Investors will be able to expand their research capabilities through Twitter with a new platform being introduced by TD Ameritrade Inc., the firm announced Tuesday.

Retail investors will be able to conduct social research on publicly traded equities and the companies’ associated brands through Twitter in brokerage accounts at TD Ameritrade. TD Ameritrade says it is the first firm to offer investors this service and plans to expand its capabilities during the year.

The research capabilities are being made available through an agreement between TD Ameritrade and SwanPowers LLC, which will filter and analyze the data.

Tracking social media sentiment and volume through Twitter can help investors see trends and judge a company’s health and future prospects compared to its competitors, TD Ameritrade says. Similar tracking tools have only been available previously through professional trading platforms, TD Ameritrade says.

“Industry trends and our own research show us that engaged investors view Twitter as a destination of choice for getting a more comprehensive view of how a public company and its associated brands are faring,” says Kevin Finn, managing director of eCommerce at TD Ameritrade. “Consumers are continuing to weave social media into their daily routines, so we thought it was important to continue to level the investment playing field for our retail clients.”

Investors will be able to see a list sorted by relevance of tweets, the total number of tweets about a company and its related brands that have been posted in the last week, the percentage of positive tweets, and a list of the top most talked about companies and products.

One module will show the most-shared links relevant to traders and investors about companies and brands, as well as other topics of high interest.

“For the first time, retail investors can get crowdsourced market insight and up-to-the-minute intelligence on a company and its products and brands,” Finn says.