Digital watch : why and how to do it ?
Digital monitoring is an operation that consists of monitoring the net in order to collect the information necessary for the implementation of a digital and web marketing strategy. It involves collecting, analysing, sharing and processing the data collected. For a company, it is essential to master the ways and means to facilitate this approach.
Digital intelligence : an asset in your web strategy
Digital intelligence allows a company to be efficient. It allows you to refine your digital strategy. It allows you to better understand the environment in which your company evolves and to anticipate future changes. It also allows you to succeed in your competitive intelligence.
You can thus identify your competitors and what they are doing in order to strengthen your position. Digital monitoring allows you to be better informed about new products and trends. It promotes better management of your company’s reputation. You can see how your customers see you and what they say about you. This technique also helps you to find new ideas for a smoother digital management.
How to do a digital watch ?
Digital monitoring can be done through three main channels
Search engines
To get information or to do specific research on the Net, you need the help of a search engine. There are several of them, the best known being Google, Bing and Yahoo. They search the entire web to bring up the information you need. You can regularly use a search engine to find out about your competitors and news in your sector of activity.
However, there are some limitations to this digital monitoring. Search engines do not always spontaneously index their content and new information is sometimes less well positioned. In addition, the data published by companies on social media is very poorly indexed.
Social networks
Social networks are great communication tools for companies. This makes them an important source of information and a very good monitoring tool on the Internet. You can get information about your users or your competitors through the many networks that exist.
The most used are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. With its search engine and its subscription system that allows you to filter information naturally, Twitter is one of the most practical networks adapted to digital monitoring.
Digital monitoring tools
In order to monitor information effectively, the entire web must be searched on an ongoing basis. Specialised tools are available to perform this task, which can be complex and time-consuming. One of these is the alert service from the giant Google. It works in a simple way: you automatically receive a notification every time content with the (previously defined) keywords is published.
Talkwalker Alerts is a free alternative to Google Alerts. Feedly is a versatile and efficient digital monitoring tool. It is a content aggregator that concentrates article feeds based on keywords. Other digital monitoring platforms such as Netvibes, Panda, Flipboard, Behance and Instapaper are also possibilities to consider. Scoop.it, Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, Feedreader, Klout and Kred complete this non-exhaustive list of interesting tools.
