Media analysis is a great tool to gain a better understanding of your brand and competitors. That’s because this type of analysis involves critically assessing the media coverage received by a brand — looking at who said what, about what, in which way as well as when and where it was said.
Having a better understanding of your own brand allows you to focus on the things you need to implement to be a cut above the rest. This is especially vital in a day and age where so many businesses are doing the same thing.
All in all, media analysis can help you become a better brand. Here’s how:
1. Media analysis can teach you about the issues your brand is facing
Have you ever wondered why your brand’s content is not doing as well as it should? For example, let’s say you created a piece of content that you thought to be a show-stopper. You even sent it to well-known publishing agencies in the hopes of getting it published, only to find that … it never made the cut. Or so you think.
It’s often difficult to know whether your content has been published, as well as where your brand is getting mentions in the media. This is where media analysis becomes so handy.
It will show you when your brand was mentioned and where. This gives you a clear direction on the best times to post content or share a press release to reach the highest number of people.
2. Media analysis show you what to do with your brand image
Media analysis picks up exactly what has been said about your brand, meaning when your brand comes up with a new marketing campaign and there is a public backlash from the media, your brand will be notified.
This helps you to better understand what content resonates with your audience — and what doesn’t. Media analysis will show you how your brand image is portrayed in the media. It does this by making use of quantitative analysis, which is based on statistics. In viewing these stats, you can see exactly how people are preserving your brand image.
This type of analysis also makes use of qualitative analysis, which draws on the narrative-side of your data to help you understand how you can better your brand image. For example, the narrative will better explain what those stats mean for your brand.
Having both the stats and the narrative will help you better understand how your image is being portrayed in print and online media.
3. Media analysis reveals the social impact of your brand on the community
People are no longer afraid to speak loudly about the causes they’re passionate about. This often leads to individuals taking to social media or even going onto a podcast to talk about why they are happy with what your brand is doing — or why they are not supporting it.
If you want to make a social impact, but people are not happy with the way your brand is doing it, media analysis can give direction. Utilising this service will enable you to pick up on all the public mentions of your campaign, giving you a clear indication of how consumers are receiving it. You’ll therefore know precisely how your audience perceives you and your campaign.
4. Media analysis can teach you about your competitors
Accessing editorial media and taking note of where your competitors have been mentioned helps you understand where you need to up your game. For example, if you’re Brand X and you want to know where Brand Y was mentioned, you can do that! You can also see which publications are mentioning Brand Y (your opponent) and which ones aren’t, allowing you to get ahead as you’ll be able to get access to a market that’s been untouched.
If you have something new and exciting to share from your industry, you’ll know exactly which publications your competitors make use of and whether they’ve already shared similar ideas.
Media analysis additionally shows you where your competitors are not being mentioned, which means your brand can use it as an opportunity to fill that gap.
5. Media analysis can teach you about the trends surrounding your brand
The moment you receive your analysis report, you will have a clear picture of what content is doing well due to current trends identified within your industry. The same goes for media trends; you will be able to pick up on hot topics within the media and adjust your brand’s message to comply with that specific trend.
Keeping up with current trends will ensure that your brand stays relevant and encourages people to engage with you. Or, at least, share content with other people that might be interested in your products or services.
If you want to learn more about media analysis be sure to read up on these 10 media analysis terms explained.
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