YouGov working on social media measurement

YouGov has announced plans to help businesses more effectively measure the "noise" created on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter.

In a move that could easily justify an investment in social media marketing, the polling body is to begin tracking the tweets/status updates of its 426,000-strong panel of Britons. It will help businesses gain more information about their online reputation, the body claims.

A statement from YouGov (cited by Press Association) read: "The explosive rise of social media and networks has itself become a trending topic that concerns most organisations or businesses interested in public opinion.

"YouGov has been working on two problems not successfully addressed by currently available social media measuring tools - how to obtain robust and actionable data with which to assess the significance of the noise, and how to effectively include Facebook, not just Twitter."

The data collated by YouGov is set to be relayed to companies in real-time, meaning they won't have to wait whilst people are asked questions then able to respond in their own time. Facebook will be a key focus for YouGov, as per the statement, as this reportedly can be a difficult network for businesses to measure properly.

The news comes not long after YouGov posted a fall in profits, down to £2 million; however it has reported growth both in the Nordic countries and the US, potentially meaning its fortunes will soon change.