5 Ways to Monitor the Conversation Online

People talk. They talk online – and that means customers and clients (and potential customers and clients) are having conversations about your small business online. They're blogging, they're tweeting and they're participating in forums. But are you listening?

Here are five ways to not only monitor the conversation online, but also jump in:

1. Google Alerts. Setting yourself up to receive Google Alerts any time your business name is mentioned is easy. Simply type your business name into the "search terms" field. Pick how often you'd like alerts to come to you and what kind of content you'd like to be made aware of, and that's it! Any online mention of your small business comes right to your inbox.
2. Online communities. Community-based sites like Yelp.com invite users to "friend" each other and interact, but behind it all is the ability for those users to rate and comment on the businesses in your community -- including yours. With a five-star rating system, a quick search of your small business will show you your rating on the site, which customers and clients are visiting your business, and more importantly, which ones are talking about you. The worst customer service or the best fish tacos -- it's all on Yelp!
3. Twitter. search.twitter.com is a handy and quick tool for looking for mentions of your small business on this popular social media site. Whether it's someone simply stating that they just left your business or a 140-character review of a recent visit, search.twitter.com will show you any "tweet" which contains your business' name. You don't have to be a Twitter user to take advantage of this search function, but you do to respond to tweet that mention your business! (You can also try http://www.monitter.com/ for tracking when you're mentioned on Twitter.)
4. SocialMention.com. They describe their service "like Google Alerts but for social media." SocialMention.com monitors social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube, Digg and others to look for real-time mentions of your small business. Like Google Alerts, it's easy to set up an account where mentions of any term you choose can show up right in your inbox.
5. Addict-o-matic. Easily create a page that pulls in the latest buzz on your business or industry, drawing from search, social media, videos and pictures.

Listening to the conversations online is just the first step. Just as you would react if someone leaves a negative comment on your company's blog, you should view online discussions and comments in other places online as an opportunity. You can use what you learn through monitoring online conversations to reach out to customers and clients, improve your operations and even grow your business.