Keeping Track of What the Online Community is Saying About You

28 May Keeping Track of What the Online Community is Saying About You

Are you tracking the mentions that your company gets on websites, blogs, and online news sources?  Tracking online mentions is a fantastic way to quickly understand what the public as a whole is responding to about your business.  The problem is that most PR tracking software is downright expensive!

One of the most well known tools around today for tracking online mentions and the impact of press releases is Vocus (which partnered with online PR giant PR Web within the last year).  The cost for this software?  Nearly $10,000. 

While there is no question that this is very comprehensive software with lots of bells and whistles, but do you really need all that functionality with such a hefty price tag?  You may prefer different types of functionality than Vocus provides.

The key to getting the results you want is to ask the questions that are right for your business.  Why would it be important to track the mentions of your business online?  What other factors would you like to track (such as the results of pages written by particular copywriters or complaints and raves about products from various manufacturers)?  Perhaps you’d like to know which mentions generated the most traffic and conversions so that you can better plan your marketing and promotional strategy.

Perhaps you’d be better informed and spend less with a custom application.  The best thing about having custom software built is that you get all of what you want and pay for none of what you don’t want.