The day before is time -consuming, but yet very useful for your activity. This is why, many watch tools have emerged, to allow you to automate it.
By regularly analyzing the trends in your market, the actions of the competitors or what is said on your brand, you can constantly adapt your offers. You also draw a continuous inspiration for your own communication.
But how do you save time and put a faster sorting in the mass of information published on the Internet? Thanks to these 10 watch software, which helps you automate your web surveillance very easily.
The tools of this article were selected by our team and are not sponsored. Discover how Sponsor your tool.
1. Google Alerts: Best free watch tool
The best known of the watch tools is called Google Alerts. Completely free, it allows you to create an alert on keywords or expressions.
You can then receive the results by email (depending on a frequency that you will have determined) or then in the form of RSS feed. This second choice is relevant if you use a flow aggregator, such as Netvibes or Feedly.
Organize With the Google Alerts is done in a few minutes and allows you to receive emails at regular intervals, to monitor your competitors, identify trends or see what is said of your business on the web or on other sites.
2. IFTTT: free watch solution
Also free, IFTTT Allows you to automate part of your watch. This tool is based on microapplication programming that will take action automatically. Said like that, it seems complicated, but reassure, it's very simple!
The acronym Ifttt means: if this thatn that. In other words: if such a thing happens, it is necessary to perform such action.
For example, imagine that you want to identify the tweets that talk about your brand. You could automate the task by asking the tool to send you a DM, fill in a Google Sheet sheet or send you an email, as soon as a person publishes a tweet containing your brand.
You can also perform the same action from an RSS feed and therefore combine the tool with Google Alerts.
3. Zapier: Automated watch tool
Let's continue in free tools with Zapier. It is based exactly on the same principle as Iifttt, except that it is older and therefore more developed. You have many more applications to automate your watch and other daily tasks.
The tool also offers more complete workflows, because there can be several automation conditions (while Iifttt only allows one).
However, all these additional functions weigh down Zapier's grip. You will therefore have to ask yourself the question of whether you really need such a complex tool for your watch.
4. Gigaalerlet
The monitoring tool Gigaby is a useful complement to Google Alerts. Its operation is similar to the tool offered by the American giant. You can also configure words or expressions and adjust the email sending frequency. In addition, you can exclude sources that do not seem relevant to you. You thus receive better results.
However, the main difference between this tool and Google Alerts lies in the search engine used: Gigaalerlet is based on Yahoo to bring up the results. The advantage is to diversify the results obtained and therefore, to have a more exhaustive watch.
5. Alerti
Among all the tools presented, Alert is the most complete. To this end, it has a cost. However, the price is very affordable, since it starts at € 15 per month for 1 alert.
Its main asset, compared to competitors, concerns sources of information. Alerti is not content to probe the results of Google, it also raises tweets, Instagram photos and videos, publications on Facebook, YouTube videos, posts on forums, etc.
You then don't miss any update on the keyword or the expression you are monitoring.
6. X / Twitter
X / Twitter is an essential social network to see and be seen, but it is also a very complete monitoring tool that will help you understand the impetus of your brand. Of course, you can also use it if you are interested in a given sector, a company or a network of influencers.
Leader of microblogging, X brews an impressive amount of information thanks to the “threads” that flood the platform. Fortunately, there are several easy to implement solutions to configure alerts.
You can, for example, enter the subjects that interest you with keywords preceded by the famous hashtag. You will get a list of the most recent activities, hierarchical by type of media. Account monitoring is also a simple and effective way to obtain real -time information, provided you select reliable sources.
To save time, download a free application designed to use compiled data without X / Twitter. There are many easy -to -configure tools. Twiletfor example, incorporates a perfected algorithm capable of sorting and making an analysis of publications, then sending you a synthesis by email. All this from a simple list of keywords!
7. Flipboard
Thanks to a collaboration with many media and supports, Flipboard Allows its users to define target themes and receive news related to the desired frequency.
Although it can be used as a simple newspaper that we buy every day, Flipboard has other advantages. Acting as a real information tool, Flipboard relays all new information from many flows in order to offer the most precise information immediately. One of the advantages of Flipboard is its interaction with social networks and video platforms, such as YouTube. The integrated sharing features provide a precious time saving.
Fully customizable, Flipboard shows you what you want to follow, but also the contents that must be followed. You can even enhance the platform by publishing items from your account for other users. Totally free, you just have to create an account and define your interests and the subjects you want to follow.
8. Feedly
Feedly is a RSS feed aggregator Compatible with all browsers and devices. It was created in 2008. Praised by more than 15 million Internet users, this is one of the most used curation tools in the world. Its objective is to bring together and organize all the flows recorded by the user. The content updates are automatically sent by email or through notifications.
This monitoring tool is intended for those who wish to control the sources of content. His approach is therefore not thematic: it is above all the chosen sources that determine the content displayed. Feedly is particularly suitable for carrying out certain activities, such as targeted watch in a sector, competitive benchmark or monitoring of thee-reputation of a business or a brand.
Even if Feedly is a “raw” aggregator, it is distinguished by a clear and intuitive interface. The user can order the content by categories and select several types of display:
- List mode only displays the title of items (sometimes truncated). It is ideal for obtaining an overview.
- The vignette mode highlights the main image associated with content.
- The article mode allows you to display more content (chapô and first paragraph).
Feedly has interesting sharing features. It is compatible with the main social networks.
9. Netvibes
Pioneer of the personal dashboard, Netvibes is a monitoring tool that simultaneously follows a multitude of information sources. Created in 2005 before being bought in 2012 by Dassault Systems, it has perfected over the years to integrate social networks and follow technological developments. It is based on the concept of the personal dashboard, a tool developed to visualize in one click the news specific to a given subject.
Of course, the user can combine several dashboard depending on the themes followed and navigate from one window to another very easily. The creation of sub-aging makes it possible to refine even more specific research themes.
Note that there is a paid version of Netvibes which allows you to take advantage of additional features, such as powerful search filters and an update of even faster flows. However, the free version is more than enough for personal or recreational use.
10. Quora
Operating on the same model as Flipboard, Quora is “a place designed to learn and share your knowledge”. Collecting user items, the platform allows you to acquire and have many information on large and varied subjects.
Its advantage? It also resumes a little of the functioning of feeds thanks to its functionality of monitoring contributors. Indeed, as soon as you like a content, you can follow the author and thus build a database of qualified authors that provide you with the information you are looking for.
Its added value? The remuneration of its contributors. Contrary to large companies like Twitter, Quora has set up a remuneration system for qualified contributors and selected by the income-based platform generated by their article thanks to advertisements. Part of the advertising revenues generated by their questions are reserved for them in order to reward their contribution.
How to benefit from the monitoring tools?
The monitoring tools are very practical to learn in a few clicks, detect relevant subjects for its activity and follow its reputation online. To avoid pitfalls, remember to configure each tool according to your real needs.
If you just want to remain informed of the news in your sector, it is not useful to pollute yourself with several alert systems that may generate daily notifications.
Try choosing relevant and precise keywords when you define alerts. Also beware of too generic terms and synonyms. If necessary, you may receive information that does not meet your expectations.
Finally, do not accumulate more than 2 or 3 complementary monitoring tools at the risk of receiving similar activities several times.
Our tip to automate your watch
With these 10 monitoring and analysis tools, you regularly take the market temperature, while carrying out a competitive analysis daily.
No post about your business will escape you! No article in your competitors will be published without you being informed. You are sure that you do not miss any important publication.
If you want to save time in your daily watch, Post an ad on Coden.comto find a freelance ready to help you!