Media monitoring is a complex process of keeping track of various forms of media. Classic media forms like print and broadcasting are within the category of monitored media. Most of the news stories today, though, are online. That is why online media monitoring is the most relevant process in 2021.
Professionals from various fields make use of the process:
They collect and analyze different data sets from the constant media stream. Once they collect the information they need, the experts apply it in their research.
Media Monitoring for Commercial Purposes
Most companies hire third-party contractors to carry out media monitoring for them. The services traditionally come with a monthly subscription. Why do they need that? The most common reason a business needs regular quality media monitoring is to know how customers and the wider society respond to their products.
In traditional media, media monitoring professionals within the public relations agency would record radio and television broadcasts and collect clippings from print publications. When they enter the online world, things become a tad more complex. In addition to data from official online media outlets, they have to keep track of:
At the end of each month, they prepare a report that gives the business an impression of the public’s attitude toward their product.
Social media has made things for businesses both more accessible and more complex. On the one hand, companies can reach a wider audience for a fraction of the price of advertising on TV and in print. On the other hand, a successful online marketing campaign creates a lot of customer engagement. Social media monitoring services include keeping track of comments made on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The wisest thing a business can do is answer comments made on their official social media accounts. They should respond to as many customers as quickly as possible. That includes negative comments. Some businesses make the mistake of deleting negative comments. While that can be somewhat intuitive, the law of the internet states at least one person online has already seen that comment. It doesn’t matter how quick the deletion was.
Regular media monitoring reports help businesses keep track of their customer engagement on social media. They provide valuable insights into the way the company manages the feedback they receive from customers. If a problematic trend occurs, the report can help the business make the necessary adjustments.
In the past, the burden of media monitoring fell on the shoulders of analysts exclusively. The only technologies that found application in the process were video and audio-recording equipment. Text recognition software and speedy text scanners also appeared at some stage. The recent trend is toward automation of the process. Data mining and machine learning find a much broader application. It’s all good news for businesses and analysts alike. Automation allows for broader scale, more accurate media monitoring for much less money. It’s all about the future and making use of the gift’s technology keeps on giving.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_monitoring