Your Brand Is Being Talked About. Are You Listening?

On 4th September, I was mentioned in an article published on TechBullion.com.

It was one of those moments that reminded me why I believe brands should pay attention not just to what they are publishing online, but also to what others are saying about them.

What made it even more interesting was how I found out about it.

I received an email notification from BrandMentions informing me about the mention.

The notification alerted me that Simply Sansu or my name had been mentioned online, and I could see where the mention had appeared.

Later, I could also see this information reflected in my BrandMentions report.

That is social listening in action.

I Don’t Just Post About Simply Sansu. I Listen Too.

As someone who works in digital marketing and Digital PR, I spend a lot of time thinking about visibility.

I create content. I work on SEO. I build Digital PR opportunities. I publish on social media.

For social media publishing and scheduling, I use Publer.

But publishing content and monitoring conversations are two completely different things.

Publer helps me publish.
BrandMentions helps me listen.

And for Simply Sansu, I believe both are important.

What Is Social Listening?

Social listening is the process of monitoring online conversations, mentions and discussions related to your brand, name, industry or specific keywords.

For me, tools like BrandMentions help me keep track of where my brand or name is appearing online.

Sometimes, you may know that you have been mentioned because someone emails you or tags you.

But that doesn’t always happen.

Your brand could appear in:

• An article
• A blog post
• A social media discussion
• A review
• An online publication
• A forum or community conversation

And you may not know about it immediately.

That is why receiving that notification about the TechBullion mention was a good example of why monitoring matters.

Social listening is also becoming more interesting in the age of AI. Today, I am not only interested in where my brand is mentioned across websites and social platforms, but also whether AI platforms such as Gemini and Perplexity recognise and mention Simply Sansu in their responses.

Your Brand Conversation Continues Even When You Are Not Posting

This is something I find particularly important.

Many businesses focus heavily on creating and publishing content. We ask:

What should we post today?

But perhaps we should also ask:

What are people already saying about us?

Your brand’s online presence is not limited to your website or your social media accounts.

Every mention, article, discussion or conversation happening elsewhere contributes to your digital footprint.

For Simply Sansu, monitoring those mentions gives me a better understanding of where the brand is appearing and how it is being discussed.

Social Listening Can Also Create Opportunities

The TechBullion mention was a positive example.

But social listening isn’t only about finding positive mentions or dealing with negative ones.

It can also help businesses discover opportunities.

You may find:

• Someone looking for recommendations in your industry
• A journalist discussing a relevant topic
• A conversation where you can contribute your expertise
• A positive mention you can share with your audience
• Questions your potential customers are asking

For someone working in Digital PR, this can be particularly useful.

The more aware you are of conversations happening around your brand and industry, the better positioned you are to participate in relevant ones.

Don’t Just Focus on What You Say

Marketing often focuses on communication.

What are we saying?

What are we posting?

What message are we sending?

All of that matters.

But listening matters too.

The notification I received from BrandMentions about the TechBullion article was a simple reminder of that.

I may be actively working on building visibility for Simply Sansu, but I also want to know where that visibility is showing up.

Because your brand may be part of conversations you didn’t start.

You may be mentioned in places you haven’t checked.

And opportunities may be appearing without anyone directly informing you.

Your brand is being talked about online. The question is, are you listening?