Social media data has been embraced by many companies while at the same time the number of and types of tools used for analysis have quickly evolved. A number of brands began by measuring the frequency and sentiment of consumers' conversations through monitoring tools. Soon, brands realized those customer comments included rich subtext, which required more complex NLP (natural language processing) tools and analysis methods. Today, savvy clients are seeking to use social intelligence,1 which utilizes robust tools, strong analytics and research expertise to provide meaningful analysis and actionable insights.

A case was made in a 2010 J.D. Power and Associates white paper for incorporating social intelligence into the research mix. According to a recent research industry publication, 68% of respondents have said some part of their budget is now devoted to utilizing social media data, and a majority expects that to grow in the future. Quite simply, as the adoption and proliferation of social media continues its upward trajectory, research in this arena is needed to gain a full picture of consumers. In fact, the upcoming J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Social Media Usage Study finds that just over 90% of online adults report using a social networking site.

This white paper will go beyond identifying the importance of incorporating social intelligence into a company's portfolio to explain the processes, tools, and applications for its use in an organization. Three recent case studies will further demonstrate these points. Next, the barriers, benefits, and limitations of social media research are explored based on an evaluation of myths and truths. The paper will illustrate that social intelligence, by definition, provides the strongest business results when integrated into research programs and coupled with other consumer data. 

Download the PDF to read the full White Paper.