Every brand has PR objectives they want to achieve, and what better way to ensure that you win the PR account than by showing your potential client
exactly how you will help them achieve those goals.
You may be wondering, ‘but how do I do that?’
Fear not, because
media update’s Aisling McCarthy has uncovered six ways that media intelligence reports can be used to build leaner, meaner, data-based PR strategies that will be sure to land you the gig!
Here are six of the ways that a media intelligence can help you build better PR strategies:
1. Identify media strengths
Before you can tackle the ways to improve your potential client’s PR, start by identifying the areas where they are performing well.
A media intelligence provider,
like Focal Points, will be able to offer you comprehensive reports that highlight the strengths in your potential client’s current strategy.
There’s no point in focussing your efforts into an area that the client is already doing well in — and they need to know that! Spending time and valuable resources on PR for areas that are already doing well will see your efforts go to waste.
The ability to identify areas of successful PR will let the client know that you have done your research. A media intelligence report can give you all the data you need to backup your pitch.
2. Identify media weaknesses
Armed with the knowledge of what your potential new client is doing right, it’s time to get down to the real matter at hand — proving that YOU can better their PR.
The best way to identify where the client is not performing at their peak is to understand their PR objectives. Once you know what they want to achieve, you’ll be able to assess how well they are performing.
For example, if they want to align themselves with a particular message, ie., sustainability, then you can use your media intelligence report to see if that message comes through in editorial content and on social media.
If you notice that the social media content that they put out
does project the message that they want to, but the editorial content — written by other people — does not, you could focus your PR strategy on fixing that issue. Perhaps your efforts would be best spent ensuring the brand’s message was stronger and better understood to ensure that future editorial content shared the right message.
3. Competitor comparison
Your strategy will be better shaped by having a deep understanding of your client’s competitors. This is because you need to know what they are up against in order to successfully position them in the market with your PR efforts.
Media intelligence reports can be used to develop a strategy to retain market share and to differentiate your client from their competitors.
For example, your client may want to work on a new advertising campaign that highlights their CSI into recycling. However, your media intelligence report could show that one of their competitors has been posting about the importance of recycling in a similar way.
Using this information, you’ll be able to guide and help them to adjust their campaign to ensure they stand out and don’t post content that is too similar.
4. Ranking media coverage
If your potential client sponsors events fairly regularly, you can use your media intelligence report to identify how much of the published media content is
actually about the brand and how much simply mentions the brand’s name.
This is an extremely important element to consider when workshopping your PR strategy because all media mentions are not equal. An article focussed on a brand and their identity is far more valuable than a mere mention of the brand’s name as a sponsor.
Use your media intelligence report to show you how many mentions of your client was actually about them and how much only mentioned them as a name. A low percentage of mentions about the brand gives you an opportunity to adjust your PR strategy to fix that.
5. Advert analysis
While most PR professionals won’t be able to steer a client’s advertising strategy, thanks to your media intelligence reports, you can. Media intelligence reports will be able to highlight issues where their advert messages don’t match the editorial content.
For example, after looking at a media intelligence report, you may notice that your client’s adverts are all focussed on sustainability in business, but their press releases and editorial content are all about sport sponsorships — you’ll see a misalignment. Armed with that information, you can work on a strategy to ensure that all of the content about the brand shares the same core message.
The ability to highlight areas where the messaging is not aligned will set you apart from other PR agencies and show your potential client that you are focussed on more than just putting out press releases — you are thinking about their
business as a whole.
6. Industry trends
While the PR industry may be your area of expertise, you might not be too clued-up on the trends in your client’s field. But fear not, because a media intelligence report can help with that too. By looking at the media coverage of the big names in their industry, you’ll quickly be able to ascertain any patterns in their messaging.
For example, you could check to see if there is there a lot of talk about adapting to new technology, legislature or methodologies. If there is, has your client already addressed this topic in their press releases or adverts?
Knowing — and understanding — the trends in your client’s field will give you (and your PR pitches) an edge.
What do you think makes a PR pitch really stand out from the rest? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
Now that you know how to use media intelligence to build better PR strategies, why not share some of that wisdom with your audience? Where, you ask? On you blog, of course! Check out these Five reasons why PR companies need blogs.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy