No one likes a fool’s errand, and that’s exactly how a lot of business owners feel when it comes to social media. How much are you supposed to do? Does it make any difference? Is anyone listening to me? These are just some of the questions I come across when talking with different business owners. And because there’s little measurement or science involved, most business owners fatally shy away from the social web.

But it was just a matter of time before supply caught up with demand, and SocialFlow is a great example of that. Launched in 2011, the relatively new platform has already been heralded as the world’s first and only social media engagement optimization technology. With a formal partnership with Twitter, SocialFlow delivers analytics to help users push the best possible content. With their Optimized Publisher and the Social Flow Attention Score, they’ve bridged the content marketing gap most small businesses fell into.

SocialFlow’s Optimized Publisher manages and maximizes your Twitter and Facebook accounts. Users get real-time analytics, including the ability to find out who likes you, comments, retweets, number of clicks, interactions, audience activity – all on a streamlined dashboard that makes understanding the data a breeze. But when it comes to publishing analytics, they go above and beyond stats and into intelligence gathering with single message reporting that gives you the stats for every message you send. Your message also includes a real-time resonance predictor that gauges how well or poorly it might be received.

SocialFlow’s trademarked AttentionScore is essentially a content marketing tool. Think of it as a more customized version of Klout integrated into a dashboard you’re already on. But while Klout is about measuring your web worth, AttentionScore is about measuring the real-time worth of your content based on the message or on the account as a whole, or even down to more intricate complexities like seasonal topic shifts and niche topics. The platform also measures your metrics against mainstream trends or trends among your audience. Use the results to determine what and when you should be publishing so you can increase your exposure, attention and engagement through a more streamlined and systematic approach.

The real-time factor is also constantly assessed and reassessed so your information is up to date, all of which can be measured against overall content performance. You’ll also be privy to what readers are clicking on, which gives you a really neat customized version of real-time web analytics.

Users can plug SocialFlow into WordPress, Drupal, Hootsuite and Engage121, to name a few. All industries can benefit from SocialFlow, including online retailers, content management systems and anyone who uses Facebook or Twitter to push their content and build their brand. It’s also great for marketing companies and boutique agencies offering clients customized marketing services. Hosting clients like Etsy, Pepsi, The New York Library and many more, it’s clear SocialFlow has already attracted a diverse group of users. Small business owners shouldn’t be deterred from usage just because bigger names are using them too. With a reasonable price point starting at $99, any budget should be able to accommodate the platform. SocialFlow also offers a free trial and an attractive $1/first month deal.

The only criticism to be found is that SocialFlow didn’t come out a whole lot sooner.

Author Bio:

by Shireen Qudosi

Shireen Qudosi is Benchmark Email's Online Marketing Specialist and Small Business Advocate. An Orange County based writer, Shireen specializes in online marketing and public relations. She has written for over 75 publications and has launched nine successful new media campaigns to date. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Denver Post, the Oklahoman and Green Air Radio, among others.