Social Media Monitoring: Free Tools to Manage Your Online Presence

We’ve posted on the importance of listening as well as some of the ways you can use social media for engaging with your customers, including Twitter, blogs, and Linkedin.  But it can be a real challenge to monitor what is being said about your business or industry online.  There are plenty of social media monitoring tools and services you can purchase, but these may be out of reach for many small to mid-sized businesses.  The good news is that there are several free and helpful tools you can use to begin to monitor and measure your online presence:

Google Alerts are easy and critical monitoring tools.  Set up alerts for keywords and topics you want to monitor, and Google will email you updates with the latest relevant Google results.

TweetBeep is a similar service to Google Alerts, but with a Twitter focus.  TweetBeep will send you updates of Twitter conversations on selected topics and keywords.

Social Mention is a real-time search engine that includes a wide range of social media sites.  In addition to search results, Social Mention also provides some basic metrics for reputation management, and you can set up email updates.

Keotag is a simple and awesome tool for searching tags across seventeen platforms, including the major search engines, Digg, Reddit, and more.

TweetLevel is a nifty and simple tool that measures your Twitter influence, popularity, engagement, and trust.

HowSociable provides a useful snapshot of your brand visibility.

Twitter Search is a basic tool for checking out real-time Twitter conversations. If you’re already using a Twitter client or application (highly recommended!) like TweetDeck, Seesmic, or HootSuite, make sure to set up searches that will automatically refresh and keep you updated on conversations.

Are there free tools that you would recommend?

Tammy Oler is a freelance wordslinger, strategist, and member of the Design Rangers Auxiliary in Brooklyn, NY.  Follow her on Twitter here.

I really enjoy writing the blog and doing the link round-up. Does it put food on the table? In most cases, no. So of course I do the work that pays first. My favorite quote, that I believe I made up, is “Life gets in the way of my life.”

Without further a due, the Weekly Ranger Round-up…

1. From our wordslinging friend Tammy Oler a fun Photoshop project. Who doesn’t love Space Invaders?
2. In the “What’s your favorite color?” blog post I talked about Pantone and a cool Pantone inspired peppermill. Well, I also came across this little card holder. Santa, please take note. Thanks.
3. We follow @swissmiss on Twitter. She posted a tweet a few weeks ago that a friend of hers, Jessica Hische, was posting a Daily Drop Cap. This is the kind of stuff that makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Even on a gray and cold Fall day. A free daily drop cap – what more could a designer ask for?
4. I read about these guys in GD USA. Two recent graduates of Texas A&M who are designing their way across the country. They are the Drifting Creatives. Ah, to be young and free…. and sleeping on futons and living off of ramen. Oh, that’s right. I remember now.
5. Six Revisions is one of Chris’ favorite go-to web/design sites. He came across this post in late September. Yes, we love the challenge of designing a great logo with a subtle symbol or message. And the viewer always remembers the day they saw it. If you have seen the arrow in the FedEx logo, you know what I’m talking about.
6. Lastly, another post from design*sponge and the We Can Do It! Biz Ladies. A great article on time & calendar management. Who couldn’t use a little help in that arena?
7. BONUS! And this truly valuable information just posted by the biz ladies today. The nuts and bolts of getting your biz online. You Can Do It!

Enjoy and Happy Trails! See you… sometime. Soon.

So, better late than never, here are the fun, cool, smart, great things we saw or did over the past 2 weeks:

1. We were honored and excited to be asked to design a bookmark for the “No Impact Man” book. Colin Beavan, the author, will hand out the book mark at his books signings. After we designed the bookmark they also asked us to create a on-line ad from the bookmark design – we were happy to do it. The book is quite amazing and the blog also has a lot of information.
2. After working with the “No Impact Man” we decided to follow him on Twitter. One of his recent tweets was regarding the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. As you know (or are just now learning we are big advocates of bikes, bike trails, and SAFE routes for kids to walk or ride their bike to school.) Remember when you were a kid – there was nothing better than the freedom you felt while riding your bike. Consider sending a letter to Congress asking for their support of the Safe Routes campaign.
3. Have you been to Mule Design’s Feed Store? If you love a good T-shirt there are plenty here!
4. We are recent members of the National Parks Conservation Association. Their mission is to protect and enhance America’s National Parks for present and future generations. We love our National Parks and wanted to be a part of assuring their future.
5. Finally, something to make you smile. What a great project!

Please check back for a blog dedicated to the No Impact Man and the work we did for him. We also have quite a few exciting projects in the final stages of completion. We are looking forward to posting them as soon as they are approved and ready for the public eye.

Happy Trails!

Seven Super Tips for Tweetslingers

In my previous posts, I’ve blogged about why Twitter is important for businesses and what individuals can gain from the service, so today I’d like to focus on how you can make the most of your tweets. First impressions count in the real world, and they’re even more important in the Twitterverse. Whether you are tweeting for an organization or just for yourself, you want to make your 140 characters count!

Here are seven super tips for tweetslingers*:

Ignore the Twitter prompt. The answer to the question “What are you doing?” is just generally not that interesting.  If you’re going to tweet about something you’re doing, make sure that it’s relevant, engaging, and worth the attention of your followers.

Be authentic. This is especially important if you are tweeting on behalf of a business or organization.  Don’t be a billboard or a press release!  Give your tweets a real human voice.

Retweet regularly. Share (and credit!) relevant and interesting blog posts, articles and links that you or your followers will find interesting.  It’s not only good Twitter karma, but it’s also a way to build credibility and your reputation in areas of interest.  (Note: If you aren’t quoting someone directly, you can also use “via @username” to share his/her link while still distinguishing your words.  This also results in Twitter goodness!)

