BrandMentions Tutorial: Smart Social Listening in ’26

Mastering Social Listening with BrandMentions: A 2026 Tutorial

Staying on top of trends and understanding what people are saying about your brand can feel like an impossible task. But with the right tools and strategies, you can not only monitor the conversation but also use it to improve your marketing efforts. In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to use BrandMentions, a powerful social listening and sentiment analysis platform, to dissect algorithm changes and emerging platforms. Ready to turn online chatter into actionable insights?

Step 1: Setting Up Your First Project

Before you can start analyzing data, you need to tell BrandMentions what you want to track. This is done by creating a “Project.”

Creating a New Project

1. Log in to BrandMentions: Access your BrandMentions account. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to sign up for a trial or subscription.
2. Navigate to the Projects Dashboard: On the main dashboard, look for the “Projects” tab in the left-hand navigation. Click it to open the Projects dashboard.
3. Click “Create New Project”: You’ll see a prominent button labeled “Create New Project” at the top right of the Projects dashboard. Click it to start the project creation wizard.
4. Enter Project Details:
   • Project Name: Give your project a descriptive name, such as “Acme Corp Brand Monitoring” or “Competitor Analysis – BetaTech.”
   • Keywords: This is where you enter the keywords you want to track. Start with your brand name, variations of your brand name, and any relevant hashtags. For example, if you’re tracking “Acme Corp,” you might also include “AcmeCorp,” “#AcmeCorp,” and “Acme Corporation.” I suggest you also include common misspellings.
   • Negative Keywords (Optional): This is crucial. Add negative keywords to filter out irrelevant mentions. For example, if you sell software and want to avoid mentions of a town named “Acme,” add “Acme, Georgia” as a negative keyword. We made this mistake once and spent hours sifting through irrelevant data.
   • Languages: Select the languages you want to monitor.
   • Countries (Optional): If your target audience is concentrated in specific countries, select them here to narrow your search.
5. Choose Data Sources: BrandMentions allows you to select which sources to monitor. By default, all sources are selected, including social media platforms, news sites, blogs, and forums. You can deselect specific sources if needed, but I recommend leaving them all on initially to get a comprehensive view.
6. Finalize and Create: Review your project settings and click the “Create Project” button at the bottom of the page.

Pro Tip: Start with a small, highly targeted set of keywords and expand as needed. This will help you avoid overwhelming yourself with data.

Common Mistake: Forgetting to add negative keywords. This can lead to a lot of noise in your data and make it difficult to find relevant insights.

Expected Outcome: BrandMentions will begin collecting data based on your project settings. This process can take a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the volume of mentions.

Step 2: Analyzing Sentiment Trends

Once BrandMentions has collected some data, you can start analyzing sentiment trends to understand how people feel about your brand.

Accessing Sentiment Analysis

1. Select Your Project: From the Projects dashboard, click on the project you want to analyze.
2. Navigate to the “Sentiment Analysis” Tab: Within your project, you’ll find a tab labeled “Sentiment Analysis” in the top navigation. Click it to access the sentiment analysis dashboard.
3. View Sentiment Overview: The Sentiment Analysis dashboard provides an overview of the overall sentiment towards your brand. You’ll see a chart showing the percentage of positive, negative, and neutral mentions over time.
4. Analyze Sentiment by Source: Scroll down to see a breakdown of sentiment by source. This allows you to identify which platforms are generating the most positive or negative sentiment. For example, you might find that Twitter is predominantly negative while LinkedIn is mostly positive.
5. Explore Individual Mentions: Click on individual mentions to read the full text and understand the context behind the sentiment. BrandMentions uses AI-powered natural language processing to determine sentiment, but it’s always a good idea to review the mentions manually to ensure accuracy.

Pro Tip: Pay close attention to spikes in negative sentiment. These could indicate a PR crisis or a problem with your product or service. Investigate these spikes immediately to understand the root cause and take corrective action.

Common Mistake: Relying solely on the automated sentiment analysis without manually reviewing mentions. While BrandMentions’ AI is good, it’s not perfect. Context is key, and sometimes the AI can misinterpret sarcasm or humor.

