A Twitter Spy Without The Russian Accent

CONVINCE & CONVERT — Brands looking to generate social media ROI are moving inexorably toward one of two poles: either the social CRM approach whereby the customer service benefits of social media are emphasized; or the social media marketing approach, where the focus is squarely on selling stuff. If your focus is on selling via social media, it’s imperative that you know what your competitors are doing in the arena, as it has a direct impact on the attractiveness and success of your offer. This is true of all forms of marketing, and I spent my share of mind-numbing hours as a young marketer creating files of competitors’ print ads and the like. I once spent a sweaty afternoon in Phoenix, driving around town in my crappy car without air conditioning, taking photos (on film) of competitor billboards. I drank 88 ounces of Diet Coke that day. Good times. Jittery times. However, the volume and fluidity of social media makes it exceedingly difficult to task your intern to keep tabs on your competitors on Twitter...