Social Media Intelligence

This phenomenon has existed since the very beginning of the Internet, but it is now when it is essential to transform this information into useful data so as to be able to take advantage of it to optimize our strategy and get to know customers in depth

Social media intelligence is a new digital method of gathering data from entities or individuals on social media platforms. It is a tool where monitoring and data treatment processes provide a new multidimensional view of the image of a brand on the Internet; its consumers, promotions, influencers and reputation. It is a deep analysis of the digital ecosystem. The global understanding of who we are and what they say about us and our competitors in real-time.

Social Media Intelligence is the set of tools and solutions that make up the process by which the information generated by Big Data is used. Meaning, that Social Media Intelligence is the process by which companies or brands collect the information generated by social media platforms and transform it into knowledge about their target audience, their market, their customers, the competition and even their own products.

Undoubtedly, Social Media Intelligence requires the transmission of a huge range of data to be filtered and classified; billions of daily conversations, scrolls up and down, swipes and clicks are now analysed (the so call, big data), extending far beyond Facebook and Twitter. It also incorporates a complex conceptual model instead of keyword lists to identify strategic discussion concepts through an infinite number of social expressions. This means that it arises from a more scientific, reliable and useful approach than that of just simple keywords.

Social Media Intelligence is nourished by the Big Data generated in the social networks and digital platforms of the brands themselves and their consumers, allowing the analysis of conversations and behaviours that reveal relevant information about the consumer’s behaviour in the purchase process. We already talked about social monitoring, the first step within the phases of Social Media Intelligence, but today we comment on the rest of the stages of the process.

How does it work?

Monitoring
The first step of the Social Media Intelligence process is monitoring or Social Media Listening, in which the company/brand/institution must have the necessary tools in order to extract the data of interest from the interactions of consumers and potential clients.

Treatment
After data extraction of these first figures, the Big Data, the company/brand/ institution must proceed in the treatment of them and prepare reports, in which the information of the extracted data can easily be understood. It can be organized in different ways: by sex, by age, by purchase date, by the social network where the data was found, country…

Analysis
The analysis of the reports allows the interpretation of the data, since in themselves they do not mean anything. The objective of Big Data is not, in this case, to find all the mentions, but to find valuable information. Go beyond the data and figure out what they really say, that is, the human part of the process.

Revision
Finally, after the analysis and interpretation, the process ends with the review of the actions and the execution of the improvements. This is where many companies fail since they collect and interpret data correctly but use it only for external communication and do not execute the most important strategy for the company itself; the translation of the data to the internal reality of the company, that is, the internal changes at the organization level that must be carried out as indicated by the data.

Social Media Intelligence (SOCMIT) allows the company to look at the data in an open way, with an innovative mindset, which facilitates the introduction of changes and its correct adaptation. However, this does not mean that the company must live in an eternal process of business change; but if in a continuous study and cycle of operational improvement that enhances the consumer experience.

Experts agree that Social Media Intelligence is the solution to cyber threats. The technology we have always used is only an enabler, but we now need the human factors included. Cyber ​​intelligence is increasingly important in the field of preventing and developing more precise systems that detect possible threats to businesses or governments. The new cyberspace defined by Social Networks is the new environment that organizations must face, in order to manage the new security risks. In this context, the interest of all these sectors in capturing intelligence in social networks has led to the creation of the singular intelligence discipline of SOCMINT (Social Media Intelligence).

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