5 Top Reasons social media monitoring is important for PR
Social media monitoring is a must for any brand. This is the constant barometer that keeps a brand in touch with reality. Any PR agency must constantly do social media monitoring to stay ahead of the game.
Analytics firm Talkwalker’s CEO Robert Glaesener mentioned in PR WEEK that “Broadly, we can distinguish two types of social media, “The ones more prone to emotions – Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube – where engagement, tone, sentiment and repeat viewership will be key. The other type is more factual, real-time and informational: Twitter, online media comments, message boards. Exposure, impact and advocacy will be key.” Monitoring these brings big benefits.
PR Tracking made easy
Media scanning is passe. This was a mundane job that involved looking through newspapers and magazines for a mention of the brand. Today, both PR mentions in traditional media online and social media mentions can be identified in a few clicks using the advanced monitoring tools available.
Transform negatives into positives
Social media is a double-edged sword for PR, since it provides instant and free publicity, it’s a boon but the bane is that fake news or negative news can spread like wildfire too. For modern PR practitioners, it’s very important to keep track of social media and monitor it frequently. Unlike the earlier generation of PR specialists, today one needs to be tech savvy too. When negative news pops up, it’s important that a brand is quick to act and start damage control too.
Negative news apart, customers post both their positive and negative feedback on social media. Smart brands will not ignore the complaints and address them quickly and efficiently. This will help to achieve customer delight and rebuilt credibility and trust. Most customers whose problems have been effectively addressed will also be the first to refer the brand to someone else. Thus, business is bound to increase.
Measure the success of campaigns
Social media campaigns may be plenty but it’s easy and simple to find out how successful your campaign has been. Metrics are easily available, this helps marketers clearly pinpoint what’s working and what’s not. This allows one to continue the campaign or restructure it foe better reach.
Discover great influencers
Celebrities or experts in a particular field are usually followed on social media by those interested in the subject. For instance, a fashion model who posts trendy pictures is likely to be followed by the fashion conscious especially youngsters who will want to mimic her style. A head honcho in a reputed company who writes blogs may be followed by those in that industry. They exert a lot of influence and command not just a big following but plenty of respect too. Brands can work out a successful collaboration which would benefit both.
Anticipate the future
Social media reveals a lot about brand perceptions and interpretation of public opinion. Spending adequate time on social media monitoring can help anticipate the future trend of the brand and work towards correcting issues.
