It’s still the early innings of the social networking game, and companies are continuing to formulate strategies on how to get into it while analytical observers are trying to discern what the online dialogues mean.
That was the consensus from a panel of experts on the subject at this week’s Search Engine Strategies conference in New York.
The social research playing field is wide open to companies that can develop the expertise to be the kind of players who can provide insight and direction, according to Andrew Frank, research vice president of Gartner Media Industry Advisory Services.
“It seems like this is really an opportunity for new companies that can go where others can’t go,” he said.
Marketers are still trying to figure out how to engage in the dialogue on social sites, with companies in the real estate, financial services, automotive and travel sectors the most active thus far, Frank said. He pointed to Nielsen BuzzMetrics as the top dog in measurement, with cymfony and umbria on the next tier.
He recommended a four-phase approach, starting with integration with Intranet portals and testing services, advancing through reporting integration with data dictionaries and tagging schemes, ultimately leading to platform integration to enable risk reduction.
“If you’re trying to get into this, it’s really important to get on the edge of the razor,” said Jonathan Ashton, vice president of SEO and Web analytics for Agency.com.
Ashton recommended several tools for measuring social networks, including Really Simple Syndication in the form of Yahoo Pipes to set up feed management around brands, setting up Google and Yahoo news feeds to plant brand names in releases, monitoring blogs and tracking tags.
“One of the challenges is to find the context they’re looking for,” he said.
Ashton also suggested monitoring image-rich sites such as flickr and YouTube.
“Put your CEO’s name in there, in case it turns up,” he advised. “It’s better to know first.”
Rob Key, CEO of Converseon, cited research from USC indicating that 12- to-24-year olds are actively seeking social experiences online. Key said his company is tracking trends in the online dialogue in what he called a “primitive time” in Web social research.
“We’re mining the conversations people are having with each other,” he said.
So far, Converseon’s research is indicating a marked differentiation in language between online social communities, with distinct dialects and cultures emerging. He advised those new to the environment to listen and participate, grasp the mores of disparate social sites and get into the game by bringing gifts to attract users.
“You need to become a native to understand these social networks,” he said.
Key noted that some companies actively engage in blogs to head off potentially bad buzz before it becomes widespread. And he advised against pulling unsubtle stunts like the one Sony staged when it was caught faking a gaming blog.
Ashton said being alert was the key to tracking bad news.
“If you’re looking for negative conversations, the damage can be done within a few days,” he said.
Frank strongly advised companies to avoid contracting the marketing malady he called “I-need-a-something” disease.
“You need to figure out what you’re trying to solve,” he said.
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