I don’t judge brand health by mention count alone. I check what people know about the brand and what they say about it.
For a small B2B SaaS company, I’d use a short scorecard. I’d ask people if they know the product and if they’d try it. Then I’d check name searches and public posts.
What my brand health tracking scorecard asks
My scorecard asks if people know our brand, if they’d try the product, and which product they’d pick. I keep the wording the same each time so I can compare the answers.
YouGov’s brand health guide explains two ways to ask about brand names. First, I ask, “Which social listening tools do you know?” Then I show a list and ask which names people know. The first question tests memory. The second tests if a name looks familiar.
Name searches and public posts add detail to the survey. Searches show when people look us up. Posts tell me what people chose to say. I read them before I use the count.
Run the survey and monthly checks
I ask the same kind of people each time, such as marketers at small B2B SaaS firms. I use the same questions and recruit people the same way. Changing the group can change the score even when the brand has not changed.
I run the survey on the same schedule each time. Between surveys, I check name searches and public posts. I write down the dates and any big product changes so I can read the next result.
For name searches, I use Search Console’s branded query view when I have access to it. Search Console can leave out some search terms. I look for changes over time and don’t treat its total as a full count.
For public posts, I track brand names, product names, and common misspellings. I open the posts before I write about a rise. I note where each post came from and whether the person asked a question or shared a problem.
For each number, I write what changed and what I’ll check next. I save links to the posts so I can read them again.
Posts do not stand in for survey answers
Only some people post in public. Their posts can’t tell me what the whole market thinks. I use the survey to hear from more people.
I can’t say an ad caused a rise in name searches if other things changed too. Google’s brand measurement guide uses repeat surveys to track what people know and which brands they may try. I’d keep survey answers beside search and post counts.
The brand awareness tracking guide explains the awareness part in more detail.
Conclusion
When the survey group changes, I start a new line in the scorecard. I still track name searches and posts, but I won’t call the brand healthier until I can compare answers from the same kind of people.
