Social Listening vs Social Monitoring

18 March 2024

Social Listening vs Social Monitoring, This is the Difference

In understanding social media, there are two analytical methods used, namely social media monitoring and social media listening. However, do you understand the difference between social listening vs social monitoring?

Understanding what customers want and need can certainly be very profitable for your brand. Nowadays, you can get it easily without having to meet face to face, just by using social media.

Even though they look the same, there are actually differences between social media monitoring and social media listening.

It's like, the social media monitoring method explores more about, "What" or "What". Meanwhile, social media listening explores more about, "Why" or "Why."

For more details, here are the differences you need to know about the differences between social listening vs social monitoring.

Social Media Monitoring

Definition

According to SproutSocial, social media monitoring is a social media monitoring activity that pays attention to direct messages from customers to brands.

The function of social media monitoring itself is to find out what messages are sent directly by customers and how to respond to them.

This is why social media monitoring focuses on "What" aka what customers say about your brand.

How it works

Social media monitoring can be the first step to understanding your customers on social media.

When you have a brand, of course you want to know what people are saying about that brand, right?

The first way to find out is to pay attention to the tags that enter your brand's social media accounts. However, to make it more comprehensive, you are also required to find out all posts that mention the brand on various platforms.

As a start, you can start monitoring the following things:

  • Brand names and their common spelling errors.
  • Product names and common spelling errors.
  • Mention of a business or product with similar competing products.
  • People who mention the areas where your brand operates.

As time goes by, your analysis will grow with new brand-related keywords.

Benefit

Social media monitoring presents several benefits, including:

  • Understand what customers want and need.
  • Analyze competitors' strategies and policies.
  • Measuring the effectiveness of brand marketing campaigns, especially those running on social media.

Social Media Listening

Definition

In contrast to social media monitoring which only pays attention to short-term interactions, social media listening explores more information than that.

Social media listening is conversation analysis that not only discusses brands, but also industries and various other topics surrounding them.

By doing social media listening, you can understand why, where and how these conversations can occur in the industry.

Therefore, social media listening focuses more on, "Why" aka why all this conversation is being discussed in your brand's industry.

How it works

If compared to a tree, social media monitoring is how you look at the trees one by one. However, social media listening means you can see the entire forest using a helicopter.

In other words, the workings and mechanisms of social media listening are definitely more comprehensive than social media monitoring. The data that can be monitored on social media listening includes:

  • Analyze ongoing campaigns in the industry.
  • Find out public perception about the industry your brand is in.
  • Monitor audience response to issues currently developing in the industry.

Social media listening activities can be very dynamic following ongoing trends.

Benefit

With more complex data results than social media monitoring, social media listening provides various benefits, including:

  • Understand what potential customers want and need in more depth.
  • Know your brand sentiment compared to other competitors in a similar industry.
  • Anticipate crisis management when there are industry issues that impact your brand.

Social Listening vs Social Monitoring

After seeing the explanation above, which do you think is better?

Basically, social media monitoring is the initial stage of social media listening. By doing both, your brand can get better and more comprehensive marketing decisions.

The tools factor must also be considered. When monitoring social media, you don't need to use special tools because the data you need is only about your brand's activities.

Meanwhile, social media listening requires special tools to find out competitor and industry data that cannot be seen on the surface.

That's the information you need to know about the difference between social listening vs social monitoring. Of course, this can be a provision for developing better digital marketing efforts for your brand.

If you want to learn about digital marketing strategies for companies, you can take the Corporate Digital Marketing Strategy short program from prasmul-eli.

With a curriculum that is always relevant to current technological developments, the scope of learning includes:

  • Introduction to Digital Marketing Strategy
  • Customer Personas
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Digital Free Advertising
  • Customer Journey & Online Sales Funnel
  • Digital Marketing Strategy & Workshop

This program is suitable for managers or professionals working in marketing and sales departments. However, it can also be followed by anyone whose work intersects with the company's marketing function. Register yourself now via the following link.

Social Listening vs Social Monitoring, This is the Difference

In understanding social media, there are two analytical methods used, namely social media monitoring and social media listening. However, do you understand the difference between social listening vs social monitoring?

