The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic uncertainty has meant that PR agencies are under more pressure than ever to defend their budgets. And, while money is often tight, client expectations are also at an all time high \u2013 as they look for comms experts to help them navigate fast-changing customer behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This double-edged sword means that measurement and evaluation has become increasingly important too. Indeed, while in the past, agencies have employed a \u201cset it and forget it\u201d approach to media monitoring, the savviest PR leaders now consider it to be a competitive advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So how do PR agencies go about getting the most out of a media monitoring program? Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s tech out there now to monitor everything, but that doesn\u2019t mean that you should. It can be easy to drown or data or get caught up in looking at \u2018vanity\u2019 metrics \u2013 those big numbers which don\u2019t directly relate to what you\u2019re trying to achieve. It\u2019s crucial instead to focus on your campaign goals at all times. If your ambition is to increase goodwill towards a product or wider brand, for example, sentiment testing is key. Or if it\u2019s to \u2018own\u2019 a particular topic, look at how often your client\u2019s name is associated with it, in comparison with other companies who might be fighting for the same airspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re already monitoring for a client in a specific business sector, you\u2019ll likely be reviewing content that is either about or would affect other companies in the same industry. This could lead you to potential new clients facing the same challenges, and you can pitch from a position of knowledge and understanding of the industry sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember that new business doesn\u2019t always have to mean new clients\u2014it can also come from existing clients facing new challenges. Use your monitoring tools to identify areas of interest that can or do have an impact on your clients, and you could be well on your way to expanding an existing client relationship when you show them how you can help them address new issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also crucial is using monitoring to demonstrate your value, putting firm metrics on the impact you\u2019re having on your clients\u2019 business. All too often, PR is viewed as a \u2018cost center\u2019 rather than a value creator, and monitoring can have a significant role in addressing this misconception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Media monitoring efforts can also help your team build relationships with journalists and other influencers. By paying attention to bylines that frequently appear in coverage, you can develop a strong understanding of what a specific journalist or influencer cares about, how they cover a story, and you\u2019ll get a sense of the style of coverage they tend towards. If this is made an ongoing process, it can save a lot of time when you go to pitch a story\u2014and make your approaches more likely to resonate with journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same holds true for influencers\u2014use your media monitoring efforts to learn more about key influencers and you\u2019ll be better positioned to approach them when working with your clients on a campaign. Indeed, we recently ran a webinar on just this topic \u2013 if you\u2019re keen to learn more, check it out<\/span>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The smarter agencies are also using monitoring to track clients competitors, their own competitors and the industry trends that are shaping the markets in which they work. They look at what content is being consumers, by who, and where, to pinpoint where potential clients and customers are interested in at any point in their buying journey. They understand the journey potential clients follow when looking for information on a particular topic, too, so that their messages can be seen in multiple places, by the same group of people they want to influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, the most important part of maximizing your media monitoring efforts is to think outside your \u201cnormal\u201d uses for media monitoring. If you\u2019re just using monitoring to track your efforts on behalf of your clients, that\u2019s only part of the picture. You should consider tracking the efforts of competitors\u2014either your clients\u2019 or your own. You can also monitor to track stories that are emerging that might make for a good springboard for a pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maximizing your media monitoring, and engaging with a partner who can help<\/span><\/strong>, will allow you to get the most out of your efforts. And, the beauty of the ideas outlined above is that most won\u2019t take a huge amount of time to set up, or conduct on a regular basis\u2014and the rewards for a small amount of effort can be significant. In our next piece we\u2019ll take a more in-depth look at what, and how, to measure \u2013 so do keep your eyes peeled for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic uncertainty has meant that PR agencies are under more pressure than ever to defend their budgets. And, while money is often tight, client expectations are also at an all time high \u2013 as they look for comms experts to help them navigate fast-changing customer behaviour. This double-edged sword […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":3112,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[329],"the_measurement_standard":[345],"creator":[211],"class_list":["post-3096","tms","type-tms","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-media-monitoring-analysis","the_measurement_standard-media-monitoring-analysis","creator-gareth-owens"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n4. Track trends, competitors and so much more<\/h2>\n\n\n\n