{"id":117072,"date":"2012-05-03T20:55:00","date_gmt":"2012-05-04T01:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/5-free-social-media-monitoring-tools-you-should-be-using-in-2012\/"},"modified":"2024-12-19T16:39:49","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T21:39:49","slug":"5-free-social-media-monitoring-tools-you-should-be-using-in-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-ca\/insights\/blog\/strategy\/5-free-social-media-monitoring-tools-you-should-be-using-in-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Free Social Media Monitoring Tools You Should Be Using in 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am going to start by assuming that social media <\/a>is already a key part of your marketing strategy (if\u00a0it’s not, please watch the video below, and take a giant leap into the present).<\/p>\n

Now, for those of you who are active in social media, I’m sure many of you will attest, implementing social media marketing<\/a> ‘effectively’ is a rather time consuming process. And when time\u2019s a commodity that many small (and large) businesses lack, it helps to have tools to streamline this process. Beyond just creating a Facebook page or Twitter account you need to have the time to monitor what people are saying about your business so you can start a conversation.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always loved the saying \u201cIf you’re not talking about you, than someone else is\u201d, which couldn’t be closer to the truth when it comes to\u00a0being present online.\u00a0\u00a0The bottom line is if you can\u2019t see what people are saying (the good, the bad and the ugly)\u00a0and where they\u2019re saying it, how are you supposed to engage in the conversation\u00a0that is key to building an online community?<\/p>\n

So to make your life easier, I\u2019ve highlighted five tools to help you connect with the right people online, track the conversations that matter most to your brand\u00a0and\u00a0that will hopefully\u00a0decrease the amount of time you spend online monitoring your social platforms.<\/p>\n

1. Google alerts<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, it seems simple enough, but you\u2019d be surprised by how many people are not using this FREE and useful tool. If you are in charge of your company’s marketing\/communications function, than signing up to receive Google alerts should come as a no brainer.<\/p>\n

Not only are Google alerts one of the easiest things to use, but, if set up properly with queries and keywords, can deliver some pretty impressive results. All you have to do is sit back and wait for the email updates to start rolling into your inbox.<\/p>\n

TIP<\/strong>: Start with keywords that include your company name, products, and your URL.<\/p>\n

2. Search.twitter.com<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The best way to start by finding the ‘right’ people to connect with your brand is by conducting a search. I often find this tool very helpful. Here you can search for keywords or phrases and view those mentions (from up to two weeks ago) as they occur on Twitter. This is the first step you should take to help build a targeted list of influencers.<\/p>\n

TIP<\/strong>: Start to follow the key influencers that could impact your brand\u00a0and start a conversation, retweet their articles\/posts and look for ways to provide answers to any questions they may have.<\/p>\n

3. Hoosaid.com <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to above, Hoosaid acts as the Google search engine for social media sites. The service provides an easy, fast and effective way to find and target the key people who influence your industry online.<\/p>\n

Consider this example: you are looking for people who are influential in “search engine optimization”<\/a>\n

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