I use a social listening report to show what people said about our brand and what we did. I list open problems so the right person can follow up.
I make a one-page report each month for a small B2B SaaS product. I link to the posts so anyone can read them.
The one-page social listening report
I start with the dates, sites, and keywords I used. If I add a site during the month, the post count may rise. I note that change in the report.
Then I report four things:
- Relevant brand mentions and how that count changed from the last period.
- The main reasons people mentioned us, such as questions, praise, complaints, or comparisons.
- What we did: replies, support tasks, product notes, and corrected facts.
- Open items, with an owner and a due date.
I link to posts that show the main problems. Anyone reading the report can open the source and check what the person said.
I keep each post link beside the problem it shows. That saves support from searching for the thread again when it is time to reply.
Turn posts into next steps
First, I remove posts that do not name our brand and cut spam. Then I count the real matches.
Next, I group posts by topic. I save the site, date, link, and next step for each one. When the same feature question comes up again, I add it to our help page plan.
I use the same terms and sites each month. If I change them, I note it beside the count. More posts from a new keyword do not mean more people heard about us.
I end with open work and name who will do it. When support closes a case, I mark the post done. Open questions stay on the list until someone answers them.
Mentionkit lets me give a post an owner and a status before I write the report.
What I leave out
I leave out numbers I can’t explain. “Potential reach” uses account size to guess how many people saw a post. I can’t tell who saw it from that number.
Tools can read jokes the wrong way. Brandwatch’s reporting guide shows charts for post counts and sentiment. I read the posts behind any good or bad label before I put it in a report.
My social listening metrics guide explains which numbers I keep and how I read them.
Conclusion
I leave out a count when I can’t show the posts behind it. If a customer question is still open at the end of the month, I carry it into the next report. It should not vanish just because the date changed.
