It’s a Saturday morning, and you’re scrolling Instagram. A video pops up, and an influencer talks about their newest purchase: a revolutionary cleaning product that removes dirt from tile grout and keeps glass sparkly clean. Sounds like something you could use in your bathroom! It even has a catchy name and packaging: The Pink Stuff. You resolve to buy a bottle the next time you go to the store.
That’s the power of a brand mention. A casual brand name drop inspires interest, both online and in person. And if the person happens to expand a little about product benefits or their experience, it really pricks up ears, so much so that the audience might buy the brand’s products or start following them on social media.
To marketers and business owners, a brand mention is extremely valuable. It’s a form of social proof that can attract new customers. Even better, you can acquire brand mentions without a significant marketing investment.
What are brand mentions and why should you care?
A brand mention occurs anytime someone acknowledges your brand’s name or products to an audience. It can happen online, such as in a social media post (known as a social mention) or review, or in a more informal setting, like a conversation between two friends.
Companies covet brand mentions because they correlate directly with business growth. Essentially, the more people who know about your brand or its products, the wider your audience becomes. That increases the probability that someone will purchase a product or service from your brand. Research supports this: a study found companies with high brand recognition see up to 70% higher conversion rates than lesser-known peers.
In digital marketing, brand mentions have a positive impact on search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. The more third-party sources that reference a brand online, the more popular that brand appears to be. Search engines see this as a positive signal and move the brand up in search results for targeted keywords.
Types of brand mentions worth tracking
Brand mentions fall into several categories. Track all types to monitor customer sentiment and audience growth.
- Direct mentions: Someone specifically calls out a brand’s name or logo.
- Indirect mentions: A person mentions a brand’s products or services but doesn’t name the company outright.
- Branded hashtags: Someone tags a brand on social media or uses its specific hashtag.
- Visual mentions: A person displays a brand’s products in a picture or video.
10 proven ways to increase brand mentions
Getting people to talk about your brand may seem challenging, especially if you’re aiming for publicly shared content. But it isn’t hard to do! Put your creative hat on and try these techniques to boost your social mentions.
1. Create share-worthy content
Think about how your audience uses social media. Do they like funny clips or appreciate unique solutions to everyday problems? Are they fashion-forward or budget-minded? Create trendy content that aligns with your audience’s interests and your brand’s offerings. If it lands, they’ll share it with others, giving you a healthy dose of social mentions.
2. Leverage influencer partnerships
Many brands collaborate with social media influencers to get social mentions. An influencer is someone with a devoted follower base, whether that’s 6,000 or 6 million people. Some may be celebrities, but others are everyday people who create content their audience loves.
Find an influencer whose audience mirrors your target customers and ask them to collaborate on a social media post that mentions your brand. This could be a short-form video, a static post, or a time-based post, like on Instagram Stories. Often, these collaborations include sending free products to the influencer or providing them with an exclusive discount code to share with their followers. Most influencers charge a fee for the service, and the cost will vary depending on the influencer’s audience size and the job scope.
A successful influencer partnership can boost your brand’s social media following and increase sales.
3. Engage in community building
Most social media platforms allow users to set up groups tailored to specific interests. Try creating a community that’s relevant to your brand. Encourage people to post and engage with other members, and share your brand-related content occasionally.
For instance, if you run a local bookstore in Hartford, Connecticut, you could create a Facebook Group for book lovers in Hartford. The group’s focal point would be books, but you could share relevant events for your bookstore or recommend books for people to read.
4. Run strategic social media campaigns
Try running a social media campaign focused solely on expanding brand recognition. In this type of campaign, your goal isn’t conversions — it’s boosting brand awareness.
Include your brand’s name, logo, and other recognizable identifiers in the post. You can hint at available products or services to capture the audience’s interest. Once you have a few social media posts, target them toward people who fit your core customer profile. As post frequency increases, viewers may take action and check out your brand.
5. Implement a customer advocacy program
Satisfied customers won’t mind advocating for your business, especially if you throw in a little bonus to encourage it. Ask customers to talk about their experience with your brand on social media or with friends. If their post or recommendation earns you a new customer, you can reward them with a freebie or discount on their next purchase!
6. Host events (virtual or in-person)
Events get people talking about your brand. They’ll discuss the 5 W’s: Who is hosting it, What it’s about, When and Where it is, and Why it’s worth attending.
Next time you host an event, encourage attendees to invite friends and colleagues. That widens the conversation, so your company benefits from more casual brand mentions.
7. Create a branded hashtag challenge
Branded hashtag challenges are popular on TikTok, but they extend to other social media platforms, too. In this type of campaign, a company challenges its followers to do something and tag the resulting video or image with a branded hashtag. It’s a fun way to grow your community and expand brand visibility. Participants win, too, since their engaging content may boost their follower count or earn them fun prizes.
8. Optimize visual brand assets
Make your brand’s visuals eye-catching to encourage shares and increased social mentions. Consider working with a professional photographer or graphic designer for the best results. The more appealing your brand’s products look, the more likely they are to capture interest and generate buzz.
9. Collaborate with complementary brands
Promotional partnerships with non-competitors can help you get brand mentions with a related audience. Look for companies that offer complementary products your audience is likely to buy, and engage in cross-promotion. For example, if your company sells golf clubs, you could partner with a local golf course and promote each other’s products and services.
10. Provide exceptional customer experiences
Phenomenal customer service will rake in brand mentions with no cost required. Simply go the extra mile to provide clients with service they won’t get from competitors. A positive, memorable experience is something people talk about and is sure to bring you new customers.
How to monitor social mentions effectively
So, you have a few ideas for getting brand mentions, but how do you know when someone discusses your company?
Google Alerts is a free tool you can use for brand monitoring across the web. Simply create alerts for relevant keywords, and you’ll receive a notification anytime they appear in search results.
Advanced social listening tools like Sprout Social track mentions across social media and the web. They include analytics and customizable queries you can create for your brand. However, these tools usually require a paid subscription to access.
The SEO impact of brand mentions
Anytime a third party mentions your brand online, it sends a signal to search engines that you’re a trustworthy business, increasing your brand’s authority on the internet. Over time, brand mentions can elevate your domain authority so you rank higher in results for targeted searches.
Think of brand mentions as an extension of backlinks, another tool Google and other search engines use to establish a company’s trustworthiness. They validate your brand on Google, giving it greater credibility.
To maximize the SEO benefits of social mentions, encourage them in tandem with your company’s targeted keywords.
Measuring brand mention success
Use metrics to evaluate campaign success. Examples of helpful metrics include the volume of mentions, overall brand sentiment, and reach. Set benchmarks for each metric and compare them to actual results.
Another metric worth tracking is return on investment (ROI). If you plan on splashing out for a brand mention campaign, it’s more than worth evaluating the profits from your efforts.
To calculate ROI, simply subtract your expenses from the revenue generated by the campaign. Divide the result by the costs and multiply by 100.
Say you spend $5,000 on a brand mention campaign that generates $7,000 in revenue. Using the ROI formula, your return is 40%, or (($7,000 – $5,000) / $5,000) x 100.
Get social proof through brand mentions
Brand mentions are valuable for business growth. They can expand your customer base, improve SEO, and boost revenue.
If brand mentions are new to your business, start small. It can be as simple as asking clients to leave an online review or share their experience with friends. In time, you can branch out to bigger endeavors.
Want more guidance to grow your brand through social media marketing? Check out Constant Contact’s Marketing Advice blog. It’s chock-full of helpful content, especially for small businesses.
