Tracking Online Buzz: Social Mention Tools to Help You Act Fast
What are Social Mention Tools?
There are lots of free and low-cost ways to monitor when your company is social mentions online. Here is just one account of how monitoring social mentions enabled a major corporation to address negative press before it caused any long-term damage to its reputation.
Listen Up! Tracking software and services can alert you to what customers are saying about your business on social networks, blogs, and other social media. These tracking techniques offer steps beyond Google Alerts to keep you informed.
A few weeks ago, a Twitter user tweeted that she was planning to try Zitune, a restaurant in Los Altos, Calif. David Auerbach, the restaurant’s co-owner got an e-mail alert from a Web-based service Trackle, calling his attention to the tweet. As he often does, he sent a response thanking her for visiting Zitune and asking how she’d liked it. Soon, they had a dialogue going. Then she asked if Zitune’s chef (and Auerbach’s brother-in-law) would like to be interviewed for her video blog.
As social networking sites grow in popularity it is becoming more and more crucial to monitor any online mentions of your brand. You can use these methods to take advantage of opportunities to connect with satisfied clients who can become advocates for your services and products (as in the above example). You can also connect with clients who are dissatisfied before negative publicity grows and damages the public’s perception of your brand. An excellent example of why this can be valuable is the massive amount of bad buzz and negative publicity caused by United Airlines’ handling of one angry customer’s request for the replacement of a broken guitar (story HERE).
Set up a Social Mention Monitoring System
The system isn’t as important as whether or not you monitor social mentions. The point is to set up a program that you can afford and manage. Responding to negative press as quickly as possible is key to saving your company’s reputation. HubSpot offers a list of affordable social mention tracking tools. News travels faster than ever with the Internet, but with the right tools, you can put an end to negativity and prove to existing and potential customers that you back your product or service, and your customers.