Why there’s no way around social media mon­it­or­ing

An extensive mon­it­or­ing scheme helps build the basis of a solid social media marketing strategy, but many busi­nesses often neglect to collect valuable user-generated in­form­a­tion. This can prove to be an unwise decision, as the user data can help to precisely define target groups and their pref­er­ences, and provide details on mul­ti­pli­ers and in­flu­en­cers.

For busi­nesses, social media is an important resource for gaining insight into target groups and potential customers. Social media mon­it­or­ing lets users comb through data and evaluate relevant content. With the help of keyword sets, analyses can be carried out by searching through blogs, forums, social networks, com­munit­ies, and ratings websites. By analysing user-generated content, busi­nesses and firms can find out more about which opinions, ex­per­i­ences, and interests are relevant to certain interest groups. Com­mer­cial content or news entries are not taken into account, but similar web mon­it­or­ing options are also available for many SMM tools.

Every business should in­cor­por­ate mon­it­or­ing into its marketing strategy. Even if you are not par­tic­u­larly active in the realm of social media, it’s worth observing the user-generated data in order to collect important in­form­a­tion about your target group.

With the help of social media mon­it­or­ing, companies can:

2. Keep an eye on the com­pet­i­tion

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”

While Sun Tzu’s famous treatise on war may not be 100% relevant to today’s business world, there is a kernel of truth to this message. Keeping tabs on your immediate com­pet­i­tion is just as important as knowing what customers think about your own business. Social media mon­it­or­ing provides an insight into what factors motivate customers to switch to the com­pet­i­tion. Staying informed on the product ranges and various strengths and weak­nesses of other market players gives your business a clear advantage. Not only is social media useful for learning more about the image and activ­it­ies of com­pet­it­ors, it also supplies useful data on pricing systems.

3. Identify conflicts early on

As proven time and again, social media is a powerful tool for marketers that, when used correctly, can assist in improving a content strategy. But, as many brands and in­di­vidu­als would surely confirm, a sinister Mr. Hyde lurks behind social media’s seemingly harmless Dr. Jekyll ap­pear­ance. Com­plaints and negative attention can quickly turn this helpful tool into yet another hurdle. Acting as the canary in the coalmine, social media mon­it­or­ing counts and registers cri­ti­cisms early on, providing your team with precious extra time for damage control efforts and po­ten­tially saving you from dealing with an onslaught of consumer rage.

4. Provide real-time support

Social media marketing presents a host of chal­lenges for the community man­age­ment of a company. In the age of Facebook and Twitter, ex­press­ing criticism or asking for support has never been easier for customers. However, questions about products or services are bound to be posted outside of your own social media channels. But thanks to social media mon­it­or­ing tools, these critiques can be promptly addressed. Active customer support on all channels then increases customer sat­is­fac­tion and con­trib­utes to your overall goal of creating a positive repu­ta­tion.

5.  Manage and maintain repu­ta­tion

Users regularly search for cri­ti­cisms, sug­ges­tions, and dis­cus­sions online. Following this, social networks, comment sections, and forums have become valuable sources of in­form­a­tion for companies. These dis­cus­sions not only reflect the views of in­di­vidu­al products, they also afford crucial input on how brands are perceived by the general public. With social media mon­it­or­ing, specific keywords can be used to run an analysis on how positive or negative these contexts are. This feature is par­tic­u­larly ad­vant­age­ous for marketers as it can help signal when it may be ap­pro­pri­ate to introduce counter measures. 

6.  Recognise trends and im­ple­ment­a­tion

To know a target audience is to fully un­der­stand and work with the desires and needs of potential customers. Ap­pre­ci­at­ing the im­port­ance of these aspects can present a major boost to both product and in­nov­a­tion man­age­ment. This is because many users go beyond simply venting their frus­tra­tion and actually explain why they are dis­sat­is­fied with a certain product, often providing sug­ges­tions for im­prove­ment in the process. By mon­it­or­ing solutions, these re­com­mend­a­tions can be iden­ti­fied, collected, and im­ple­men­ted for new ap­proaches.

To use social media mon­it­or­ing methods, an ap­pro­pri­ate tool is required. There is a wide range of social media mon­it­or­ing software (both free and fee-based) intended for keeping an overview of various networks, per­form­ance in­dic­at­ors, and data. Here are three popular social media mon­it­or­ing tools.

Brand­watch

Brand­watch centres on marketing, com­pet­i­tion, and repu­ta­tion man­age­ment functions. The tool can also be used for carrying out market research and serves as an indicator for identi­fy­ing in­flu­en­cers and mul­ti­pli­ers. The package prices are de­term­ined by the criteria of data volume as well as the desired scope of support.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is an all-in-one-tool that offers broad social-media-mon­it­or­ing functions. Thanks to its various features, running a precise target group analysis is possible. New users have the option of trying out the free trial version. The pro version is available for only a few pounds a month.

Talk­walk­er

The social media mon­it­or­ing tool, Talk­walk­er, gives you an overview of all dis­cus­sions trending on various social networks. By taking advantage of analyses on ref­er­ences found online, busi­nesses are able to break down their influence and ad­vert­ising range. Talk­walk­er offers a free demo version and their basic monthly packages start in the £100+ range. For more in­form­a­tion on the topic, check out our article from our digital guide series by clicking here.

Social media mon­it­or­ing is essential for planning, managing, and accessing com­mu­nic­a­tion through­out various social networks. With the help of extensive analyses, those re­spons­ible for managing social media accounts can stay informed about business-related topics. Dis­cus­sions, opinions, and trends can be tracked in real time. Con­stantly keeping up with all ongoing dis­cus­sions is the only way to locate in­flu­en­cers within a business context. With its role as an early warning system, SMM fur­ther­more serves as the medium through which critical opinions can be iden­ti­fied quickly, therefore min­im­ising fallout.