Finding a solution to traditional media monitoring

Traditionally, media monitoring solutions have only been seen as a problem for Communications professionals. While PR teams have always strived for ways to deliver greater strategic value and align more closely with both their C-suite and wider business objectives, the time-consuming and often cost-prohibitive task of monitoring the media for coverage and opportunities held them back.

Conversations were had with account managers of monitoring providers, complicated and inefficient boolean strings were created and yet stories slipped through the cracks – in short, media monitoring can be a chore.

CIPR’s State of the Profession 19/20 report echoes that frustration:

“Despite calls for public relations professionals to shift away from tactics towards strategic influence, practitioners are still overwhelmingly engaged in tactical delivery.”

With a greater focus on tactical delivery, opportunities to influence strategy are limited by the ability to ingest, digest and act on the vast amount of global information available. As content continues to be democratised – and the vast volume of data grows – PR teams are focused on supporting those tactical activities and reinforcing the status quo. They are effectively fighting an endless battle.

As a result, vital strategic work is deprioritised and opportunities for strategic influence and support of key business objectives are lost. Without the ability to show the true strategic value of comms by aligning with overall business objectives, the perception of PR as a cost centre grows.

Expanding media monitoring with AI

But a platform that automates media monitoring – with adaptable searches and without the need to maintain boolean strings – can slash the time it takes to find coverage and scan for opportunities, thereby providing a solution the tactical burden on comms.

Media is a pool of information to be mined and organisations can monitor more than just themselves and their direct competitors. By cutting the time and effort out of monitoring the day-to-day, Communications teams can expand what it means to ‘monitor the media’ and ask more strategic questions about their business, competitors, industry, supply chain and more.

With AI-powered media monitoring solutions, PR & Comms can redefine efforts to augment strategic decision making, while simultaneously boosting their internal reputation within the organisation.

In this eGuide, we’ll delve into how an AI-powered media monitoring tool can help elevate the work of PR from the tactical to the strategic in the four key areas of responsibility: proactive reputation management, reactive reputation management, horizon scanning, and performance measurement and stakeholder reporting.