Choosing the Right Media Monitoring and Analysis Solution

Not surprisingly, I am often asked
about the best solution for meeting someone’s media monitoring and
analysis needs. Of course, I am very biased in favor of CustomScoop, but I also recognize that some solutions may be better fits for certain individuals, organizations, and needs.

That’s why I wrote a white paper on the subject. In it, I try to address some of the questions and dilemmas I most often see:

• Can I get by with a free service like Google News or Google Blogsearch? Sometimes,
  that answer is yes. The paper explains this in more detail, but the
  most basic assessment must be the volume of search terms and clips that
  result. The fewer things you are searching for and the fewer clips it
  returns on a daily basis, the more likely you are to be able to get
  away with free. For instance, most solo bloggers just doing ego
  searches are better off using a free service than paying a company like
  mine.
• If I need a professional service, how do I pick among all the monitoring services out there?
  You need to look very carefully at your needs and make sure that the
  service you select has the tools and information you need to be
  effective. At the same time, you want to make sure you aren’t paying
  for too many bells and whistles that you won’t be taking advantage of.
  Ultimately, it will all come down to your comfort level with the
  solution and the people behind it.
• Should I go it alone on analysis or use a service?
  Like the free vs. paid monitoring question, the issue of using DIY
  tools provided by your clipping service versus paying for specific
  analysis largely comes down to volume. Is your time better spent
  compiling reports or doing something else while you pay a vendor to
  analyze coverage? Of course, there are other considerations as well,
  including third party validation and resource efficiency.
• What about automated sentiment analysis? A number
  of companies provide the ability to “automatically” rate clips as
  positive, negative, or neutral based on computer analysis. This can be
  a great time saver — if you are willing to sacrifice a bit on
  accuracy. 
• When is expert human analysis the right answer? If
  you want daily digests of just the key information and/or regular
  reports with careful, detailed analysis of trends, a professional
  analysis service may be your best bet. As good as comptuers are at
  organizing raw data (and even applying some sentiment scoring), there
  really is no substitute for people. That comes at a cost, so you will
  need to decide whether or not the media intelligence provided and the
  time savings offered justifies the expense.

The white paper, titled “Choosing the Right Media Monitoring and Analysis Solution,” goes into much greater detail on these and other points to help you evaluate your options for effectively and efficiently tracking traditional and social media.