@timothy_bramlett There are exactly three things that every business should be monitoring for online. Most companies only search for one or none at all. After thousands of conversations with business owners using Notifier, I've seen the same pattern. The companies that thrive monitor for all three while the ones that struggle are completely blind to what's happening online. So what are these three things and how do you set them up to never miss what matters most to your business? First, you're going to want to monitor for brand mentions. Set up a brand searcher in Notifier to catch every conversation. For example, if I were Apple, I would input the keyword Apple. And here's the key for brand mentions: use AI-based verification to filter out irrelevant conversations. If you are Apple, you want to know when conversations are happening that mention your brand name Apple and not the food apple. The second pillar is monitoring for competitor mentions. You're going to want to set up a searcher to spy on your competitors. For example, if I were Apple, I would want to monitor for mentions of Microsoft, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and others. For you, it will be different, whoever keeps you up at night, but you want to know what customers are saying about them before they do. And finally, the third pillar is where most businesses fail. Monitor for keywords that your potential customers might mention. You're going to want to set up a lead searcher to catch people actively looking for the solutions you provide. For the Apple example, I've set up a searcher to search for people mentioning the phrase "looking for a new phone." Obviously you would wanna monitor for other things depending on what the solution is that you provide. With these three searchers running, you're monitoring for everything that matters to your business. Because if you don't know what people are saying about your brand, your competitors, or if you're missing potential leads, you're missing conversations that matter. You can try Notifier at notifier.so.
♬ original sound – Timothy Bramlett
After thousands of conversations with business owners, a clear pattern has emerged: companies that thrive online monitor three specific things, while those that struggle remain completely unaware of what’s being said about them across the internet.
Most businesses only monitor one of these areas, if any at all. This blind spot costs them opportunities, customer insights, and competitive advantages every single day. The good news is that setting up comprehensive monitoring is straightforward once you know what to look for.
The Three Pillars of Effective Online Monitoring
Pillar 1: Brand Mentions
The foundation of online monitoring is knowing when people talk about your company. Setting up a brand searcher in Notifier allows you to catch every conversation mentioning your business name.
The implementation is simple: input your brand name as a keyword. For example, if you’re Apple, you would enter “apple” as your primary search term.
However, there’s a critical component that separates effective brand monitoring from noise: AI-based verification. This filtering system eliminates irrelevant conversations that happen to include your brand name but aren’t actually about your business. Apple needs to know when people are discussing their products and services, not when someone is talking about the fruit. The AI verification layer ensures you only see conversations that genuinely relate to your brand.
Pillar 2: Competitor Mentions
The second essential monitoring pillar involves keeping tabs on your competition. A competitor searcher functions as your intelligence system, revealing what customers are saying about rival companies before those competitors even know about it.
Identify the companies that keep you up at night and add them to your monitoring list. For Apple, this might include Microsoft, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and other hardware manufacturers. Your list will look different based on your industry and market position.
This monitoring provides invaluable insights into customer sentiment, competitor strengths and weaknesses, and emerging market trends. When customers express frustration with a competitor’s product or service, you have an opportunity to offer a better solution.
Pillar 3: Keyword and Lead Monitoring
The third pillar is where most businesses fail completely, yet it represents one of the most valuable monitoring opportunities available. Beyond tracking brand and competitor mentions, you need to monitor for keywords that indicate purchase intent or problem-solving needs.
Setting up a lead searcher means identifying the specific phrases your potential customers use when they’re actively looking for solutions you provide. For Apple, this might include phrases like “looking for a new phone.” Your keywords will vary based on your products or services, but the principle remains the same: find people who need what you offer.
This proactive approach to lead generation means you can engage with potential customers at the exact moment they’re expressing a need, rather than waiting for them to find you through traditional marketing channels.
Why Complete Coverage Matters
Running all three types of searchers simultaneously creates comprehensive monitoring that covers everything relevant to your business. Missing any one of these pillars means missing critical conversations.
Without brand monitoring, you don’t know what customers are saying about you. Without competitor monitoring, you lack competitive intelligence. Without keyword monitoring, you’re missing potential leads who are actively seeking solutions.
The businesses that implement all three monitoring strategies position themselves to respond quickly, engage meaningfully, and capture opportunities that their competitors miss entirely.
Getting Started with Notifier
Setting up comprehensive monitoring doesn’t require technical expertise or significant time investment. Notifier streamlines the entire process, allowing you to configure all three monitoring pillars and start capturing relevant conversations immediately.
You can try Notifier at notifier.so and begin monitoring the conversations that matter most to your business.