We’ve consistently discussed that social media is a necessity for businesses these days. And if you choose to tackle these monsters alone, it can be especially daunting. What sites do I use? What risks do I take? Who am I targeting? What should I post about?

Thankfully, there are tools out there to help you answer some of these questions. One obvious example – this blog. Another tool we found is socialmention.com. Once you learn to use the site, it can yield a wealth of relevant data to inform your social media updates.

The tag-line of the site is “Real-time social media search and analysis.” Basically, the site searches content on nearly all social media sites (though the results are often predominantly Twitter-related) and shows you what everyone is saying about your chosen topic.

Let’s give it a try:

1. After following the link to socialmention.com, type in a topic related to your industry (i.e. “wealth management”).
2. You’ll notice the “in” dropdown box. This lets you choose if you want to search for your topic in blogs that people are writing, or maybe images that people are uploading etc. For now, we’ll leave “All” selected and click “Search.”
3. Reap your results! These are all blog posts or social media updates people have made about your topic.

Take a second to scan down your results.  What are the popular posts? Are there news articles? Youtube videos? Once you start to explore some of what other people are saying, you might find some relevant content to share on your own page. Maybe you can even share your own insights about an article you find.

Now check out the left side of the screen. It’s full of percentages and bar graphs galore. It might look a little overwhelming but it’s got good information to really help you zero in on key points for your posts. To keep it simple, pay special attention to the “Top Keywords,” “Top Hashtags” and “Sources” sections.

“Top Keywords” is a chart showing you the significant words that are most often found in posts relating to your topic.

“Top Hashtags” tells you the hashtags people are most commonly using in Tweets relating to your topic.

And the “Sources” graph gives you an inside look at where all these people (who are apparently interested in your topic – and maybe soon, your posts!) are on the internet. Photobucket? Twitter? Reddit? Where are people most often talking about your topic?

Now that you’ve got this information, you can start to use it to shape your updates. Maybe instead of a Youtube update, you put content on Twitter because according to the “Source” chart, that’s where users who are interested in your topic tend to be today. And maybe you post a comment about a recent news article that showed up three times in your results. Then you can top it off with a hashtag that you’ve found is popular and relevant to your topic.

Before you know it, you’ve crafted a relevant social media update using information you gleaned from a free website. You’re welcome!

It’s practices like this that help you become recognized as a thought-leader in your industry. Finding and developing fresh, relevant content, making it visible and presenting it with the twist that can only come from your unique experiences and educated perspective.

Still struggling with managing your social media sites? If you’re frustrated with your current website, or just looking for a little help, we’re now offering website reviews for only $295 (normally $495)! If you’re interested in learning more please email info@celebritysites.com