Understanding what customers want and need can certainly be very profitable for your brand. Nowadays, you can get it easily without having to meet face to face, just by using social media.

Even though they look the same, there are actually differences between social media monitoring and social media listening.

It's like, the social media monitoring method explores more about, "What" or "What". Meanwhile, social media listening explores more about, "Why" or "Why."

For more details, here are the differences you need to know about the differences between social listening vs social monitoring.

Social Media Monitoring

Definition

According to SproutSocial, social media monitoring is a social media monitoring activity that pays attention to direct messages from customers to brands.

The function of social media monitoring itself is to find out what messages are sent directly by customers and how to respond to them.

This is why social media monitoring focuses on "What" aka what customers say about your brand.

How it works

Social media monitoring can be the first step to understanding your customers on social media.

When you have a brand, of course you want to know what people are saying about that brand, right?

The first way to find out is to pay attention to the tags that enter your brand's social media accounts. However, to make it more comprehensive, you are also required to find out all posts that mention the brand on various platforms.

As a start, you can start monitoring the following things:

  • Brand names and their common spelling errors.
  • Product names and common spelling errors.
  • Mention of a business or product with similar competing products.
  • People who mention the areas where your brand operates.

As time goes by, your analysis will grow with new brand-related keywords.

Benefit

Social media monitoring presents several benefits, including:

  • Understand what customers want and need.
  • Analyze competitors' strategies and policies.
  • Measuring the effectiveness of brand marketing campaigns, especially those running on social media.

Social Media Listening

Definition

In contrast to social media monitoring which only pays attention to short-term interactions, social media listening explores more information than that.

Social media listening is conversation analysis that not only discusses brands, but also industries and various other topics surrounding them.

By doing social media listening, you can understand why, where and how these conversations can occur in the industry.

Therefore, social media listening focuses more on, "Why" aka why all this conversation is being discussed in your brand's industry.

How it works

If compared to a tree, social media monitoring is how you look at the trees one by one. However, social media listening means you can see the entire forest using a helicopter.

In other words, the workings and mechanisms of social media listening are definitely more comprehensive than social media monitoring. The data that can be monitored on social media listening includes:

  • Analyze ongoing campaigns in the industry.
  • Find out public perception about the industry your brand is in.
  • Monitor audience response to issues currently developing in the industry.

Social media listening activities can be very dynamic following ongoing trends.

Benefit

With more complex data results than social media monitoring, social media listening provides various benefits, including:

  • Understand what potential customers want and need in more depth.
  • Know your brand sentiment compared to other competitors in a similar industry.
  • Anticipate crisis management when there are industry issues that impact your brand.

Social Listening vs Social Monitoring

After seeing the explanation above, which do you think is better?

Basically, social media monitoring is the initial stage of social media listening. By doing both, your brand can get better and more comprehensive marketing decisions.

The tools factor must also be considered. When monitoring social media, you don't need to use special tools because the data you need is only about your brand's activities.

Meanwhile, social media listening requires special tools to find out competitor and industry data that cannot be seen on the surface.

That's the information you need to know about the difference between social listening vs social monitoring. Of course, this can be a provision for developing better digital marketing efforts for your brand.

If you want to learn about digital marketing strategies for companies, you can take the Corporate Digital Marketing Strategy short program from prasmul-eli.

With a curriculum that is always relevant to current technological developments, the scope of learning includes:

  • Introduction to Digital Marketing Strategy
  • Customer Personas
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Digital Free Advertising
  • Customer Journey & Online Sales Funnel
  • Digital Marketing Strategy & Workshop

This program is suitable for managers or professionals working in marketing and sales departments. However, it can also be followed by anyone whose work intersects with the company's marketing function. Register yourself now via the following link.

Prasetiya Mulya Executive Learning Institute
Prasetiya Mulya Cilandak Campus, Building 2, #2203
Jl. R.A Kartini (TB. Simatupang), Cilandak Barat, Jakarta 12430
Indonesia
Prasetiya Mulya Executive Learning Institute
Prasetiya Mulya Cilandak Campus, Building 2, #2203
Jl. R.A Kartini (TB. Simatupang), Cilandak Barat,
Jakarta 12430
Indonesia