Companies, which offer their products and services worldwide, are able to derive various benefits from professional Web & Social Media Monitoring. Besides customer feedback and local trends, the aggregation of results can reveal consumer trends on a higher level. They can also help to generate new products and services as well as limit damages to reputation. In addition, one is able to identify best practice examples across countries, which can be used to inspire product and service units elsewhere in the world.

There are a number of challenges when monitoring across borders. While differing time zones are the least of problems, the person operating the search tool is required to have certain qualifications. The software needs to be set up to find mentions in different languages, requiring knowledge on professional terminology in more than one language.  But also the monitoring personnel must qualified by presenting a combination of language but also market and industry know-how in order to be able to recognise, interpret and communicate relevant developments. 

Another challenge of international Web & Social Media Monitoring is target-oriented communication. The results have to reach local units as well as overarching units, for whom the global, cross-border picture is important. Hence there is a need for a system of topics that helps categorise results in a report. The system of topics is consistently updated to meet new developments. This in turn calls for an intensive and regular exchange and coordination between the participants on both sides, monitoring and information-using.

CURE works with different firms on an international basis. Thanks to its flexible structures, CURE is able to provide Web & Social Media Monitoring as well as its Reporting in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Polish and Turkish. Other languages can be added within a reasonable timeframe. (MF)