The internet, especially blogs and forums are often referred to as the wild west; where there are few controls on the content that is created. On top of that most print-based publications now have online readerships that match or even exceed their printed circulation. Unlike the wild west however the internet is relatively transparent and the vast majority of content is freely accessible not only to readers but to brand monitoring systems.

There are of course costs involved with monitoring everything people say about you even if you are using systems to reduce the time required to do it effectively, nevertheless the reasons for monitoring are very strong strategic moves.

Here are our top 5 reasons:

1.    Understand how people feel about you
You do not define your brand; people who have experience of it do and it doesn’t necessarily need to be first-hand experience. Understanding what people already think about your brand is a pretty good place to start when planning communication strategies; understanding why they think what they think is even more useful.

2.    Having systems and relationships already in place in the event of a crisis
When things go wrong you can count on it being reported in full throughout the various Social Media channels; if you already have pre-existing systems in place to respond to negative news it can stop an issue escalating in to a PR nightmare. Building relationships with trusted sources of information will help you to put things straight or communicate your messages quickly and precisely to those who need to hear them.

3.    Improve customer retention
An unhappy customer is not a lost customer and with an appropriate response you can convert a complaint into a compliment; in a public forum like the internet this is not only seen by the customer you have helped but by others who can marvel at your excellent customer support.

4.    Discover worrying trends before they become a problem
Using tools like Repskan Trends can provide you with a heads-up before a problem that you might not know about comes to a head, buying you vital hours or days to prevent the story spilling over into the traditional press and a much wider audience.

5.    Marketing is changing
Advertising is not dead, but the way companies interact with customers and potential customers is evolving rapidly. Developing relationships and systems will build the foundations for the future helping your brand to stay on top.