Monitoring & Analyzing Social Media

Techrigy Acquires Andiamo Systems

Techrigy, Inc. announces the acquisition of Andiamo Systems, Inc., effective immediately. Together these two companies will represent an industry-leading solution in helping agencies and companies analyze, interpret and act on the vast amount of user-generated-media (UGM) occurring around brands today.

The combined company will operate under the Techrigy SM2 brand and be headquartered in Rochester, N.Y. under the leadership of Techrigy’s chairman and chief executive, Aaron Newman. Employees from each company are being retained and Techrigy is now able to offer a west coast presence in San Francisco, Andiamo’s headquarters.

Current Andiamo clients have been transitioned to the Techrigy SM platform. SM2 provides access to advanced reporting including emotion and tonality analysis, as well as demographic and geographic insights.

"This acquisition will be a classic example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts," says Aaron Newman, CEO, Techrigy. "We’ll be able to provide customers with increased services and improve our ability to expand into new markets. The management and employees of both companies are proud to be contributing to the progression of the industry."

“With Techrigy’s advanced and fully automated platform and insight tools, and Andiamo’s market penetration and account management we’ll be positioned to offer the most compelling social media analysis solution available.” says John Hingley, CEO of Andiamo Systems. “We are very excited to join the Techrigy team.”

About Techrigy, Inc.

Founded in 2006 by Aaron Newman and Jay Mari, Techrigy ’s SM2 is the premier social media monitoring and analysis tool for public relations and marketing professionals. Designed to provide visibility into social media for anyone managing brands and reputations online, SM2 combines a massive database of online conversations with state of the art search and analysis tools.

For more information contact:

Connie Bensen

Chief Community Officer, Techrigy

Connie@Techrigy.com

Related links:

Website and Freemium Sign Up: http://techrigy.com

What Differentiates Techrigy SM2 from competitors: http://tinyurl.com/cwl4pn

Video Demos of SM2: http://techrigy.com/sm2_demo.php

References on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Techrigy/favorites

Logo: http://tinyurl.com/qrdkdy

Chris Abraham brings Techrigy SM2 to life on YouTube

There are definitely some challenges to showing off a powerful tool like SM2. When we do so, we try to:

• put it in your context
• talk about how to personalize it to your needs
• share ideas that will help grow your business

Chris Abraham has put a video on YouTube where he takes us on a tour of SM2. It’s great hearing his take on using the tool. He emphasizes how easy it is to use. And I totally enjoy his sense of humor!

Chris makes some great points about not being shy in digging around through the information. I love how he shares his exploration and encourages you to do so too. We welcome you to do similarly with the Freemium version of SM2.

We’d love to see your videos of how you use our tool!

Are all Social Media Monitoring Tools created equal

I see some great questions on Twitter. Rob’s question is something that many wonder about because there are so many options.

There are a staggering 100 plus social media monitoring platforms out there. That means that your research could be a daunting task. Nathan Gilliatt has a list, but more have launched since then. Do you have specific reasons for monitoring social media? That answer will narrow down the options a lot.

I recommend that you consider these five things:

1. Purpose & Features
2. Sources & Depth of Information
3. Interface & Workflow
4. Analytical Options
5. Price point

1. The tools range greatly in purpose and features. Here’s a quick list that’s nowhere near comprehensive:

• do it yourself tool versus a service
• focus on a specific area such as public relations, marketing or advertising
• a reseller or collaboration with an existing tool
• some have automatic sentiment & tone & some don’t

2. The tools also vary greatly in the types of sources being collected from and amount of information gathered in regard to each ‘conversation’.

• mainstream media
• social media – blogs, social networks, wikis, video, photosharing, etc
• amount of information gathered related to each piece of conversation
• is historical data available & how far back

3. The interface is important because you’ll be using the tool on a regular basis.

• setting up searches – how flexible is it
• viewing & using the data – are you able to drill for what you need at a granular level
• is there a workflow that allows for multiple people to access and act on the search results

4. Ultimately the strength of the ability to measure & analyze the conversations is the most important piece. Listening & engagement is one thing, but metrics are becoming more important. It’s all about the bottom line & how it’s moving the needle.

5. There is a huge range in price across these tools ranging from free to thousands of dollars a month. A budget will help you focus on the ones that are in your range.

I should maybe add customer service to the list. These are web 2.0 companies so you maybe would assume that they are all listening & participating, but that’s not necessarily the case. But I’ll leave that one for you to test yourself.

What other aspects are important? If you’ve recently chosen a social media monitoring platform what factors affected your decision?

Eyes on the Future May 2nd

We invite you to check out Eyes on the Future this Saturday, May 2nd, from 10-11am on Rochester radio station 1180AM WHAM.

We will be covering “How Businesses Are Using Social Media”. Our own Aaron Newman, President and Founder of Techrigy, will be on a discussion panel with Neil Hair, Assistant Professor of Marketing at RIT and Susan Barnes, Professor of Communications at RIT.

