If you are in a position to review and compare several social media listening tools, be critical. Ask tough questions on data quality and probe into black-box algorithms. Here is a short list of questions to direct to social media research partners:
1- How do you collect your data? How do you address spam issues?
2-Do you own your data or do you provide a sub-set of sites from a third-party?
3-What kind of support do you provide, if my team is not trained in research or analytics?
4-What solutions do you offer beyond baseline KPIs (volume, sentiment, etc.)?
5-How do you define influencers? Do you have a recommended approach?
You would never commission a survey without knowing where the sample is coming from or how the questions are phrased. Social research should also be held to high standards. Be ruthless about getting quality data and methodologically sound solutions. Quick and dirty is not good enough in a world where social insights drive business decisions.
1 comment:
Thanks Idil. Is NM Incite thinking about the space in terms of tools and not platforms? Interesting.
I think one way to enhance this list would be to consider the user interface and user experience. What's the ease of use like and how long does it take to extract insights?
Really, there are three different dimensions to consider: features, the quality of the content, and the accuracy of measurement.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about these issues during and after my time at NMI, so I'd like to share my thoughts on the subject:
I originally addressed feature criteria on Quora last year and updated it early this year: http://measurematt.tumblr.com/post/16918118202/matt-piersons-answer-to-what-are-the-tangible-difference
Content and Accuracy: This series focused on Radian6, but the criteria apply to any offering: http://measurematt.tumblr.com/post/17432329170/why-radian6-is-wrong-for-you-part-i
http://measurematt.tumblr.com/post/17432340159/why-radian6-is-wrong-for-you-part-ii
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