With more and more people joining social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, companies are also turning to those sites – not to play games like Mafia Wars or upload family photos, but to do marketing, gather customer data and, with the help of social media analytics software and text mining tools, find out what the public is saying about their business.

But is social media analytics just for retail companies, or can organizations in other verticals also leverage the emerging business intelligence (BI) technology?

In this e-guide, you’ll find expert advice, news and best-practice tips to help you decide if social media analytics is right for your business. You’ll also learn about the maturity level of social media analytics software and the skills and cultural attributes that companies need to have for a successful social media analytics project.