What if there was a tool that let you hear when people were so upset at your competition that they wanted your startup to rescue them? Well there are, but are you using them?

Listen to conversations about:

Your name & company’s name – It’s about more than vanity. It’s about protecting your brand and recognizing issues before they flare up.

Your competition – Try it and see how many of their customers are upset and looking for a replacement. (I have a great example in the video.)

Old friends – If it’s only about searching for business, the process can get boring. Why not have fun with it.

Mixergy – Okay, so I gave myself a gratuitous plug. But if you set alerts for this Mixergy, you can see how I respond when people mention this site.

Use these tools:

Twitter’s Advanced Search – Use this tool to hear what people say on Twitter. It works really well on a mobile phone, so you can stay on top of conversations from anywhere.

Backtype – This service will let you keep up with what’s being said in blog comments. In the demo video I included with this post, you can see how it might save your company’s reputation.

Google Alerts – When Sean Percival revealed information about his past boss in this Mixergy program, his boss found out about it instantly because the boss set up alerts for himself.

Did I miss any tools? Add them to the comments.