Why media intelligence is important, and how to make it work for you

Every mention or reference of a brand, a company or a person contributes to public sentiment about that organisation or individual. Think of a good or bad review of a restaurant, a newspaper article that soured your view of a politician, or a social post recounting a bad experience working for an organisation.  

All these examples show how we use specific information in our day-to-day lives to form our views, help us make decisions, and develop an opinion on the people and organisations. These small fragments of data feed into what is known as Big Data, where important or relevant information can then be extracted and analysed.

What is media intelligence?

For business, Media Intelligence can be an invaluable tool, especially when used the right way. Unlike the common perception, Media Intelligence is more than just a regurgitation of every time you or your brand is mentioned. In fact, there are five very important ways following your news can improve your business and client outcomes. 

Five ways following your news can improve your business

1) Beating the competition 

Sometimes your competitors or industry are dominating the media; good or bad news, it’s important you don’t find yourself out of the loop. By following the news, you get a better idea of trending topics, themes and tone. Media intelligence can also provide a direct comparison of your brand with others in the industry, giving insight to your performance and reputation in the market. 

2) Opportunity 

Media intelligence can connect businesses with potential clients. Noticing when a potential client is looking for your goods or services creates the opportunity for you to target those needing you. 

3) Crisis management 

Although major problems are always best prevented or avoided, if the worst happens, a strong response is invaluable. You never want to be the last to know about a problem. Media intelligence can track coverage of incidents in real time, keeping you informed in a timely manner and allowing you to prepare when addressing and responding to a crisis.    

4) Satisfying customer experience 

Media intelligence can reveal the current sentiment that customers and clients have for your brand, or can help to find increasing or recurrent issues. Using these tools allows you to meet and exceed expectations to maximise customer experience and retain stakeholders. 

5) In-depth analysis 

Along with your normal brand mentions and media coverage, media intelligence can give insightful depth and detailed analyses to campaigns and projects. Knowing how clients, customers and the media perceive your projects can help to develop a focused, targeted plan to maximise outcomes for future work.  

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Brigitte Colbert is Cannings Purple’s Investor Relations Associate Consultant.

Brigitte works with a range of Cannings Purple’s clients, providing tailored media monitoring services to inform business decisions and strategy.

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