It has become increasingly important for marketers and PR folks to keep a pulse on the conversation surrounding brands on the web while also maintaining relationships with writers, bloggers and other influencers who are starting these conversations. There has been an emergence of “social CRMs” that help brand marketers and PR reps follow the buzz on the web. TechCrunch contributor Brian Solis recently wrote about the importance of both real-time monitoring and engagement in the social CRM space following TechCrunch’s Real-Time Stream event.
Buzzstream, an Austin-based startup, has developed a social CRM and monitoring tool that is worth a look. Buzzstream’s application will automatically convert any blog or news story into a profile complete with author contact information, their requisite social networks information (Twitter handle, Facebook page), and also shows metrics for the writers’ publications.
Today, Buzzstream is launching a new version of the CRM which will not only easily create a dossier-like file system for relationships, but will monitor blogs, news, twitter, video sites, images, Q&A sites and bookmarks for writers, brands and topics. You will also be able to automatically track brand mentions across the web in real-time. And the application will grade contacts and articles for influence Uusing engagement and traffic metrics like Compete traffic, number of comments, Diggs, Tweets, etc.) Buzzstream’s CRM hopes not only simplify and organize engagement for PR reps and marketers but also wants to serve as a valuable tracking and monitoring tool. Buzzstream’s cost is $49 per month for a single-user account and $99 per month for a multiple-user account.
We have 200 beta invites for Buzzstream’s product here.
Of course, there are other products out there that perform similar functions. Scout Labs, Viralheat and Filtrbox are just a few of the many startups out there that help monitor brands and topics. Highrise and Buzzgain offer social CRMs targeted towards the PR and marketing communities. But Buzzstream’s advantage is in its ability to provide a tracking tool with a CRM that helps to develop, engage and maintain relationships.