Why Social Monitoring Is Important for Your Business
One of the key aspects of this whole new social media craze is keyword monitoring and online reputation management. Unfortunately, many small businesses have not quite captured the importance that monitoring plays in the social media realm. We are told to create social media profiles for our brand and use these platforms to increase engagements with our audience. That is awesome if you are a big brand with national coverage but for smaller companies, this route can be a slow and painful process. Don’t get me wrong, if you are considering jumping into social media marketing and you know that your target audience uses a specific social media network, then it is definitely important to set up a profile and create engaging discussions with your audience. That is a no brainer. For smaller businesses, it is extremely important to build leads and build awareness for your brand through monitoring your activity online.
Okay, so how do I suggest that you go about doing this? First and foremost, we begin by monitoring those who already know about your brand and using this as a way to get them to continue purchasing your product/service. Brainstorm a few keywords or phrases that you believe people would use when mentioning your brand or product. This can include your brand name, some variations people may mistakenly use, any abbreviations for your company name, and/or the names of your core products. Now that you have that set in place, go ahead and plug them into your monitoring tools (I will give a list of some free tools at the end) and utilize them for results. I do recommend setting up email alerts or creating a RSS feed for these results so that you can stay on top of each mention as they occur in real time.
After collecting all of the data, it is now time to start your research by asking yourself the following questions:
- What are people saying about you?
- Do they like specific products over other ones?
- Are there improvements that they are suggesting that you can implement?
- Did he/she have a bad experience with your product or service?
These questions allow you to assess where you are in the market as a brand. You can reach out to your customers and show your appreciation for their loyalty, their positive feedback, or as a customer service platform. This is where you keep happy customers wanting to buy from you and give unhappy customers a reason to give you another chance.
After conducting your own due diligence, you now need to work on obtaining the market that is unaware of your product/service. These are the individuals who have never heard of your company or have never really thought about trying out your product/services. This somewhat requires you to think like a search engine optimizer. Which key search terms and phrases do you believe will bring the most sales? For example, let’s say you are a clothing company. You would want to monitor the main types of product that you offer, for example jeans, flip flops, halter tops, etc. Obviously the more specific in product type that you can get, the better the chance of creating a prospective customer. So now that you have a list of words and phrases that could help you find new customers, you once again plug those into your monitoring tools. You will begin to come across many tweets and posts that you can convert into sales and many others that are just useless. Pick and choose the results you believe would be beneficial to respond to and create a connection with. Remember that it is not always about going in straight for the sale. Begin by asking questions or trying to find out more about the situation and then figure out whether your product or service is the right fit for that person.
Finally, it is always fun to spy on your competitors. Use competitor brand and product names to see what people are saying about them. Use this information to improve your own products and service as well as trying to convert those unhappy customers into new potential customers for yourself! Don’t consider this stealing but rather doing what is right for the greater good. J
Here are some monitoring tools that you can use, but there are many out there so pick what works best for you (listed in no particular order):
search.twitter.com (You can also set up search queries in Hootsuite or any other 3rd party tool)
You could also use paid services such as Radian6, Alterian SM2, Engage 121, Argyle Social, plus many more.
So there we have it, monitoring is very important for you and your company. Use it wisely to build your customer base as well as keeping current customers wanting more. If you have any specific suggestions for monitoring tools please feel free to share in the comments below!
Video Infographic of Social Media in 2011
Many organizations do not completely value social media as a form of increasing their customer reach. In fact, the reason why many companies hesitate to utilize social media as a medium is fear of losing control. However, with the right channels and professionals in place you can engage with businesses and consumers alike. You would be surprised how quickly you can reach a customer!
