This may seem like a bold statement for us to make, but here we go. Social intelligence can’t tell you everything.

It has limitations and flaws, like any product, and we aren’t afraid to tackle these limitations head-on.

At our recent Happy Hour, Senior Solutions Consultant at Brandwatch Chris McCormick tackled some important use-cases for social data directly. He asked the questions every analyst and marketer wants to know.

• Can social platforms stop an impending crisis?
• Can social data correctly predict political outcomes?
• And most importantly, can social data help Chris find a wife?

Read on to find out the answers.

Can social intelligence stop an impending crisis?

We can’t use social data to prevent a crisis but it can detect them, monitor them and help to minimize their impact.

You can track keywords which relate to your brand or industry and set up alerts to make sure you’re aware of any spikes in conversations.

You can also use social intelligence to track the unexpected. Our feature Signals alerts you in real-time to emerging trends and sudden increase in the conversation around your brand.

Can social data correctly predict political outcomes?

We’ve tackled this subject multiple times with the recent Brexit and Presidential campaigns respectively, and we have always come to the same conclusion.

There are too many variables to positively predict the outcome via social.

However, you can use social data to find out more about those who express their political views online. You can group them into audiences and determine their influence, what characteristics they share, and what their passions are.

Although you may not be able to accurately predict political outcomes you will be able to get a better perspective of voters, this can assist in the creation of future campaigns. The same theory can also be applied to your brand and industry to gather market research.

Can social data help Chris find a wife?

Chris has been searching high and low to find a love interest who appreciates his beautiful auburn locks.

He decided to use Brandwatch to find a partner using the ‘kiss a ginger’ hashtag.

After narrowing down the mentions by intent using the phrases “want to”, “gorgeous” and “sexy”, Chris was able to find women who wanted to pucker-up with a ginger.

He changed the demographics to suit his personal preferences – he wanted a lady friend based in the UK – and he then had his pick of the bunch.

So, although social data has not found Chris a wife yet, he certainly has lots of choice – and a restraining order.

If you want to hear more about the capabilities of social listening you can watch to Chris’ Facebook Live talk here