You can call in to ask questions at 1-800-295-1180. We are hoping to hear from you!

Also, a must-attend event in Rochester is going on the same day – Imagine RIT. Running from 10am-5pm on Saturday, go check it out. Here’s a link for more details: http://www.rit.edu/imagine/.

Interview with Dave Evans. Part 2, ROI of Social Media Monitoring

Dave Evans joined me to discuss his book, Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day

The first part of the interview covers his book in a more general sense.

In this second interview Dave shares his insights on:

• measurement & metrics for the social web
• calculating the ROI
• social media monitoring
• engaging with influencers
• connecting the sales funnel to commerce pipeline
• importance of benchmarking
• reasons to monitor conversations online

Dave shares his marketing experience with NASA to provide examples of the above.

We also talked about the philosophical question of whether an agency should own the use of the social media monitoring tool or if the company should be directly engaged (with guidance from a specialized consultant). Dave talks about control versus empowering the brand. It was quite an interesting discussion. I’m curious to hear what you think?

More info on Dave’s book can be found online at ReadThis.com

Listen to the interview here  MP3

Twitter Spammers Are Getting Traction

The current economy is a chaotic test of bravery and creativity.  At a time when many businesses around the world are hurting and adjusting to the economic realities in an effort to stay alive, the quest to “monetize conversations” within social media has given way to a rise in use of questionable tactics.  We all need to create value and tangible results, how one gets there is the key differentiating factor. 

Since comScore is stating that Twitter traffic hit 10 million visitors as of February of 2009, the stakes are high and climbing. At this pace it’s completely feasible that Twitter will triple to 30 million visitors or more by the end of the year. Given the economic reality and desperate need to drive revenue, I believe more Twitter users will resort to various spamming techniques. The formula for them is simple, get as many followers as possible by any means possible, automated or otherwise and then solely based on volume of followers broadcast or “spam” them into oblivion directing them to a lame product site. Repeat process. Largest challenge? Inventing new Twitter account names.

Despite the best efforts of Evan Williams, Biz Stone and the entire Fail Whale…er Twitter crew, spammers are still prevailing which clearly takes away from the value of influence by watering down the experience.

For example, while writing this post and observing the search term “new to Twitter,” a particular tweet showed up 26 times in just over 30 minutes with 14 of those accounts being most likely fake ones similar to the examples below.

As stated, initially the vast majority of these ReTweets were from starter accounts with no picture, low numbers and only one tweet (shown above) to show for the account. The safe assumption is that Callen is the spammer behind this activity.The scary part however, I observed Callen getting traction.The rate at which this tweet was showing up was increasing over the remainder of the hour, fueled by fake accounts, while more and more real Twitterati started picking up on the ReTweet action.What did Callen’s account say during this attack? “Welcome new Tweeters!”

I hesitated before exposing this tactic for fear of spawning new spammers but there it is. If you believe in generating real social capital, having a strong reputation then please be a decent human being and don’t spam people with a ton of fake or ghost Twitter accounts.The unfortunate part is, I know this plea will fall on more than a few deaf ears.  So I call on all Twitter users who read this to expose these fraudulent activities at the very least by using the hashtag #spammer.

“If only fail-whales could be controlled to solely affect spammers while leaving the rest of us alone…if only.”

Why Banks Need Social Media Monitoring

Really anyone with an online presence needs to be monitoring the social media channels. And banks have marketing departments that are promoting their online offerings, so it only stands to reason…

This article, Bank Regulators Should Encourage the Use of Social Media as a Risk Management Tool outlines how the banking environment needs to participate in social networks online.

Jesse Torres’ quote underlines why financial institutions should be listening to the conversations online of their customers:

“Today, disgruntled consumers take their case to the Internet through social media tools in an effort to gain support. Causes that are successful can severely damage a bank’s reputation, affecting the company’s bottom line.”

Take that a step further and listen to the conversations of their competitors to get a step ahead!

Jesse Torres also has a free ebook which is very good. He recommends integrating the social media efforts with existing marketing strategies. And, he highlights the importance of having a community manager for interacting directly with the online community. His ebook is a good read no matter your business niche.

The Community Banker’s Guide to Social Network Marketing is available as a free download at http://www.tinyurl.com/cbgsnm.

Who Should Be Your Online Voice?

Congratulations. Your company has finally decided to make the official
online plunge.

A blog, twitter and maybe even Facebook. Whatever you decide, be sure you
have chosen the appropriate “host” for your online “gathering.” This is a
cocktail party for your brand - that never ends. Your online voice is
always on, always entertaining and always looking for more guests.

Call them what you wish: Interaction Evangelist; Knowledgarian Czar; Content
Chief; Information Marshall - they need to posses key traits to ensure
success.

Your online voice needs to be a Subject Matter Expert (SME), someone you’re
confident will maintain respectable behavior and maintain a clear 30,000
foot view of the business development role.

