Media intelligence is the act of monitoring the media to see what’s being said about a specific brand, product, or individual. In the old days, it consisted of watching talk shows, reading newspapers, and conducting focus groups. These days, it’s an automated process that utilises advanced AI to trawl blogs, news sites, social networks, and other outlets for pertinent information.
It’s an essential part of every brand’s marketing strategy, but it’s also something that can be used to build a personal brand.
What is a Personal Brand?
The concept of a “personal brand” didn’t appear until the late 1990s, but it’s only in the last decade or so that it has really been thrust into the public consciousness. Essentially, you are a brand, and how you market yourself will determine everything from your level of fame to your success and career progression.
It’s something that we often associate with influencers, a profession that lives and dies on public perception. But in this interconnected, always-online world, it applies to all of us. Whether you’re launching a brand as an SEO agency, trying to become the next Kim Kardashian, or just establishing yourself as an expert/professional, you need to think about your personal brand.
How Media Intelligence Can Help Your Personal Brand
You don’t need to have a multi-million dollar company to benefit from media intelligence services. They can also help a personal brand by providing the following benefits:
You Can Manage Crisis Situations
Influencers are perhaps more susceptible to “cancel culture” than big brands. A single misguided post could take them from the highest highs to the lowest lows in a matter of minutes. What’s surprising, however, is that these events don’t always happen instantly.
The influencer’s fanbase is the first to watch the videos, see the images, or read the posts, and they tend to be overly positive. Only when that content filters to the general public does the wave of criticism start.
By monitoring the media, you can catch these issues before they spiral out of control. You’ll discover why people are angry and what kind of reaction they’re looking for. As a result, you won’t be frantically scrambling for damage control while the storm is raging and can create a plan of action while it is brewing.
You Can Hop On the Latest Trends
Trends come and go quickly in this digital world. Oftentimes, by the time you learn about a trend, perform an analysis, and then prepare to jump on the bandwagon, it’s already too late.
Media intelligence will tell you about the upcoming trends before everyone knows about them and is tired of them. It looks for key markers in social media discussions, online searches, and more to dissect public perception and predict how a trend is likely to evolve.
It’s not just about hijacking content trends, either. You can also practice newsjacking, whereby you jump on a trend the moment it reaches the general public. So, if everyone is talking about something that happened during a live TV show, you can learn about it within minutes and join the conversation, as opposed to getting the facts tomorrow when people have stopped caring.
See What Other Brands Are Doing
You’re unique, but not entirely. It doesn’t matter what you do or how you do it, there are others out there who do something similar. On the rare occasions that you are 100% unique, there will be hundreds of copycats as soon as you achieve a modicum of fame.
You can’t stop those copycats, and you can’t guarantee that you’ll equal the success of people who do the same as you. But you can keep track of what they’re doing and judge how the public is reacting.
It will tell you whether what they’re doing is working and whether there is any room for something similar. Imitation is the best form of flattery, and when it’s done properly, it’s also one of the quickest ways to grow a personal brand.
Find Out What Your Public Wants
Much of personal brand building revolves around products and services. To paraphrase Tony Montana, first you get the following, and then you get the money.
But what kind of product or service would your fanbase most appreciate? Should you launch a line of supplements, an SEO agency, a fashion brand, or something else? Not only do you need to pay attention to what your fans are asking for, but you also need to think about their demographic, the latest trends, and even how they react to that product/service once it has been released.
They might praise your efforts to your face, but only because they respect you. What do they actually think? What are they writing in the comment sections and discussing on social media?
A properly implemented media intelligence strategy will provide you with all of this information and more, taking you through the journey of growing your personal brand.
Filter Through the Noise
Effective media intelligence programs don’t simply trawl every instance of your name and then compile that information for you to see. That might be manageable for a very small brand, but it would be absolute chaos for someone with a 7-figure following.
Instead, it highlights key phrases and topics to ensure you’re only getting useful and actionable information. You can focus on the elements that matter the most to your brand, whether that relates to product/service experiences, personal opinions, or upcoming trends.
Summary: Media Intelligence for Your Personal Brand
If you’re starting a personal brand, trying to reach the next stage in your journey, or just hoping to get a read on what people think, media intelligence services can help. At A Data Pro, we can track key data points related to your brand to help you understand what mainstream and social media is saying about you.We provide tailor-made media intelligence reports and also offer a range of editorial services. Contact us today to learn what A Data Pro and media intelligence can do for your brand.
