Keyword Phrase Refinement in SM2: Some Basics
SM2 is a complex piece of software that accesses a large database of social media results. The key to accessing its power lies in the way you set up your keyword phrases. This is why every user of SM2, including the Freemium users, gets offered a live demo after you sign up. No folks, it’s not strictly a sales call! We understand that helping our users become power users is not only good business, it helps you take full advantage of SM2’s extensive analytics capabilities.
When setting up your initial keywords you open a new Profile, name it after a client, brand or campaign and then you are offered a keyword set-up wizard that walks you through the process of choosing your keyword phrases. You can skip the wizard and simply add them yourself which can be quicker for basic searches. Here are some tips to help you get the most relevant results with SM2:
- Avoid overly broad terms like ‘Google’. You’re going to fill up your account with irrelevant results. Instead use the AND modifier to refine your search like this: “Google” AND “search wiki” (use the quotes, spaces and caps like that). This will only bring back results that include both of those terms.
- If you are using simple keyword phrases and the AND operator, use the Basic search option. Advanced search gives the ability to use operators like NEAR, OR and combinations like: “Google” AND (”search wiki” OR “knol”).
- If you put keyword phrases on their own lines rather than using OR, each becomes a category you can use to sort results in the Reports area in SM2. This is useful for comparing trends, separating out results for a single keyword phrase, etc.
- Keyword phrases are not case sensitive
- Keywords entered in another language will bring back results in that language, however the application remains in English only at this point. Sentiment Analysis in English-only, however we are adding German and will be adding other language dictionaries in the near future.
We monitor the keywords our users are searching. So you may get an email from us suggesting changes that will bring back better results. We also provide assistance in setting up your keywords as part of the testing process for those evaluating our Professional Accounts. Just send us a note at support at…