Google Alerts - The Essential Social Media Monitoring Tool For Any Business

Today as I prepared the slides for an upcoming event looking at various aspects of social media and more broadly electronic marketing, I was going through the various products one can have to give them some degree of social media monitoring.

It occurred to me that the first one I ever got and still the one that I trust is the ever so humble but effective, Google Alerts (www.Google.com/alerts).

What's not to love with Google Alerts.  To begin with it's free.As well it will provide you with an email alert to any email address you specify, when any mention is made of your name, your brand, your company name or any other person or thing you may have an interest in.

Google alerts goes through all modalities of media globally and is a great way of knowing if anything is being said and also what the sentiment of that mention may be.

Incredibly it even gives you the option of nominating when you want to receive the notification. The three options being: 1. Immediately, 2. Once daily or 3. Once weekly.  Personally I choose daily but the choice is totally yours to make with any given alert you set up through Google Alerts.

Bottom line is that this is a non negotiable along with Google Analytics to any one who wants good quality social media monitoring and measurement data. Make sure you have both.

And until next time, good luck and good marketing.

Regards,
Daniele.