This post is a bit dated , but it is also inordinately helpful for anyone that wishes to listen in on the conversation of others. The reason it is a bit old is because when you try to find posts about this online you will immediately be marketed to and spammed. ABGeist uses Hoot Suite for social listening. It's a pretty basic way to do it but it works to this day. I am NOT getting paid to say this.
Of course to listen in you assume that people are already talking about you. Buzz is what gets people talking, social intelligence techniques help you nurture the relationship. In addition to basic social listening, ABGeist is fluent in the industrial strength Meltwater, Cision and Pardot marketing automation suites to help you leverage existing social media tools.
Like everything else these tools are better in some hands that others: brand advocacy is always best when developed through buzz.