Expected Outcome: You’ll gain a better understanding of how people feel about your brand and identify potential areas for improvement.

Step 3: Generating Reports and Actionable Insights

BrandMentions offers a variety of reporting features that can help you generate actionable insights for your marketing strategy. To truly get the most out of your campaigns, consider how data-driven marketing can inform every decision.

Creating Custom Reports

1. Navigate to the “Reports” Tab: Within your project, click on the “Reports” tab in the top navigation.
2. Choose a Report Template: BrandMentions offers several pre-built report templates, such as “Brand Reputation Report,” “Competitive Analysis Report,” and “Influencer Analysis Report.” Choose the template that best suits your needs.
3. Customize Your Report:
   • Date Range: Select the date range you want to include in your report.
   • Metrics: Choose the metrics you want to display in your report, such as total mentions, sentiment score, reach, and engagement.
   • Filters: Apply filters to narrow down your data. For example, you can filter by source, language, or sentiment.
   • Branding: Customize the report with your company logo and colors.
4. Generate Your Report: Click the “Generate Report” button to create your report. BrandMentions will generate a PDF or CSV file that you can download and share with your team.

Using Reports for Marketing Decisions

• Identify Influencers: The Influencer Analysis Report can help you identify key influencers in your industry who are talking about your brand. Reach out to these influencers to build relationships and potentially collaborate on marketing campaigns.
• Track Competitor Performance: The Competitive Analysis Report allows you to compare your brand’s performance to your competitors. Identify their strengths and weaknesses and use this information to improve your own marketing strategy.
• Monitor Brand Reputation: The Brand Reputation Report provides a comprehensive overview of your brand’s online reputation. Use this report to identify potential PR crises and take corrective action.

Pro Tip: Schedule regular reports to track your progress over time. This will help you identify trends and make data-driven decisions.

Common Mistake: Creating reports without a clear purpose. Before you generate a report, ask yourself what questions you’re trying to answer. This will help you focus your analysis and extract the most valuable insights.

Expected Outcome: You’ll have a clear understanding of your brand’s online presence and be able to make data-driven decisions to improve your marketing strategy.

Case Study: Revitalizing “The Bean Scene” Coffee Shop

Last year, “The Bean Scene,” a local coffee shop near the Fulton County Courthouse, was struggling with negative online reviews. Using BrandMentions, we set up a project to monitor mentions of the shop’s name and related keywords like “coffee,” “latte,” and “breakfast.” The sentiment analysis revealed a predominantly negative sentiment, with customers complaining about slow service and inconsistent coffee quality. We used BrandMentions to identify specific complaints and address them. The manager implemented a new staff training program focused on speed and consistency. They also introduced a new loyalty program to reward repeat customers. Within three months, the sentiment score improved by 40%, and online reviews became overwhelmingly positive. Foot traffic increased by 15%, and the shop’s revenue saw a noticeable boost.

Staying Ahead of Algorithm Changes

Social media algorithms are constantly changing, which can impact your brand’s reach and engagement. BrandMentions can help you stay ahead of these changes by monitoring mentions of specific platforms and keywords related to algorithm updates. For example, if you notice a sudden drop in engagement on Instagram, you can use BrandMentions to search for mentions of “Instagram algorithm change” or “Instagram update” to see if there’s a known issue. Analyzing the sentiment around these mentions can give you valuable insights into how the algorithm change is affecting users and what steps you can take to mitigate the impact. According to a recent IAB report, brands that proactively monitor and adapt to algorithm changes see a 20% increase in engagement compared to those that don’t. For more strategies, review these future-proof marketing tactics.

It’s not enough to just monitor mentions, though. You need to be ready to adapt your strategy. What nobody tells you is that algorithm changes often reward different types of content. Are short-form videos getting a boost? Time to create more Reels. Is community engagement favored? Start responding to comments and participating in relevant conversations.

Speaking of social listening, are you prepared for a social media crisis?

By using BrandMentions for social listening and sentiment analysis dissecting algorithm changes and emerging platforms, and integrating those insights into your marketing, you can gain a competitive edge. Don’t just passively monitor the conversation — actively participate and use it to improve your brand.