Comprehensive Data Sources: Voyage gathers data from a diverse range of platforms, including major social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as online forums, blogs, and other relevant sources frequented by international students. This multi-platform approach captures a wide spectrum of opinions and discussions relevant to the international education sector.

Targeted Data Collection: Voyage focuses on topics specifically relevant to international students, ensuring that the data collected is directly applicable to the needs and interests of this target audience. This targeted approach avoids the potential biases that can arise from focusing solely on trending topics or general keywords.

Large-Scale Data Collection: Voyage prioritises collecting large volumes of data to minimise the impact of outliers or random fluctuations. This extensive dataset provides a more accurate and reliable representation of the overall sentiment and opinions within the international student community.

Advanced Data Cleaning: Voyage employs rigorous cleaning and filtering processes to remove irrelevant information, spam, and duplicate content. This ensures that the data used for analysis is of the highest quality and relevance.

AI-Powered Sentiment Analysis with Human Expertise: Voyage leverages cutting-edge AI technology to analyse sentiment in social media data. This AI model understands full sentences, accurately determines attitudes, and even grasps basic sarcasm and irony. To further refine the analysis, a team of sector experts with deep knowledge of international students and the education sector review and validate the AI-generated sentiment scores. This combination of AI and human expertise guarantees the accuracy and reliability of the sentiment analysis.

X (Twitter): Likes + Reposts (Retweets) + Replies

Facebook: Shares + Likes + Comments

Instagram: Likes + Comments

LinkedIn: Shares + Likes + Comments

Reddit: Reddit Score + Comments

Reach and amplification: How far is the conversation spreading? Is it being shared by influential accounts or reaching a broad audience? Look for signs of the conversation being picked up by news outlets, industry leaders, or other key figures.

Sentiment analysis: What is the overall sentiment surrounding the conversation? Are people expressing positive, negative, or mixed emotions? Understanding the sentiment can help assess the potential impact on brand reputation or public opinion.

Conversation depth: Is the conversation superficial or are people engaging in meaningful discussions? Look for signs of thoughtful comments, debates, or questions being asked. Deeper conversations often indicate a higher level of interest and engagement.

Emerging themes: Are there recurring themes or patterns in the conversation? Identifying these themes can help understand the underlying concerns, motivations, or interests driving the discussion.

Comparison to benchmarks: How does the conversation compare to similar discussions in the past or within the industry? Benchmarking can help assess whether the current conversation is unusually significant or in line with typical patterns.

Context: What is the broader context in which the conversation is happening? Are there current events, industry trends, or other factors that might be influencing the discussion?

Audience: Who is participating in the conversation? Are they your target audience, potential customers, or other key stakeholders? Understanding the audience can help gauge the potential impact of the conversation.

Long-term impact: Will the conversation have a lasting impact or is it a fleeting trend? Consider whether the issues raised are likely to continue to be relevant in the future.

Tailored Approach: Voyage takes a tailored approach to sample size determination, considering the specific research goals, target audience, and desired level of statistical confidence for each project. We work closely with clients to understand their unique needs and objectives.

Expertise in Statistical Analysis: Voyage employs experienced data scientists and statisticians who are well-versed in the nuances of social media data and sampling methodologies. They apply rigorous statistical techniques to calculate optimal sample sizes based on various factors, including population size, margin of error, confidence level, variability, and statistical power.

Focus on International Education: Voyage has extensive experience in the international education sector, allowing us to understand the specific challenges and considerations when determining sample sizes for this audience. We are familiar with the regional differences, platform preferences, and data availability issues that can impact sample size calculations.

Large-Scale Data Collection: Voyage prioritises collecting large volumes of data from diverse sources, including major social media platforms, forums, blogs, and other relevant online communities. This extensive dataset provides a robust foundation for analysis and allows for greater flexibility in sample size determination.

Continuous Monitoring and Adjustment: Voyage doesn't just set a sample size and forget about it. We continuously monitor the data collection process and adjust the sample size as needed to ensure the accuracy and reliability of our findings. This dynamic approach allows us to adapt to changing trends and emerging conversations within the international student community.

Targeted Data Collection: We start by carefully defining your target audience based on demographics (age, gender, nationality, etc.), interests, and online behaviour. We then tailor our data collection to focus on relevant platforms, communities, and discussions frequented by this specific audience.

