Investigative due diligence of key management of a target company has been standard practice in M&A deals for decades, but have you examined the most “public” of all public records—social media? One problematic tweet or post, regardless of intent or accuracy, can circle the globe in an instant, with a profound reputational and financial effect on a business.
In this Insights, Lisa Dane discusses how social media analytics may help inform the investment process. Using specialized software to swiftly gather information across multiple social media platforms can identify and measure what people are saying about a company or its management, who is saying it, and how it resonates. It can also reveal who is connected to whom. The results, when blended with other investigative research, may illuminate issues that prospective investors can then address prior to investing.