Use humor abundantly. Use snark sparingly.  Know the difference!  Feel free to be funny and thoughtfully critical, but too much negativity can turn off followers.

Use #hashtags to make your tweets more searchable. Words that follow the # symbol in tweets are called hashtags.  This is an informal way of assigning a keyword to a tweet so that others can easily find it.  Hashtags are a method of connecting tweets about the same subject, making it easier for users to find tweets on the same topic. Hashtags are often used by event conference organizers as a way of streaming all tweets about the event.

Revise your tweets. Take a moment before you hit ‘Update’ to check your spelling and read for clarity.  It’s always a good idea to see if you can make your tweet shorter, too.  Shorter than 140 characters?  You bet!  If you want your tweets to be retweetable, you’ll make sure to give your followers some unused characters.

Converse. Social media is just that: social!  Respond to tweets, join in conversations, and encourage your followers to talk to you!

Happy tweeting!

(*Bonus: awesome alliteration!)

Twitter for the People!

My last post on Twitter focused on how organizations can use micro-blogging to develop customer relationships and build communities, but what about individuals?  What can people possibly get out of a social network limited to 140 characters? And why bother with it if you’ve already got a Facebook account?

The distinction between Twitter and Facebook is a useful one. On Facebook, your objective is to find your friends and share with them.  On Twitter, you find people to “follow” and you cultivate “followers.” Facebook is primarily a social tool that focuses on reaching out to people you already know.  Twitter, on the other hand, is a tool for finding and communicating with people well beyond your circle of friends.  Because of that, Twitter is a very powerful tool for social networking, talking with people who share your professional or personal interests, and getting real-time news and resources.

But a lot of folks never make it past their first experience with the Twitter. Tweeting feels pointless or narcissistic — or both!  Most people don’t know what to expect, what they can accomplish, or how they can use the tool.

So until there’s a new Dale Carnegie training course on how to use Twitter to win friends and influence people, I’ve decided to share three ways you can use and enjoy Twitter.  It DOES require time and energy, but it can totally be worth it.

You can:

Connect with people in your field and find people who share your interests.  Twitter is a dynamite way to find and follow people who share your professional or personal interests.  Do a Twitter search to find people who tweet about your interests, or check out who other people are following.

Share knowledge. Twitter is great way to find tips and links to resources.  You can ask your followers questions and get feedback and advice – right away.  Post your own tips and links to articles, blogs and resources. This is an excellent way to position yourself as a specialist or a leader in your field, and essential for freelancers and consultants. Make sure to retweet valuable information and posts from other people!  I also like to use Twitter to curate the Internet for me: I follow smart people in different fields to take advantage of their expertise and read their links.

Get real-time news. Twitter has become the first choice for many people looking for breaking news online.  It’s also fueling citizen journalism.  If you’re looking for eyewitness accounts of anything, check Twitter first.

Promote yourself. If you’ve got something to market, you can do it on Twitter.   Just don’t go overboard!  Too much self-promotion, and your followers will disappear pretty quickly.  And make sure to balance your self-promotion with interesting and valuable tweets to keep and build followers.

Talk to people! Yes, have fun!  This IS social networking, after all.

Above all else, think about what you’d like to get out of Twitter when you start using it.  It’s not intuitive, and it’s not necessarily easy.  But if you’re looking for another way to increase your network, expand your knowledge, and share good stuff with the universe, Twitter is a great tool.

Tammy Oler is a freelance wordslinger, consultant and member of the Design Rangers Auxiliary in Brooklyn, NY.  Follow her on Twitter here.

Twitter for Business: Using 140 Characters and a Good Strategy to Build Your Community

As media buzz builds about Twitter, more and more businesses and organizations are starting to realize that the micro-blogging site is not just a teen textfest or an outlet for discussing your breakfast cereal of choice.  In fact, Twitter has evolved into a thriving professional network, a real-time news feed, and an effective way to share information and resources online.   So what can your organization do with 140 characters?  A lot.  

Here are four powerful Twitter activities that are essential to any good social media strategy:

Listen. Twitter is a powerful tool for finding out what people know and think about an organization, a product, an issue, news, or an event.  Use Twitter to find and solicit feedback and opinions.  But be prepared to receive honest feedback, which means that it may be less-than-positive.  It may not be what you want to hear, but it might be what you need to hear. Twitter’s search engine isn’t bad, but there are lots of robust search tools out there.  Check out Twitter Search, Tweetbeep, Twazzup, Tweefind, and TweetDeck.

Reach Out and Connect. Twitter is a great way to post news, events and promotions, but don’t stop there.  Post links to related information, and retweet news and resources that will be valuable to your followers.  This is especially powerful for non-profit organizations, but it’s useful for businesses, too.  And don’t just promote yourself!  Give your followers useful resources, inform them, and entertain them — you’ll build credibility and loyalty.

Promote and Join Conversations. Talk to your followers, respond to questions, and join conversations that you discover through searches.  Remember: Twitter isn’t just a communications or marketing tool.  It should also be part of your customer service strategy!

Give Your Organization a Personality. Your customers don’t want to interact with a brand identity or a public relations message. The best way to create trust and relationships is to be honest, ethical, transparent and friendly.  In other words: be human. Check out this great Mashable post (with examples!): 7 Secrets to Tweeting Your Corporate Culture.  My favorites: reveal industry insights, profile customer successes, and be responsive.

If your organization isn’t on Twitter, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities to connect.  And if you’re already using it, make sure that you’ve got a strategy to get the most out of it.  When it comes to building your business or cultivating a community, every 140 characters count!

Tammy Oler is a freelance wordslinger, consultant and member of the Design Rangers Auxiliary in Brooklyn, NY.  Follow her on Twitter here.