CivicFeed Review & Tutorial [Social Monitoring AppSumo]

Introduction

In today’s digital landscape, staying informed about your brand’s online presence is crucial for businesses of all sizes. Enter CivicFeed, a powerful social monitoring tool that promises to keep you updated on mentions of your business across the internet. This comprehensive review and tutorial will delve into the features, functionality, and potential applications of CivicFeed, currently available as a lifetime deal on AppSumo. We’ll explore how this platform can help you track mentions, analyze your online presence, and even connect with relevant journalists in your industry. Whether you’re a small business owner, marketing professional, or simply curious about social monitoring tools, this in-depth look at CivicFeed will provide valuable insights to help you decide if it’s the right investment for your needs.

Overview of CivicFeed

CivicFeed is a social monitoring tool designed to alert users whenever their business is mentioned anywhere on the internet. This powerful platform offers a range of features to help businesses stay on top of their online presence and engage with their audience effectively.

Key Features of CivicFeed

• Real-time alerts for brand mentions across various online platforms
• Customizable alert settings and filtering options
• Analytics and reporting tools for tracking mention trends
• Author research capabilities for finding relevant journalists and influencers
• Interactive report creation for easy data visualization and sharing

AppSumo Deal Breakdown

• Starting price: $49
• Stacking options available for multiple codes
• Each code provides:
• 20 alerts
• Up to 50,000 mentions per month
• Single user access (stackable with additional codes)
• 10 interactive reports
• 500 journalist email downloads (one-time credit)

Target Audience

• Small to medium-sized businesses looking to monitor their online presence
• Marketing professionals seeking to track brand mentions and engagement
• PR teams interested in connecting with relevant journalists and influencers
• Individuals or organizations wanting to stay informed about specific topics or industries

Setting Up Alerts in CivicFeed

The core functionality of CivicFeed revolves around setting up alerts to monitor mentions of your brand, competitors, or specific topics across various online platforms. This section will guide you through the process of creating and managing alerts within the CivicFeed platform.

Creating Your First Alert

• Navigate to the “Alerts” section in the CivicFeed dashboard
• Click on “Create Alert” to begin the setup process
• Enter the keyword or phrase you want to monitor (e.g., your brand name)
• Choose the sources you want to track (Instagram, News, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and discussions)
• Set the frequency of alerts (options range from hourly to weekly)
• Optionally, connect to Slack for instant notifications

Customizing Alert Sources

• Select or deselect specific platforms to narrow down your monitoring focus
• Use the “Individual Sources” feature to track mentions from specific websites or publications
• Exclude unwanted sources to filter out irrelevant mentions or false positives

Managing and Analyzing Alerts

• View all active alerts in the main dashboard
• Click on individual alerts to see detailed breakdowns of mentions
• Use filters to sort mentions by source, date, or engagement levels
• Bookmark important mentions for future reference or sharing with team members

Comparing Multiple Alerts

• Utilize the analytics section to compare data from different alerts
• Gain insights into how your brand performs against competitors or industry benchmarks
• Analyze trends in mention volume, engagement rates, and sentiment across various alerts

Exploring the Author Research Feature

One of CivicFeed’s standout features is its author research capability, which allows users to discover and connect with journalists and influencers relevant to their industry. This section will explore how to effectively use this feature to expand your network and potentially increase media coverage.

Searching for Relevant Authors

• Navigate to the “Authors” section in the CivicFeed dashboard
• Use the search function to find journalists based on their Twitter bio or article content
• Refine search results using filters such as publication, location, or topic expertise

Creating Author Lists

• Save interesting authors to custom lists for easy reference
• Organize authors by topic, industry, or potential outreach campaigns
• Add notes or tags to author profiles for personalized tracking

Accessing Author Contact Information

• View available contact details, including email addresses and social media profiles
• Use the export feature to download author information (subject to plan limitations)
• Be aware of the 500 email download credit limit per AppSumo code

Best Practices for Author Outreach

• Research authors thoroughly before reaching out to ensure relevance
• Personalize your approach based on the author’s recent work or areas of interest
• Offer valuable, newsworthy information or insights to increase the chances of coverage
• Build relationships over time rather than focusing on one-off pitches

Creating Interactive Reports

CivicFeed’s reporting feature allows users to create customized, interactive reports that combine data from various alerts and author research. This section will guide you through the process of creating effective reports to showcase your social monitoring insights.

Setting Up a New Report

• Navigate to the “Reports” section in the CivicFeed dashboard
• Click “Create New Report” and give it a descriptive name
• Use the custom URL feature to easily share reports with team members or clients

Adding Content to Your Report

• Utilize the text editor to add context and explanations to your data
• Insert alert data, such as mention counts or engagement rates, using the “+” button
• Add author lists or individual contacts relevant to your reporting period
• Include bookmarked mentions to highlight significant interactions or coverage

Customizing Report Layout and Design

• Use headings and subheadings to organize information logically
• Insert tables to present data in a clear, easy-to-read format
• Upload custom graphics or images to enhance visual appeal
• Leverage Google Drive integration to incorporate external data or visuals

Limitations and Areas for Improvement

• Lack of report templates for quick start-up
• No automatic generation of reports for specific time periods (e.g., last 30 days)
• Absence of a duplication feature for creating similar reports efficiently

Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts

CivicFeed offers a robust set of tools for businesses and individuals looking to monitor their online presence, track brand mentions, and connect with relevant journalists. The platform’s strengths lie in its social monitoring capabilities, providing users with real-time alerts and detailed analytics across various online platforms. The ability to create customized alerts, filter sources, and compare multiple alerts makes it a valuable asset for businesses of all sizes.

The author research feature adds significant value, allowing users to discover and connect with journalists and influencers in their industry. However, the process of exporting contact information could be more streamlined, and the limited number of email credits may be a constraint for users with extensive outreach needs.

The reporting functionality, while useful for creating interactive and shareable reports, has room for improvement. The addition of report templates, automatic generation options, and a duplication feature would greatly enhance its utility for regular reporting needs.

Overall, CivicFeed receives a respectable 7 out of 10 rating. It’s a worthwhile investment for businesses without an existing social monitoring solution, offering a comprehensive set of features at an attractive price point through the AppSumo deal. As the platform continues to develop and refine its features, it has the potential to become an even more powerful tool for managing online presence and media relations.

For businesses looking to stay informed about their brand mentions, track competitors, and build relationships with relevant media contacts, CivicFeed provides a solid foundation. Its user-friendly interface and customizable alerts make it accessible for users with varying levels of technical expertise. As with any tool, the value derived from CivicFeed will largely depend on how actively and strategically it is used within an organization’s overall marketing and PR efforts.

In conclusion, CivicFeed offers a compelling package for those seeking to enhance their social monitoring capabilities. While there are areas for improvement, particularly in the reporting and author research features, the core functionality provides significant value for its price point. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, tools like CivicFeed will likely play an increasingly important role in helping businesses navigate and leverage their online presence effectively.

To learn more about CivicFeed and stay updated on the latest developments in social monitoring tools, be sure to check out our website at https://clientamp.com. You can also join our Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/daveswift for discussions and insights from fellow marketers and business owners. For real-time updates and tips, follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/davidswift.