Many people are familiar with the need for keywords when targeting various search engine results pages or audiences via paid ad campaigns. These keywords are indicators of the kinds of audiences and niches we wish to target, and can better inform search engines of the true context of our content.

Despite keywords having an understandably important role in concepts such as SEO and PPC campaigns, many overlook the value that keywords provide in the social media arena. There are select types of keywords that any brand should be monitoring on social media: let’s look at them and explain why they’re valuable.

Brand Mentions

Above all else, keeping an eye out for what others are saying about you is a crucial component of social media monitoring. While most brands may not be big enough to fill entire pages with mentions, as your brand grows, it is more likely to draw attention via shares and other marketing efforts you may pursue. Finding these mentions where possible gives you (as the brand) the ability to interact on its behalf, whether the commentary is positive, neutral or negative.

Your Competitors

It is always important to know what your competitors are doing on social media. They could be pinging URLs to new deals or types of content you haven’t yet seen, or even potentially slandering your good name without you knowing. The only way you can be for sure what they’re doing is to keep tabs on them via keyword analysis and search. Monitoring your competitors – and even specific keywords that they are known to use – can shed a heap of light onto their marketing strategies as well as their weaknesses.

Individuals

Are there specific individuals associated with your brand or that of your competitors? Given the tendency for personal issues to quickly spill over into brand crises, keeping a constant eye on individuals’ mentions on social media is paramount. Whether it is to monitor mentions about yourself, an employee or any other person of interest, you don’t want to miss any potential action or scandal as it unfolds. It’s also just good brand sense in many ways to monitor your own reputation on many of these platforms.

URLs

Tracking shares is usually straightforward on social media, but not everybody shares using the standard functions. It’s always a good idea to see who is sharing your content, whether it be your social media posts or pages to your website. Periodically, pinging URLs of top-performing content on social media is a smart strategy; much like tracking other keywords mentioned above, this will help you better understand who is sharing your content and where any new traffic may be coming from. As always, this may also present opportunities for you to interact as the brand with new fans and interested parties.

While it may not function the same way as most search engines, social media is a dynamic entity – and one that needs to be monitored. By keeping an eye on specific competitors, individuals, URLs and your brand itself, you can be better aware of how effective your brand’s marketing and reputation are on these networks.