201ckeyword monitoring\u201d – you\u2019ll receive alerts whenever someone uses your keywords. So if you choose bad keywords, you\u2019ll get bad data.
For starters, is your brand name a commonly used term? If so, it might not be a suitable keyword. Brand names like Apple or Orange are sure to bring in unwanted results:

The solution? Use Boolean queries<\/a> to combine several keywords. Instead of \u201cApple,\u201d listen for phrases like (\u201cApple\u201d AND \u201ccomputer\u201d), (\u201cApple\u201d AND \u201cphone OR tablet\u201d), or (\u201cApple\u201d AND \u201cSamsung\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How often do I want to receive updates?<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"Simpsons<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n