This short video infographic video highlights the importance of social media to your business. Whether you are a small business or a large corporation the rules apply equally:
How To Unleash Your Companies Creative Potential In 5 Easy Steps
Relying on conventional methodologies and process standards can be detrimental to an organization. I came across an article featured in Business Week ‘The Problems With Obama’s Innovation Strategy’. This article is informative and enlightening by constructively pointing out the flaws within the innovation strategy. Jeneanne Rae stated “The current state of government contracting laws supports convention, not innovation. Currently, government awards tend to go to the typical “Beltway Bandit”-type firms that have little to no track record for innovation.” With all things considered it is very difficult to turn an old process standard and methodology into innovative strategy that will build an organization to endure the test of time. With that noted, I believe that this is a great foundation for the purpose of spearheading such efforts.
1. Forget Routine
It is not as easy for companies to shift focus from a conventional routine especially when formal job description is in full force. It is important to have an organization chart and flow-process, but it is vital that different departments work together to ensure that your work is unique and representative of the brand that you are marketing for your client.
This transparency allows other department individuals to solve the problem. Crispin Porter + Bogusky implemented a level of transparency when developing an advertising campaign for the Mini Cooper. Traditional wisdom dictated that Art Directors and Copywriters concept ideas for an advertising campaign. However, at CP+B they involved the Media department, and their role is to place the advertising within different types of media groups. By utilizing the Media Department, CP+B was able to develop a creative product placement strategy by providing the Mini Cooper with the exposure necessary to market it well.
Full transparency creates a dialogue between departments in any organization. This leads to a high performance team and healthy work environment. Forget the routine of a job description and allow departments to solve problems together.
2. Create A Innovation Department
Recently, more and more organizations have created a position known as a Chief Innovation Officer’ (CIO). The role of a CIO is to successfully implement an innovation strategy, establish a culture of creativity, and research/implement practices that best suit the organizations goals to move forward in the industry. This strategy has shifted the paradigm of the corporate approach, by empowering creative talent. If large organizations such as Proctor & Gamble, Target Corporation, and SC Johnson have realized such needs, it also further proves the importance of innovation in your organization. Companies that continuously innovate with the change of time are the ones that lead the industry and are naturally one step ahead of the game. Don’t you think it’s time that you start investing in innovation?
3. Implement Standards
As with any organization it is necessary to have a set of rules that follow compliance. You don’t want to have an organization that does not have policies and structure in place. Of course, if you are a traditional organization you will have the benefits of standardized methods and compliance but you will also need to revitalize it with innovative strategies.
Standardized methods and compliance have many unique advantages within an organization. Creativity and innovation extends to any magnitude and without rules, regulations, and other compliance methodologies your team has no parameters for implementation. Parameters best shape creative solutions as it allows the team to think strategically and constructively. For demonstration purposes, if we place five artists with the same blank canvas and paint and ask them to paint a sunset, they will all have varying looks. However, if we now ask the artists that the sunset must have one mountain with rocks, a water fall, birds, and trees we will have varying solutions within the same requirements. Requirements equalize the playing field and spawn original creative ideas.
4. Research Trends & Forecast
Companies do not make it big overnight. They research and conduct trend forecasting so that when the opportunity arises they are ready for the take. Have you noticed that many cosmetic companies have always managed to bring trends back from the past? I see it time and time again, and masses of women from around the globe still indulge in these noteworthy brands. MAC Cosmetics does a phenomenal job of taking a basic concept and turning it into a seasonal line for the year. Amazing. This is not just limited to cosmetics this can be for any industry. Your organization should have a team in place to conduct research and forecast so that you can take that opportunity and move forward. After all it is research that spawns great ideas.
5. Creativity Is A Necessity Not An Option
Why is it that organizations today are so focused on rules that they deem creativity an option? I am a firm believer in creativity – it helps to solve problems and even take an organization to a whole new level. Any techniques that will allow for management and subordinates to work together to come up with a leading product/solution should be in place. Whether it is brainstorming or even a whiteboard of ideas – anything can be used as long as everyone is allowed the opportunity to utilize their creativity. Remember, there is no such thing as a bad idea – it is the implementation and solution that can take that idea home.
We like to think of it as 40% Concept, 60% Execution. Great ideas often fail because of poor implementation.
