Table of Contents
Last week I provided some tips on how to organize your social media dashboard, in my case Hootsuite. This week I explain how to use the search function to find content relevant to your business. Our “small business” this week is Ye Olde Fish Shoppe (@YeOldeFish) suppliers of tackle and other fishing gear, as well as a small fresh fish stand at the Halifax Seaport farmer’s market. (Let the Google fun begin…I’m sure I’ll get a ton of hits now for fishing keywords!)
Search Streams/Columns
Start by setting up a column to show you all the tweets using your keywords. For @YeOldeFish I might set up a search stream looking for keywords #fishing and “fishing”.
Using both the # version and the plain version helps you find different tweets. This search would picked up the tweet to the right. If this person is tweeting from Halifax, Nova Scotia you could reply that you’ve got a great selection of fresh salmon just off the boat, or simply reply “better luck next time”, or ask him what type of bait he used. Finding that tweet gives you a chance to engage with someone who could be a customer, or refer a customer, or might just be interested in chatting about fishing.
In another search for “#trout, #bass” you might find out there are several fishermen travelling to your area looking for some tackle or bait. Under a “Halifax fish” search you might find out that someone is looking for fresh fish. And of course, the @BassMart search will keep you up to date on your biggest competitor’s tweets and mentions. I might set up each of these searches in separate columns to make it easy to see everything.
Keyword vs. Search
Hootsuite has two options for searching–Search and Keyword Search. The main difference is in the functions available under the search option. Choosing search allows you to use advanced search functions to filter your results. The second big difference is that keyword searches are limited to three search terms/keywords. If you need help figuring out what keywords to use, try the Google Keyword Tool.
More than Keywords
You can also use columns and tabs to read your newsfeed and comments on your business page from Facebook and LinkedIn. You can keep tabs on your competitors, clients and suppliers. Probably the best thing you can do is group all your Tweeps into categorical lists on Twitter and give each list its own column. The possibilities are endless.
Used properly and updated as necessary, this should help you keep track of, and participate in conversations about your business. How do you organize your Hootsuite? Share your tips in the comments below.
