Comments on: Social Media Analysis tools

By: 40 Advanced Web Analytics Tools for Business, Small and Big | SEOptimise

40 Advanced Web Analytics Tools for Business, Small and Big | SEOptimise — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:20:29 +0000

[...] for suggesting CoreMetrics and Unica on Twitter. Also thanks to SEMPlanning.com for providing a huge list of social media buzz tracking tools I used while [...]

By: Kristin Wadge

Kristin Wadge — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:33:07 +0000

Thanks for the mention, Martyn Finding the right vendor to work with can indeed by a minefield, and often just ends up being down to who is shouting the loudest rather than who is the perfect fit. Here at Metrica we’ve had 15 years experience of helping the smallest to the largest companies evaluate their communications and PR. I agree with you that it’s about starting with what you need. But I’d take one step back from there. The very best place to start is with what you’re trying to achieve with your commmunications. And here’s the value of good, expert vendors. Find the right one, tell them what you’re trying to achieve with your social media programme and let us put our measurement brains into action and do the rest for you. Make us do the leg work. That’s what you pay us for! And this is why we have completely customised soutions for each and every single client. We wrap the measurement output snuggly around their plans. We talk a bit about this and other PR measurement gems on our blog if anyone fancies a read: http://www.metrica.net/measurementmatters

By: leon

leon — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:47:35 +0000

We also offer a free trial for smaller brands with no data limits, so at least you can see if there is sufficent volume of data before signing up for a paid subscription.

http://www.sentimentmetrics.com

By: Martin Edic (Techrigy)

Martin Edic (Techrigy) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:35:35 +0000

For smaller brands or subjects we offer a fully functional free version of SM2, our social media monitoring and analysis tool. The only limitations are number of keyword phrases (5) and number of results (1000). http://sm2.techrigy.com

By: anham

anham — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:09:28 +0000

Hi Martyn,

Indeed one of the most important things before picking the relevant social media monioring and analysis solutions and services is to assess what’s relevant for your company. Some may want to gather opinions that spread throughout the Internet while others may prefer to narrow the scope down to specific topics or places on the social web. Once this initial step has been taken – and most social media monitoring companies may help their clients at this early stage – all the monitoring and research can be carried out.

Now I must also agree with Marcel from Radian6, it is useful for companies to look for conversations they can connect with. Should they stick with conversations that talk about their brands, they would lose many opportunities to engage potential clients or brands ambassadors for instance.

best regards,
anthony hamelle
ceo, linkfluence

By: Nathan Gilliatt

Nathan Gilliatt — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:08:53 +0000

Thanks for the mention. Sorting out the many options is exactly the point of the Guide–there are a lot of options, and all those companies don’t do the same thing. My goals with the Guide were (1) to help people understand the range of available options and (2) to create a convenient resource for companies deciding which vendors they should consider.

I certainly agree that understanding your company’s needs is the first step. A second question to consider is how you want to receive or interact with information. Do you want a tool or a service?

If there’s a question about whether commercial tools are helpful for your company, you might start with one the free versions (not the same as the usual list of free services):

http://net-savvy.com/executive/tools/monitoring-social-media-before-you-have-a-bud.html

It’s true that most social media analysis companies are focused on the needs of relatively large clients. There are options for smaller companies, starting with free, entry-level accounts from several vendors. From there, prices go from $1 to tens of thousands per month. One size definitely does not fit all.

By: Marcel LeBrun

Marcel LeBrun — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:01:26 +0000

Hi Martyn,

…or just talk about your needs online and let the tools find you?

Both small and large brands can accomplish great things by listening (monitoring) online and then participating in the right conversations. For smaller brands we have seen great success when listening for relevant industry conversations that that your brand can connect with (or help with) but that don’t necessarily mention your brand directly. This was talked about recently at an online “twebinar” that we hosted on the subject of listening. You might get some value out of it (although you wouldn’t get the live conversation, the speakers were recorded at http://www.twebinar.com

I think your approach first listing your needs then looking for a tool makes sense. Let me know if I can help in any way.

Marcel
CEO, Radian6