Today’s reports claim Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) to have launched, with the help of brand analytics leader DataSift, a new insights product called “Topic Data” in the UK and USA. According to the social network:
“Topic data shows marketers what audiences are saying on Facebook about events, brands, subjects and activities. A business selling a hair de-frizzing product can see demographics on the people talking about humidity’s effects on their hair.”
While everyone’s posting status updates about how frizzy their hair is, a brand could step up its ad spend knowing it’s the perfect time to reach potential customers. Sentiment, location, volume of mentions and words often mentioned alongside a brand can be pulled, too.Because much of Facebook’s data is private, unlike Twitter, offering Topic Data in a privacy-safe way is a top concern and might explain why Facebook waited so long to offer this functionality that brands have been begging for. To ensure personal info isn’t divulged, Topic Data is aggregated and anonymized, so brands can’t know or piece together exactly who said what.
DataSift hands the analytics tool back anonymized statistical data about posts that match the query since it was issued that can be formed into charts and insights, or bundled with social analytics from other networks.
More examples Facebook gives for how to use Topic Data include:
- A fashion retailer could see the clothing items its target audience is talking about to decide which products to stock.
- A brand can see how people are talking about their brand or industry to measure brand sentiment.
When Twitter opened its Firehose to this kind of analysis a few years back, it spawned an entire ecosystem of data interpreters, including Adobe Social, Brand watch, Crimson Hexagon, Social Metrix and DataSift itself, which was one of only a few companies allowed to sell the full Twitter Firehose at one point. Facebook will authorize a limited, undisclosed list of tools it’s already working with to access its Firehose through DataSift.