Subject Matter Expert

An SME will be well versed on your industry; engaging discussions about the
current activities, issues and hot points. They will clearly understand the
history of your market segment and have a unique perspective on the future
direction as well. Knowledge of your competition is a must.

This person should have a solid understanding of the key online properties
that relate to the business. Do they participate in related blogs,
discussion groups/forums and industry related niche sites?

Online Behavior

This person needs to be an “A” level player with regards to online behavior
and actions. Ask yourself, would you be comfortable with this person talking
to members of the community? Can they be a consistent representative for
your business?

You host should be somewhat connected to the other “movers & shakers” within
your market as well. If not, are they positioned well to become an
influencer with their experiences, knowledge and network?

The last thing you want is someone who is argumentative and combative; the
ultimate “know-it-all” is a huge turn-off. Have you met that person at a
social event? Not someone you want to spend much time with, is it?

30,000 Foot View

My interpretation of being able to see the big picture is always identifying
additional creative opportunities for the company. Measuring ROI and other
metrics is often an after-thought; every conscious effort should be
monitored, tracked and rebalanced at least every 90 days to ensure the
efforts are not an exercise in futility.

They should be knowledgeable on the Search Engine Optimization strategies
which benefit your company. Their inter-department communication skills
skills should be head and shoulders above nearly everyone within the
company. Not only should they be familiar with daily activities and
strategies, they need to communicate their initiatives back to the company
to avoid any surprises.

Are they monitoring tiny URL’s, site analytics and using social media
monitoring tools? Have you outlined specific metrics such as improved
traffic, increased conversions and improved revenue from specific online
channels? These are must-have tools for your online manager’s toolbox.

Making the decision to utilize multiple online marketing channels is a big
decision. Finding the right person to drive that bus is just as important.

Have you made the right choice?

Upcoming Webinars

Techrigy SM2 is a versatile & powerful tool. It has a multitude of ways to analyze online conversations. It also offers a full range of reporting options from high level reports down to fully actionable results.

We are holding webinars on a regular basis to help you harness that power. You will also learn how to apply it to your digital marketing & brand building efforts.

Using Techrigy for Social Media Marketing 

Tuesday, April 7th
Time: 1pm - 2pm EST | 10am - 11am PST

• Set up search terms to get the content that is relevant for you
• Learn how to slice and dice the search results for analysis
• Use charts and export your results for presentations and reports
• Register here 

Social Media Monitoring for PR, Best Practices

Thursday, April 9th
Time: 1pm - 2pm EST | 10am - 11am PST

We’d like to share what we’ve learned so far in working with our PR clients from all over the World.

Key Learnings & Best Practices:

• What to think about when choosing a monitoring partner
• How to set up a monitoring program
• Applications for listening to and engaging in social media

Answer these questions for your clients:

• Did we get a lift in social media buzz?
• Who are the most important & influential bloggers to my brand?
• What are people saying, and where are they saying it?
• What is the general sentiment, and how has it changed over time?
• Register here

What topics would you like to have covered in future webinars?

5 Greatest April Fools Moments in Social Media

Anyone involved even tangentially in social media has come across the term linkbait - the creation of articles whose sole purpose is to generate traffic, links, and eventually lead to a rise in Google SERPS.  I find that linkbait reaches a point of saturation when themed around specific events - April Fool’s Day is one such event.

At the risk of overwhelming readers with endless links of poorly planned April Fool’s Day jokes and gags, let’s turn out attention to the 5 best April Fool’s Da of the day:

5 - Buying and being like Twitter.

Identi.ca buys Twitter.  Many of you may not remember Identi.ca - the open source solution to Twitter - when it first came on the scene.  Basically, Identi.ca gained a microblogging market share when Twitter had performance and scalability issues, though it has all but lost its momentum after Twitter stabilized some.  The Guardian claiming that news can be told in 140 characters barely missed being formally included in this list.

4 - Nine Inch Nails Strobelight.

NIN has previously made press featuring The Slip as a free download if you put in your email.  This time around, if you try putting in your email to get Strobelight, you get the Windows blue screen of death.

3 - Weird Digg Popups.

Digg had a disappointing showing last year, showing different symbols when trying to Digg a story, which ended up resulting in performance issues.  They were smarter this year with Internet memes popping up after following a Digg.  I would have ranked this higher had the popups not shown up after every Digg.

2 - The return of Zaibatsu?

Even though this turned out to be false, it was kind of cool to think that Zaibatsu was back on Digg, even for a moment.  Maybe he’d be quiet on Twitter then. (Chill Reg, we all love ya)

1 - Reddit pwns basically every social media site ever.

As we can see, Reddit has really outdone itself this year.  Reddit is a top tier social news / crowdsourced content site, but today it really took the cake and flexed its creative muscle.

The homepage was skinned to look like Digg, the Science subreddit like Slashdot, Worldnews like whitehouse.gov, etc. You get the idea;  pure awesomeness.