ImpactWatch Blog

Chuck Hemann of Dix & Eaton has a fantastic guest post on Social Media Explorer that outlines the critical information that companies should be looking for when monitoring social media. Hemann uses his 5 point overview to help explain to PR clients how “listening” on social media should inform their social media engagement strategy – and why listening is worth the investment.

I think this is a great guideline for people to use while monitoring social media, to help them pick out and organize relevant information – a task that can seem daunting, especially for beginners.

* Who – The first W is “who is talking about you or your products.” Hemann identifies social media influencers and tracks the effect they are having on their readership. He also warns not to dismiss the opinions of average consumers. Very timely advice given that social media platforms have proved themselves as powerful mediums for the viral spread of information and opinions.

* What – The next target to track is “what are your stakeholders saying about you?” Hemann advises monitoring the type of mention and its context in order to decide how to engage the writer. He also cites the importance of determining the sentiment or bias of company mentions, and of tracking your competitors in social media. By watching competitor mentions and responses, you can learn from their successes and missteps in the medium.

* Where – This point refers to the type of source where conversations about you are happening. Whether the mention is on a blog, forum, or Twitter will inform the strategy of your response. Hemann also cautions companies to take care in trying to create or direct the conversation by creating their own blog or forum, and to make sure they have the resources to ensure their efforts are successful.

* When – Another important metric to track is the timing of company mentions. Are mentions driven by season or special events? Companies need to ensure they have the resources ready to listen and engage during busy times and be ready to stimulate conversation during lulls.

* Why – Hemann points out that the “why” of social media often cannot be answered through listening alone. He recommends primary research to determine what motivates stakeholders to talk about your company and products. If this isn’t possible, using the other “W”s can provide partial information.

Hemann goes on to emphasize that information gleaned by social media listening is valuable only for its application in a comprehensive strategy. Listening must also be an ongoing process, not a step taken before engagement then abandoned. It’s important to monitor changes to the five Ws and to modify your social media strategy accordingly.

Read Chuck’s entire post here.

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Tags: chuck hemann, influencers, sentiment, social media engagement, social media listening, social media strategy

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 at 11:52 am and is filed under Media Monitoring, Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.