Quantitative Analysis: We analyse the demographic distribution of our collected data, comparing it to known statistics about the international student population. This includes factors like nationality, age range, gender ratio, and location. We look for any significant deviations that could indicate a potential bias in our sample.

Qualitative Validation: We go beyond numbers by conducting qualitative analysis of the conversations themselves. Our team of experts, with deep knowledge of the international education sector, examines the content of the discussions to ensure it aligns with the concerns, interests, and language used by international students. We also look for any patterns or themes that might be overrepresented or underrepresented in our data.

Comparison with Benchmarks: We compare our data to industry benchmarks and other relevant data sources to assess its representativeness. This can include data from government agencies, educational institutions, or other reputable organisations.

Continuous Monitoring and Adjustment: We continuously monitor the data collection process and make adjustments as needed to ensure ongoing representativeness. This includes refining our search queries, expanding our data sources, and adjusting our filtering criteria.

Feedback Loop with Clients: We actively engage with our clients throughout the process, seeking their feedback and input on the representativeness of the data. This collaborative approach ensures that the data we provide aligns with their specific needs and expectations.

Increase in Volume: A significant and sustained increase in mentions of a specific topic, keyword, or hashtag over a defined period can indicate a trend. This increase should be compared to historical data and industry benchmarks to determine if it's a significant deviation.

Velocity of Change: The speed at which the volume of mentions is increasing is also important. A rapid rise in mentions can signal a viral trend, while a slower but steady increase might indicate a more sustained trend.

Breadth of Conversation: Look at the diversity of sources discussing the topic. Is it limited to a small group or is it being discussed across different demographics, regions, and platforms? A wider breadth of conversation suggests a more widespread trend.

Engagement Levels: High levels of engagement (likes, shares, comments) on posts related to the topic indicate that it's resonating with people and has the potential to become a trend.

Sentiment Analysis: Analyse the sentiment associated with the topic. Is it largely positive, negative, or mixed? Positive sentiment can fuel a trend, while negative sentiment might indicate a potential crisis or backlash.

Emerging Themes: Identify recurring themes or patterns in the conversations. What are people saying about the topic? Are there specific concerns, opinions, or perspectives that are gaining traction?

Influencer Activity: Are influencers or key opinion leaders in your industry discussing the topic? Their endorsement can amplify a trend and increase its reach.

Media Coverage: Has the topic been picked up by traditional media outlets? Media coverage can legitimise a trend and bring it to a wider audience.

Context: Consider the broader context in which the conversation is taking place. Are there current events, industry developments, or cultural shifts that might be driving the trend?

Audience: Who is talking about the topic? Is it your target audience or a different demographic? Understanding your audience can help you determine the relevance and potential impact of the trend.

Longevity: Is the trend likely to be short-lived or have a lasting impact? Some trends are fleeting, while others can shape consumer behavior and industry practices for years to come.

Scheduled Web Crawling: Our web crawlers systematically revisit websites, including news sites, blogs, and forums, to gather new content and update our searchable mentions archive. The frequency of these visits is tailored to each source's typical posting schedule, ensuring that new content is captured promptly and efficiently.

Advanced AI-Powered Data Flow: In addition to web crawling, Voyage utilises a sophisticated AI-driven data flow for more nuanced analysis. This process involves natural language processing (NLP) to fully classify the collected data, enriching it with valuable insights and deeper understanding. The NLP-enhanced data seamlessly populates our dashboards, providing users with a comprehensive and actionable view of the online conversation.

Identifying Key Terms: We collaborate with you to identify the specific names, acronyms, variations, and misspellings associated with your institution. This comprehensive list ensures we capture all relevant mentions, even those with minor variations.

Crafting Targeted Queries: We create complex search queries that combine these key terms with additional filters like location, language, date range, and specific platforms. This ensures that we only capture conversations that are directly relevant to your institution and target audience.

Refining with Boolean Operators: We leverage Boolean operators to further refine our search. For example, using "AND" to combine your institution's name with specific keywords like "study abroad" or "campus life" helps isolate highly relevant conversations.

Excluding Irrelevant Mentions: The "NOT" operator is used to exclude irrelevant terms or phrases that might otherwise appear in search results. This helps to eliminate noise and focus on the most meaningful conversations.

