More and more businesses are getting into social media – an umbrella term that covers various activities that help bring about social interaction on the internet. Facebook and Twitter are some of the main outlets for social media, but there are numerous types of social media like blogs, wikis, forums, chat rooms, etc..
Since so many people are gathering to share ideas, and concepts through social media, it is important for businesses to monitor how their brand is being handled through the various social media channels. Since there are only so many hours in a day, getting this done effectively, and without using up all your time can be challenging. What is needed are powerful methods, and tools to track your brand in the social media paradigm. While there are many more tools available out there, here is a list of some of the best monitoring tools and sites available that you can use to monitor your brand across the social media landscape.
Review Analyst (Now called TrustYou) – ReviewAnalyst is a monitoring tool developed for the unique needs of the Hospitality Industry. The enables hotels to take a proactive approach to user-generated hotel reviews, blogs, videos, “check-ins” & images. With ReviewAnalyst, you can track, analyze and react to what people are saying about your hotel on the major travel and social media sites. This is one of the most established monitoring tools in the travel industry.
Radian 6 – This application allows you to engage with your customers via social media. This is one of the best tools around because it allows you to smoothly, and discreetly uncover the most prominent opinions of top influencers in the social media arena. You can also measure and track engagement while determining which conversations in chat rooms, forums, etc. are having a major influence towards the online perception of your brand.
Visible Technologies – This social media tool focuses mostly on putting into action effective social media strategies. Visible Technologies has successfully helped many companies manage their online branding by doing something so many companies fail to do – listen to their customers. Utilizing the truCast product, companies can listen in on what is being said about their brand online.
Buzzlogic – As it says on their company page “Welcome to the Conversation”. BuzzLogic is a social branding company that focuses on digital media that utilizes an ad platform that is driven by social media analytics. The tools used within Buzzlogic helps customers build and optimize their advertising campaigns across the biggest collection of website content on the internet. Using a proprietary conversational analytics engine, Buzzlogic helps its customers understand the mindset of the most influential players in a particular industry. From gathered data targeted to a specific demographic group, clients can then maximize their marketing performance from various social media sources. Buzzlogic’s contextual insight boosting tools and meters are a definite added bonus to an already robust repertoire.
TNS Cymfony – a Kantar Media company, TNS Cymfony provides customers with market influence analytics – some of the best analytics in the industry. By scanning and interpreting the thousands upon thousands of voices within the social media venues, TNS Cymfony helps its customers understand where traditional media, and social media intersect. Maestro, TNS Cymfony’s third generation listening and influence driven platform, makes integrating innovative technology with expert analysis easy, yet provacatively informative by helping to identify the people, issues, and trends impacting business – both online, and off.
Nielsen – this is one of the most well known, and trusted names in customer data analytics. Nielsen has several tools that its customers can use to find out what is happening with their brands within the social media realm. Nielsen and Facebook recently joined forces to develop effective, and almost real time ad effectiveness solutions. These tools help companies evaluate and determine consumer attitudes, brand perception and purchase intent from different forms of online advertising. The Nielsen social media monitoring tools also allow businesses to measure how memorable was a particular ad campaign, brand favorability, and factors that influence consideration of purchase.
Trackur – With Trackur you can get social monitoring tools in just 60 seconds, but the amount of market data you can collect after setup is mind boggling. Some of the great things about this social media monitoring site is that it has tools that companies can use to automate their online reputation tracking system. As far as making sure your advertising dollars are spent wisely, Trackur can also track your marketing campaign’s effectiveness. And if you don’t think this site is delivering useful enough data, you can cancel at anytime. Pretty good setup for those that are somewhat hesitant to take a chance on a social media monitoring site.
Alterian SM2 – formerly Techrigy SM2, this social media monitoring and analysis tool was designed with marketing departments, and public relations companies in mind. Alterian SM2 helps you review positive and negative comments made about your brand across various social media channels – blogs, micro-blogs, wikis, social networks, and media sharing sites with alerts delivered directly to you in real-time. You can even check out what is being said about your competition. The ability to track conversations regarding your brand (or that of your competitors) around the web is also available.
Brands Eye – When it comes to protecting your reputation online, few sites can top Brands Eye. Using your own personal resources to monitor forums, and blogs to make sure what is being said is helpful to your company can be tedious and time consuming. Brands Eye can monitor your company’s online reputation much more effectively. The BrandsEye website helps to produce a far more thorough and scientific analysis of your brand’s online reputation than most people could do on their own, and in far less time than you’d think.
ReputationDefender – created in 2006, ReputationDefender helps companies defend their reputation on the web. Over time, ReputationDefender has grown to be one of the most comprehensive online reputation management and privacy companies in the world. There are four main products that accomplish this feat: MyReputation – for adults to use personally, MyChild – for children and teens, MyPrivacy – for personal data protection, and MyEdge – a personal public relations engine for everyone.
Sentiment Metrics – founded in 2005, Sentiment Metrics has helped businesses listen to the growing world of social media. This company also helps businesses, and marketing companies comprehend what is happening with their brands in social media outlets, and most importantly, participate in different forms of social media – all from within an easy to navigate control panel. The tools provided by Sentiment Metrics enables customers and clients alike the ability to measure, and monitor the different aspects of social media while gaining valuable intel about the buying public. This information can be used to improve products and increase profits. One of the best features within the Sentiment Metrics system is the ability to respond to comments, questions, and remarks directly from the system.
MutualMind – A new site on the block, MutualMind is quickly becoming a name to be reckoned with in the social media monitoring arena. MutualMind has many tools that helps you track what is being said on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. There are even tools available to help you engage with your audience as well, and you can set up email alerts to let you know about changes in your prominence on the web.
Jive Market Engagement – Jive’s Market Engagement Solution is the first to combine social media monitoring software with the power of collaborative Social Business Software (SBS), enabling enterprises to strengthen their brands and implement a unified social media marketing strategy.
Sysomos – Sysomos is redefining social media analytics with a powerful product suite that provides customers with the tools to measure, monitor, understand and engage with the social media landscape. Sysomos provides instant access to all social media conversations from blogs, social networks and micro-blogging services to forums, video sites and media sources.
These are the top social media monitoring tools out there. Unfortunately many of them also carry a rather hefty price tag, and some do have a rather steep learning curve. With that in mind, here are a few free, or less expensive alternatives for those who want to monitor the world of social media while on a tight budget:
Google Alerts: You can set this tool up to send you email alerts every time someone mentions brands that you are tracking.
Google Video: Lets you know when someone mentions your brand name in a tag line or video.
Technorati: One of the largest blog search engine directories that can also be searched for keywords that relates to your brand (or those of your competition).
Jodange: As stated on their homepage, Jodange “Twitterizes the Web”. Jodange automatically aggregates, and filters coments, remarks, and statements from traditional and social media avenues – just what anyone following their brand within social media needs.
BlogPulse: initially created by IntelliSeek, and later acquired by the Nielsen Company, BlogPulse is a great way to to find out what is happening in the ever changing world of blogs.
Monitter: Track up to three distinct keywords at the same time on Twitter. You can even monitor all of this in real time.
BoardTracker: One of the best resources for finding out what people are saying about your brand online. While you’re at it, you can find out what people are saying about your competition, as well. (BoardTracker has been taken down now, as of December 2014).
If you are serious about following your brand, or that of a client, around the social media stratosphere, check out these social media monitoring tools. There are many to choose from regardless of your research budget, so get going!