How do you compare social media analytics vendors?

1 Define your objectives

Before you start comparing vendors, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with social media analytics. Do you want to track your reach, engagement, sentiment, conversions, or ROI? Do you want to monitor your competitors, influencers, or industry trends? Do you want to generate reports, insights, or recommendations? Depending on your objectives, you will need different types of data, metrics, and tools.

2 Compare features and functionality

Once you have defined your objectives, you can compare the features and functionality of different social media analytics vendors. When looking for the right vendor, consider the data sources they cover, the quality of the data they provide, their ability to measure and visualize the data, how they present and communicate the data, their export capabilities, and how they integrate with other tools. Additionally, look for metrics and indicators such as segmentation, filtering, and benchmarking, as well as customizable and interactive dashboards, charts, and tables.

3 Compare pricing and value

When evaluating the pricing and value of each social media analytics vendor, it's important to compare not only the cost but also the benefits and trade-offs of each option. Consider questions such as how they charge for services, what inclusions and exclusions are provided, if there are additional costs or fees, and what value propositions and differentiators they offer. Additionally, think about how they can help you save time, money, or resources, as well as improve your results, performance, or efficiency.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?