This document discusses evaluating social media tools and provides guidance on selecting the right tools. It begins by defining a social media tool as anything that makes your job easier. It then lists common reasons for using social tools like brand monitoring, engagement, and productivity. The document outlines trends in tool consolidation, their use across business units, and multipurpose functionality. Popular tool categories of social monitoring, content publishing, measurement, and influencer identification are described. Key questions to consider and typical budget ranges are provided. Finally, several free social media tools are highlighted.

1. Evaluating Social Media
Tools that Work for You
By TONY OBREGON
#socialintel2014
Twitter: @tonyobregon

2. A social media tool is whatever
makes your job easier.
An
App
Software as
a Service
Website
Online
Subscription
Social Network

3. Many Reasons for Using Social Tools
• Monitor online perceptions and enhance brand reputation online
• Engage key audiences such as customers, prospects, media, employees
• Support business units including sales, customer service, marketing
• Increase productivity (especially if you have a small team – do more
with less)
• Measure and analyze online campaigns and program activities
• Inform future strategies and set goals for your organization

4. Luckily, there is no shortage of social media tools.

5. Twitter 3rd Party Tools
Contributed to the Explosion
• Over 1 million Twitter apps in 2011
• Created by close to 750,000 developers
• A new app registered every 1.5 seconds
• Many of them started with TW!
Source: Twitter Blog, July 11, 2011

6. 3 Trends Impacting the
Social Media Tools Market Today

7. Trend #1: Market Consolidation
Tech Giant Entering the Market Smaller Vendors Joining Forces
Some Vendors Closing Shop
Mergers and acquisitions are shaping a new social media tools market.

8. Trend #2: “Social Business” is Here
SALES & BIZ DEV
CUSTOMER
SUPPORT
HUMAN
RESOURCES
PR/COMMS/
MARKETING
IT DEPARTMENT
More business units are depending on social media tools.

9. Trend #3: Multipurpose Tools
Cross-functional
Team-centric
Vendor-agnostic
Multi-channel
Trend #3 is a byproduct of trends #1 and #2 as vendors merge
tools and make them more useful to a wider variety of users.

10. Categories of Social Media Tools
Content PublishingSocial Monitoring
Channel Measurement Influencer Identification
A simplified look at four main areas of social media.

11. Category: Social Monitoring
Tools for capturing online conversations and analyzing what’s being said.
Email Alerts
Key Features to Assess:
Channels Included Automated Sentiment
Geography & Language
Metadata Analyzed
Authority Analysis

12. Category: Content Publishing
Rapid Response
Key Features to Assess:
Multi-channel Posting Auto Syndication
Mobile Device Support
Advanced Scheduling
Team Workflow
Tools for syndicating digital assets to a variety of online channels and networks.

13. Category: Channel Measurement
Post Data Details
Key Features to Assess:
Engagement Metrics
Data Collections
Keywords/Hashtags
Tools for aggregating social metrics across your channels on social networks.
Channels Included
Tool Integration

14. Category: Influencer Identification
Tools for finding and ranking the most authoritative experts in certain subjects.
Content Analyzed
Key Features to Assess:
International Scope
List Management
Authority Ranking
Manual Edits Reporting Options

15. Popular Social Media Tools & Vendors
Influencer
Identification
Channel
Measurement
Content
Publishing
Social
Monitoring

16. 4 Key Questions to Ask Yourself
1. What are total costs?
2. Will teams find this tool easy to use?
3. What kind of training/support do we get?
4. Do other tools integrate with this?

17. How Much Should I Budget
for Social Media Tools Per Year?
Source: KissMetrics, 2012
In 2012, survey said:
• 74% pay less than $1,200 a year
• 19% pay $6K - $60K a year
• 4% pay $60K - $120K a year
• 2% pay more than $120K a year
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/social-media-monitoring-tools/

18. Free Social Media Tools

19. Measurement of
Twitter Campaigns
• Analyzes last 50 mentions
of a hashtag or keyword
• Uses Boolean language
• Provides estimated reach
and exposure/impressions
• Ranks top contributors
• Lists each tweets with
details
• You can order a full report
of all tweets for only $20
www.tweetreach.com

20. Optimize & Manage
Twitter Accounts
• Add multiple accounts up
to 10K followers
• Details on who you follow
& those following you
• Filter your community by a
number of variables
• Create smart lists from
searches
• Get insights into best
times to tweet and
• Import email addresses to
boost your network
www.socialbro.com

21. Create Custom Tabs
on Facebook
• Build tabs on Facebook
for contests, coupons,
polls, fangates, etc.
• Completely free to
connect your other social
networks to your
Facebook page
• Easy to use interface
• Reporting capabilities
• Premium accounts are
based on number of fans
so pricing is very
reasonable
www.woobox.com

22. Identify Phony
Twitter Accounts
• Find out if an influencer has
bought followers
• Get percentage breakouts
of suspicious vs. inactive vs.
good followers
• It identifies suspicious
accounts for you for action
• Unlimited number of
searches
• Ability to share results with
your networks
www.socialbakers.com/twitter/fakefollowercheck/

23. Analyze Social
Media Channels
• Instant metrics that analyze
your social network activity
• Multiple reports for
Facebook and Twitter
• Almost every channel
covered including LinkedIn,
Pinterest, Vine & Instagram
• Ability to link Google
Analytics to get reports on
your website or blog
• Reports are colorful and
extremely insightful
http://simplymeasured.com/free-social-media-tools

24. For real user reviews of social media tools, check out TrustRadius
http://www.trustradius.com

25. The Right Tool for Someone Else…
May Be the Wrong Tool For You
Know What You Need
Before You Invest

26. THANK YOU
@tonyobregon