On top of simply browsing the web, watching your readership and how they act (are they commenting, sharing your posts on Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Stumbled Upon, etc.?), and searching for your company name in search engines, you may find it difficult to sift through all the noise online. To help reduce some of that noise, try using tools that target a specific area or social media tool. For example:

• TweetScan:. This tool allows you to search Twitter feeds (most recent are searched first) for a term, company name, person’s name, topic, etc. It also allows you to backup your Tweets if you feel the need to do so.
• BoardTracker: There are others like this online, though this seems to be the most widely used. This tool lets you search forums and discussion boards online for terms, your company name, etc. This is a great way to monitor what is being said about you by customers. You can receive results and updates to your email or by IM.

Moreover, you should be up-to-date and follow what’s being said about your industry and target audience. On top of monitoring other blogs you’ve come across and following people on Twitter there are some specific ways that that information can come to you directly. They include:

• Subscribing to RSS feeds of influential blogs. This can keep you up-to-date in your inbox and when any new updates are made. Most blogs should have an RSS feed available for you to subscribe to.
• Signing up for Google Alerts. Google has again made it easy for those reliant on the Internet to see what’s going on in relation to a specific topic. Signing up is easy, and you can sign up for as many terms, topics, or keywords as you find relevant. You can sign up here. What’s great about these alerts is that they are sent to your inbox each week with a list of relevant links in relation to the term or topic you’ve elected to receive alerts about. You can sift through these alerts to see what may be interesting to read more of.
• Adding Google Analytics to your blog or website. There is so much to learn from the analytics your blog or website can produce. The most important may be the ability to see what brings visitors to your blog. Ways to do that include looking at keyword searches that brought visitors, links from other sites, and direct traffic. This allows you to see your linking efforts and keyword optimization paying off. From there you can also see how long they stay, where they go, what page they enter your site on, and link popularity. This can greatly help you tailor your blog or website with calls to action. Sign up for a Gmail account and register for Google Analytics. It is a relatively simple process, adding the analytic code to your site or blog, and it takes a few times of using the tool to get used to the features available.

The main reason to stay up-to-date and to monitor what is being said: you can measure your efforts’ results. Have you been pushing a new product (be it a free book, a new product for sale, or a webinar), or been sending out mass amounts of news releases? You can monitor part of that reach by seeing where you are mentioned in contrast to where you were mentioned the weeks prior to your release.

This also gives you the opportunity to get involved when necessary. Potential crises can be avoided, if you act properly and in time. Seeing an upset customer who may be starting some negative WOM, you can intervene, see how you can remedy the problem, and potentially diffuse the situation. Avoid advertising your company while you are there, and really evaluate if you should get involved. (It takes some common sense and situational analysis to know if it’s time to get involved.)

If a customer is upset or perhaps misinformed, you may have a reason to engage yourself. Your customer will feel better knowing you’ve heard their complaints and addressed them (if you have), and you can feel better knowing that you may have decreased negative repercussions from negative WOM. If you leave these complaints unattended, you run the risk of losing not just one customer but many. Many companies forget to monitor this sort of WOM, and usually do not get very engrossed in seeing the actual benefits of Twitter, so set yourself apart and start monitoring this early on to see where you can make changes, address issues and topics being talked about online, and interact with customers.

What tools do you use to monitor your company’s WOM?

In order to be most effective and get the greatest reach, a target audience needs to be established. This sort of specification can be done through demographics, which is normally the case. Deciding on a target market/ audience can be tough, but through research (whether primary or secondary), you can usually figure out who is best to target. Some methods used in primary research can include surveys, focus groups, or product tests. Some secondary research can include using demographic research, surveys conducted by other companies, or product reviews online from consumer groups.

Once you have decided your target audience, it is important to learn how to speak to/with them. Are your target audience members on Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace? Pay attention to studies and learn where they connect with other people. As a company, connecting with your consumers ought to be a top priority.

According to Pew, 19% of Internet users use Twitter or “another service”, which was vague, but Pew states they wanted it to be left open so that anyone who updates a status somewhere can say “Yes, I use Twitter or another service to update my status or see the updates of others”. Below are some results from a Pew Internet and American Life Project study that shows where people are spending time online:

Furthermore, Pew indicates that “Young people flock to Twitter”. Below, see the users divided into age groups and the percentage that use Twitter:

(You can read the rest of the study here.) With that sort of information, you can know whether or not it would be beneficial to launch a PR campaign that utilizes Twitter, though I think in most cases, utilizing Twitter is beneficial. It shows a more personified image of your company, and can create a sense of belonging for consumers when they can connect and talk with you, a company they may have loyalty and love for.

If Twitter’s main users are your target market, do not abuse the potential there. Instead of barraging Twitter’s users with advertisements or product placements, use Twitter as a means of connecting with your consumers rather than a means of advertising. There is something to be said for companies that connect with people when they want to be connected with, instead of interrupting their daily lives with ads and product pushes. Be there as a way for consumers to ask questions. Bear in mind that when a consumer asks a question, they are often looking for an answer, so respond! Also, know that people may follow your twitter account to keep up with company news and updates.

You can also use Twitter or another social media tool as a means for holding a contest. (Just remember to keep your promises if you offer a prize.) You can also hold chats where you can have professionals from your team offer advice, hold a Q&A session, or answer product inquiries. Be there as a source of information, and try to make it valuable.