Anyone working in marketing knows that projects sometimes experience a hiccup when it comes to the initial decision of what to publish. You have the content and the tools to publish it, and you also have the tools to measure it once it's out there, but the missing piece is always the WHAT - what content should you share? Using analytics beforehand can solve that particular problem, but dealing with big data can be a different kind of headache altogether.
Socialight Makes Life Easier
Founded in 2014, Socialight provides clients with the insight needed to make that content publishing decision. "At a high level, it is audience analytics for marketers," says Lindsay Silver, the company's founder, "but more specifically, it's a powerful system that let's marketers understand these dynamics."
"It was in meetings with companies like Coke, Target, and Nokia that we started hearing frustration about the saturation approach to social marketing," Silver says. What the team recognized was that these companies needed a smarter approach to predicting what would work for them before they invested in it - and that's what Socialight builds for them.
It's Not Just Data
Socialight's clients range from classic rock bands to major retailers; they work with the data - social media mentions, online demographics, etcs. - to make smart recommendations in real time. "We think that's awesome," Silver says. "People with the ability to improve real-world actions based on feedback from social media."
Analytics may seem one-dimensional, especially when applied to hashtag usage and social accounts - you're only seeing data related to a specific action. That's where Socialight differs, however; it provides its clients with not only the analytics they've requested, but also with the insight they need to understand what people are talking about - and why.
The company's flexibility also sets them apart from the crowd, allowing brands to answer diverse question through their analytic platform and easily pulling data from huge numbers of people. Silver puts a fine point on what he and his team do with their innovative approach: "We make recommendations based on your audience, and inform your content decisions." Simple as that.
Moving Forward
Socialight may be in its early years, but it's already showing great promise. It's main goal is to become the single tool brands use to power their social marketing decisions. The company's on track to have over 500,000 users in 2015 and believes it can grow even bigger than that. To speed up that process, they're working with multiple publishing networks and influence platforms and are planning to release their first campaign whitepapers in early 2015.
Socialight hopes to take its process a step further, examining a brand or publisher's content and making recommendations automatically based on that analysis. They're set to roll out major changes to the free analytics dashboard in the coming months, as well as launch a new set of enterprise tools in the new year.
Silver wants you to think of Socialight as a personal trainer for social marketing. "We're really excited about our next steps," he says.
On LinkedIn: Socialight & Lindsay Silver