Monitoring Brand Mentions: We track mentions of your brand across various social media platforms, news articles, blogs, and forums. This allows us to understand how your institution is being perceived and discussed online.

Tracking Competitors: We can also monitor conversations about your competitors to gain valuable insights into their strategies and identify areas where your institution can differentiate itself.

Analysing Sentiment: We use advanced sentiment analysis tools to gauge the overall tone and emotion of the conversations surrounding your institution. This helps you understand how your brand is being perceived and identify potential areas for improvement.

Location-Specific Filters: We can apply geographic filters to our search queries, focusing on specific countries, states/provinces, or cities. This allows us to isolate conversations happening within the desired destination market.

Language Targeting: We can filter conversations by language to ensure we're capturing discussions relevant to the target market's primary language(s). This is especially important for destinations with multilingual populations.

Keyword Customisation: We can tailor our search queries to include keywords and phrases specific to the destination market. This might include local government policies, cultural references, or popular terms used in that region.

Competitive Analysis: We can monitor conversations about competing destinations to gain insights into their strengths and weaknesses, helping you identify opportunities for differentiation and competitive advantage.

Trend Identification: We can track emerging trends and topics relevant to the destination market. This could include new destination markets, changing preferences, or evolving student behaviors.

Sentiment Analysis: We can analyse and compare the sentiment of conversations about the destination to gauge overall perception and identify potential areas for improvement.

Targeted Keyword Selection: We can tailor our search queries to include keywords and phrases specifically relevant to domestic students, such as "ATAR" "student life," "UAC" "VTAC" or "HECS." We can also include terms related to specific institutions or programs of interest.

Demographic Filtering: We can apply demographic filters to our search to focus on conversations from users within the desired age range and location for domestic students. This helps ensure we're capturing the most relevant opinions and sentiments.

Sentiment Analysis: Our AI-powered sentiment analysis tool can accurately gauge the emotional tone of domestic student conversations, identifying positive, negative, or neutral sentiments. We can then analyse these sentiments to understand the overall satisfaction levels, concerns, and preferences of domestic students.

Theme Identification: By analysing the content of domestic student conversations, we can identify recurring themes and topics that are important to them. This could include discussions about course quality, campus facilities, student support services, or financial pressures.

Comparison Analysis: We can compare domestic student sentiment to that of international students or other relevant groups. This allows us to identify any significant differences in perception or experience.

Unfiltered and Unsolicited Opinions: Unlike surveys or focus groups, social media listening captures the unfiltered and unsolicited opinions of individuals, providing a more authentic view of what people truly think and feel about your institution or destination.

Real-Time Monitoring: While traditional surveys and reports provide snapshots of data at specific points in time, Voyage's platform offers real-time monitoring of online conversations. This allows you to track sentiment and trends as they happen, enabling you to respond quickly to emerging issues or opportunities.

Comprehensive Data Coverage: Free sources, including native social platform searches, often have limited access to data, focusing on specific platforms or keywords, and may not include historical data. Voyage's platform aggregates data from a vast range of sources, including major social networks, forums, blogs, and news sites, providing a more comprehensive view of the online conversation over time.

Advanced Sentiment Analysis: While many free tools offer basic sentiment analysis, Voyage's AI-powered platform goes deeper, understanding nuances, sarcasm, and context to provide a more accurate and nuanced understanding of sentiment.

Targeted Insights: Voyage's platform allows for highly customised searches, enabling you to focus on specific demographics, regions, or topics relevant to your institution or destination. This level of granularity is often not available in free sources or basic native platform searches.

Competitive Intelligence: Voyage's platform can track conversations about your competitors, providing valuable insights into their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses. This information can help you identify opportunities for differentiation and competitive advantage.

Trend Identification: Voyage's platform can identify emerging trends and topics before they become mainstream, giving you a head start in responding to new developments and adapting your strategies. This goes beyond the trending topics or hashtags that might be visible on native social platforms.

Expert Analysis and Reporting: Voyage's team of experts can provide in-depth analysis and reporting of the data, translating raw data into actionable insights and recommendations tailored to your specific needs. This level of expertise and support is not typically available through free tools or native platform searches.