How to use this map

So, now that we’ve told you why we created this map, and how we categorised all the different technologies to add to the pretty diagram, you might be thinking “Great, but WTF do I do with this?”

Don’t worry… we made this whole document just to answer that question.

When should I use this?

We should start by saying that this map can - and should - be used by anyone, regardless of how long you’ve been working in social intelligence. Or even if you don’t work in this field, you just use social data occasionally. It can also be used at any time to get a better understanding of the SITech landscape.

However, there are three scenarios where it’s really useful.

Finding a new social intelligence tool

If you're building your SITech stack, or looking for a tool to fill a gap then this map will help you identify the key players in each category and understand the main features and functionalities of each tool. With this you narrow down your options depending on what you need it for.

Benchmarking your current tool

You might already be using SITech, but it doesn’t hurt to see how it compares to other tools that claim to do the same thing. There might be something out there that’s better for what you want to do. This map will help you see where your current tech sits compared to others in the same category in terms of features and functionality.

Stay informed about industry trends

Technology in this space moves fast. One moment it’s all about generative AI, the next the focus is on social video analysis. This map is the perfect place to come when you want to understand the range of technology that’s available and what the latest must-have tech is so that you can keep your tech stack relevant for current use cases.

Reading the map

Now that you’ve decided why you want to discover all the SITech now, you probably want to narrow it down to the tools that are most relevant for your use cases. There’s really no point trawling through hundreds of tools that don’t do what you need them to. The beauty of this map is that you don’t have to - we did all that boring work for you, and created different categories to help you narrow down the tech that you need.

The map is organised into three sections:

Primary categories

There are 9 primary categories that represent a key focus area or use case for social intelligence. These give you a high-level overview of the different types of tech available, and is the first place to start when researching what technology you need.

Within each primary category there will be at least one (usually a few) subcategory which dig further into the focus areas of the primary category. These will highlight the specific features and functionalilties that tools in this category might offer. Across the whole map there are 37 subcategories.

Subcategories

Vendor listings

Once you’ve identified the subcategories that are most relevant for the use cases you’re working on, you’ll find a list of tools and platforms that have some or all of the features and functionalities you’ll need. These are the vendors you should be going out to for demos and free trials so that you can see which one works best for your specific needs.

Our top tips for getting it right the first time.

Before you jump straight in though - we’re sure you can’t wait to start digging around those different categories - there are a few things to think about first.

Be clear on your objectives

Consider your existing tech stack

Fail to plan, plan to fail. That’s what they say, right? Well that’s definitely the case here. To make sure you don’t waste time, you should spend some time (ironically), defining your key business objectives, use cases and success criteria. This will help you focus your search and prioritise the things that matter most to your organisation.

Involve your colleagues

Social intelligence will have an impact across your whole business. Whilst you might be the only person, or team, really getting into the weeds of social data analysis, the insights that you’ll get will be used by other teams, from marketing to product development to C-suite. But to make sure the insights you’re providing are actually useful, you need to ask them and understand which of their use cases that social intelligence could support. This will help you identify which features and functionalities are most important in your tech stack.

Yes, we know it’s exciting to get new stuff, and we’ve all been guilty of buying “the latest thing” just because it’s new and shiny, but it’s important to consider what you already have so you don’t waste money either doubling up on something, or purchasing a tool that doesn’t integrate with your other tools. The best way to avoid this is to look for tools that offer seamless integrations, flexible APIs, and complementary capabilities with your current tech stack.

Look beyond features

The list of features and functionalities that we’ve assessed all the SITech against is a great place to start when looking for a new tool, but it’s not the only important thing to consider. You’ll also want to think about usability (especially for the technophobes who’ll need to use it), scalability, customer support and pricing. Whilst these things won’t directly impact the output of the tools, they will probably have an impact on your return on investment (ROI). You might spend a load of money on a tool that does everything you need it to in theory, but if it’s so complicated that no-one uses it, then it’s a waste of money. The only way to work these things out though, is to test the tools out for yourself. Check out our buyer’s guide if you want more tips on that.

And now, without

further ado….

t h e c a t e g o r i e s