How to Track Mentions on Twitter
Marketers love Twitter! But we can all agree - it’s hard to keep up with all the conversations happening on this fast-paced social media platform.
If your customers happen to be on Twitter, tracking Twitter mentions could be a great part of your Twitter marketing strategy.
Therefore, knowing what is happening around your brand’s Twitter account will give you an invaluable advantage to power up your results.
But how do you monitor Twitter mentions? Of course, we can’t be 24/7 in front of the computer looking at all the tweets that are being posted in real-time.
Worry not - today I will show you:
- How to track mentions on Twitter;
- How does tracking mentions on Twitter work?
- Best ways to discover more Twitter mentions related to your brand.
What Are Twitter Mentions?
Twitter mentions take place every time a Twitter user makes private or public tweets about another account, mainly by using a specific Twitter handle (you can later change Twitter handle).
Whenever someone mentions your account or your brand on social media sites, they are expressing their feelings towards it - in this case, I’ll refer to it as “Twitter sentiment.”
But why is it important to track tweets and to find mentions regarding your brand? Here are three reasons why you should do it:
- Understand what users feel about your brand: knowing your brand’s reputation online is imperative if you want to grow. Whether your brand receives positive comments or negative comments from Twitter accounts, understanding your brand’s presence through Twitter is key;
- Target customer complaints: do people need help with a product that your brand sells? Are too many users having the same common mistakes with your product and they mention your brand? Start tracking each tweet directed towards your Twitter account and solve this matter ASAP;
- Create more efficient Twitter campaigns: every social media marketer comprehends the importance of doing a complete analysis of a brand’s mentions in order to craft a tailored Twitter report to deliver what customers expect through an efficient social media strategy.
Types of Twitter Mentions
There are four types of Twitter mentions that you can find on the platform, and they all can apply to the “brand mentions” concept.
| Reply Mention | Brand Mention | Twitter Handle Mention | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| The first type of mention is reply mentions. They take place when someone else’s tweet points toward your specific Twitter profile through a tweet you posted - you will be able to see this reply as a direct conversation notification. | When users just add tweets mentioning your brand without using your handle nor replying to you, that’s a brand mention. Twitter views these mentions as plain text, which is why there isn’t any kind of notification regarding these mentions. | When someone directly uses Twitter handles to mention a brand, that’s what we call a Twitter handle mention. As I mentioned earlier, this is the most classic type of mention on the platform. | Users can also mention your brand through hashtags, which are keywords that start with the symbol #. Other variations of hashtags do not show as user mentions in your Twitter notifications because they are basically just text. |
How To Track Mentions on Twitter
Now that you understand how important it is to track Twitter mentions, it is time that you learn how to do it.
There are two ways to track any Twitter mention you get. The first method consists of using Twitter’s notification settings.
Although this method is rather unreliable, it works if you want to track Twitter mentions that are directly aimed at your account.
The second method consists of using a third-party social media tracking tool. There are tools with a free version that you can try, but most of them are indeed paid.
Tracking Twitter Mentions via Twitter Notifications
You can track Twitter mentions just by using the notification menu on Twitter.
- Open your Twitter account, and on the left sidebar menu, click on Notifications;
- Here, you will find two tabs: one that says All Notifications, and another that says Mentions;
- In All Notifications, you can see it all, including new followers and the latest tweets from followed accounts;
- Click on Mentions to see all the Twitter mentions and tweets that your brand’s account has received in chronological order.
As you can see, this method only tracks direct tweet replies and TW handle mentions. If someone just writes text mentioning your brand without tagging your handle or replying to your tweets, then you will be unable to see those mentioned.
Track Twitter Mentions with Syften
Syften is a quite simple yet great tool that can help you track your Twitter mentions in a really intuitive way.
Among the key features implemented by this monitoring tool, there are advanced Twitter mention notifications, and this is how you use it.
Step 1: Sign In to Syften Account
First of all, create a new Syften account and sign in to the platform.
They offer a 14-day free trial, so you can try the platform before paying full price.
Step 2: Set Up Twitter Monitoring
Once you sign in with your email and password, go to the Monitoring tab and select Twitter.
Here, you will be prompted to sign in to your Twitter account.
Finally, you need to filter the keywords you want to be notified of. I recommend you put a couple of hashtags related to your brand, as well as your brand name and other terms that can be related to it.
Complete the setup process, and proceed with the last step.
Step 3: Decide How You Receive Notifications
You can decide how and when email alerts are sent if you go to the Notifications tab. Syften also works with Slack and has its own API, so it is quite useful.
After you complete this quick setup process, all the Twitter mentions you get will be notified to you, thanks to Syften!
Twitter Mention Tracker: Summary
Being fully aware of your Twitter mentions is imperative these days - if you want to build brand loyalty and improve as an organization, then this is not something you can avoid.
Remember that you can either track your mentions by using Twitter’s notification tab, or by using a third-party tool, such as Syften, which works frankly great.
Did you like this blog post? Get more Twitter-related information here, at GrowFollowing!
FAQ
How to See Someone’s Mentions on Twitter?
According to Twitter, the only way to see someone’s mentions is by using the Twitter search bar. Of course, you won’t get access to their accounts, so put their Twitter handle on the search bar and check every public mention they have received lately. In the same order of ideas, you can use Twitter advanced search as well - it’s more accurate!
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.