The compliments hiding outside the mentions tab

The compliments hiding outside the mentions tab
It was a Thursday when a SaaS brand's social manager reported tepid sentiment, built entirely from people who @-tagged the handle. The product lead disagreed; her users adored the tool. Both were measuring different rooms. Tagged mentions skewed toward complaints, since people tag a brand to be heard when angry.

They widened listening to untagged, earned conversation, where the brand was named but not summoned. Sentiment there ran 27pts warmer. The tagged stream was a complaint desk; the untagged stream was the actual reputation.

The catch: untagged listening pulled 3x the volume and far more ambiguous matches, demanding tighter queries and review.

The takeaway: the people who tag you are a self-selected minority, usually the unhappy ones. Listen to the conversation that doesn't ask for your attention, and you'll hear what people really think.