For those small business owners looking to get a little bit more from Twitter on the tracking and reputation management front, TweetBeep is attempting to position itself as one tool to consider.
Similar to Google Alerts, TweetBeep is a service that monitors Twitter and tracks @mentions or RTs of your profile handle, as well links from your Web site or blog. Then, it sends you hourly email updates to keep you apprised of who is discussing you (or your brand), and who is reading or sharing your Web site links and blog posts.
TweetBeep is also fairly customizable, allowing you to predetermine certain keywords for it to search for, as well as certain people to monitor. It also features a geo-locating function, allowing you to filter your searches according to a certain location (and up to a certain distance around that location). This could be particularly useful for small business owners looking to generate local business leads.
One other interesting feature of TweetBeep is that it allows users to filter for “positive attitude,” “negative attitude,” and “asking a question.” Again, this feature could be beneficial in executing a small business social media marketing strategy as it allows you to react to potentially derisive comments about your brand, as well as position yourself as a resource in answering questions.
The caveat: ads. The free version of TweetBeep exposes you to sporadic advertisements, but you can also upgrade to TweetBeep Premium for $20/month. Premium also entitles to you to more frequent alerts, and a more customizable timetable for receiving those alerts. My gut says the $20/month may be overkill – of course, I’ve yet to be bombarded by advertisements.
We’ve explored on several occassions how imperative it is for small businesses not only to engage online, but also to proactively monitor how others are talking about their brand. TweetBeep is by no means a catch-all, nor is it the only weapon you’ll need in your social media marketing arsenal. But it is another tool that could help you get off to a good start.
Check it out, and let me know your thoughts. I’m curious to hear how others are putting it to use.
