So it’s been a great week! We’ve gone through the ins and outs of social media monitoring and by now you should be fully equipped to:
- Start setting up your social media listening posts
- Know the type of social media monitoring team your brand requires (if any)
- Begin monitoring the social discussions around your brand!
I thought we would end the week with some extra tips and tricks to help you become, not just an average social media monitor, but a super one! Social media monitoring is a big step in your social media crisis plan, and the more you’re able to narrow in on your searches and listening skills, the better off you will be. So here you go, the five secrets to becoming a super social media monitor:
1- Leverage the power of ‘OR’
The OR command allows you to target different subjects (brands, products, names, etc) within the same results feed, minimizing the amount of actual searches you have to make and sort through.
Example of use: Epson OR Canon OR hp
2- Get specific with quotations
To monitor an exact phrase or term consisting of multiple words, quotations are your best friend. Wrapping the phrase within quotations allows you to monitor that exact term, in that order, instead of receiving results containing all or few of the targeted words separately.
Example of use: “Melissa Agnes”
3- Narrow in with the ‘AND’ command
When you want to get really targeted and specific within your searches, using the AND command allows you to search for a given keyword when it is used in conjunction with another specific keyword.
Example of use: apple AND “Steve Jobs”
4- Search for mentions from or to a specific Twitter user *
You may want to track tweets that come directly from, or go directly to a specific account within twitter. In order to do this, simply use the ‘from’ and ‘to’ commands.
Example of use: from:melissa_agnes / to:melissa_agnes
You can also use the OR command in conjunction with these two commands, in order to monitor both the incoming and outgoing tweets of a specific user.
Example of use: from:melissa_agnes OR to:melissa_agnes
5- The awesomeness of hashtags *
Hashtags are a great and fun way to not just monitor, but interact and engage with not just your followers but the rest of the twitter-sphere as a whole. Hashtags are great for:
- Tracking specific keywords and campaigns
- Following threads
- Holding down a conversation with many participants
- Connecting with tweeters
Example of use: #SocialMediaMonitoring
* Twitter specific commands
And there you have it! 5 secrets to becoming a super social media monitor!
I’ve had such a great week with you talking nothing but social media monitoring, which, as you now know, is such a crucial part of both your social media crisis plan and your social media marketing strategy.
So now that you’re all ready to go, what are you waiting for? Start monitoring!
How have you enjoyed this week’s blog theme? Do you feel more confident in your social media monitoring skills? Are there any areas that you have trouble with or obstacles that you’ve overcome that could help others like you? Let me know in the comments section below!
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted keynote speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa and her work here.
Hi Melissa , I've really been enjoying your posts on social media this week. I know I've commented on the one and I wanted to say thanks because your content really makes me think, more importantly is also make me take action. I've started a few great hast tag searches.
The one thing I took from your article is how I'm not even using Twitter to its full potential so today I started a list where I'm going to add all my blog engage friends and I'm hoping they subscribe back so I can better help my online friends and members market their blogs.
Hi Brian,
You've made my day! Thanks for this great compliment and this great comment! I'm so glad I was able to provide you with value and help you expand your knowledge of the awesome Twitter functions, as well as your oh-so-important social media monitoring skills!
I'm so glad to hear that you've taken action and I will be sure to check out your new BlogEngage list!
Have a terrific weekend Brian!
Cheers,
Melissa
Five great tips and I especially like the mention of hashtags. It is amazing how powerful these hashtags have become as I am seeing them all over TV now. Look for tons of them to go up during NCAA tournament games at the end of this week.
It is interesting how Google Plus is now implementing these hashtags as well. They are definitely something that is here to stay!
Hi Oliver,
Hashtags are definitely a huge trend! I'll have to look for them when I watch t.v, which isn't often so maybe that's why I never noticed – but thanks for letting me know about it, I'll be curious to look out for them now 😉
Glad you stopped by! Thanks for the comment and teaching me something new 🙂
Melissa,
This is my first visit to your blog. Honestly, I didn't know there was a name for "Social Media Monitoring". This is very interesting. On my last job with the State of Oregon, there was much concern over how the social media venues were to be monitored. I love the tips and tools in your blog – plan on trying some out right now :> I appreciate the opportunity to comment.
Warmly,
Susan Daniels
Hi Susan,
I'm so glad you've found your way over, welcome! There are so many opportunities and advantages that come along with a good social media monitoring strategy. If you dig around my blog you'll find tons of them and if you ever have any questions just send me an email and I'll be happy to help you get started!
Be sure to check my categories. I keep my posts pretty organized so that my fabulous readers can find quick and direct answers to what they're looking for!
Let me know how the monitoring works out for you.
Thanks for the great comment and introducing yourself, I'm glad you're here! 🙂