We took a look at the most common questions PR professionals have regarding embracing new technology:
- Which platform/solution should we invest in?
- Should we build it or buy it?
- How will it improve our work?
- Will it really grow our business?
- Will data privacy be preserved?
…and we tried to break down their resistance.
Which platform/solution should we invest in?
Remember: Ignoring technology is not a sustainable move
As surprising it may be, some of the services that are still available in the market are very basic and they do not go beyond the very basic free text, and Boolean logic search.
Enhancement techniques, such as automated entity extraction and auto-categorization, should be included in tools that PR professionals are using, enabling them to slice and dice within datasets and drill down into content results to achieve useful insights in a far easier fashion.
Should we build it or buy it?
Remember: There is also a third option: Partnership
Your IT team can be capable enough of building a solution you want, but the needs change constantly so an external, probably larger and more experienced team would be a better solution to lift the burden of your own team.
And there is always the middle way where you can partner with DataScouting: a) It requires minimal involvement from your IT team as we handle cloud infrastructure support and maintenance, and b) we are willing to create software tailored to your needs.
Easy deployment enables your IT teams to more rapidly adjust resources to meet fluctuating and unpredictable demand.
How will it improve our work?
Remember: Flexibility and user performance is key
The key is to have a Media Intelligence solution that is offering simple, step-by-step integration with your own systems and workflows. And we are surprised when companies tell us that they do not see such solutions very often. But this exactly what PR professionals need.
Having faster and better access to relevant information/insights in real-time, and being able to automate repetitive tasks (such as tracking media coverage), gives PR professionals the ability to focus on other activities, such as creative thinking, strategic planning, and instinct.
Manage all your data with a single log. Different tools provide different results, so having an integrated data system ensures that everybody is using the same data set to make decisions. And that helps fight silos and improve the way you manage your teams, as quite often organizations do not share knowledge between their teams, so they all act individually and duplicate efforts, wasting time and money.
Not to mention that new types of skills are being needed. Big data analytics, user experience, and predictive artificial intelligence are all proficiencies required to compete with marketing and advertising and justify the value and effectiveness of the PR industry.
Performance is monitored and you can easily outsource processes: such as clipping, by using a detailed authorization and monitoring scheme and just by providing access to a web interface.
Last but not least, the importance of having a searchable and well structured archive that does not come as a simple pdf file but acts as a live source where you can retract anytime for as long as you keep the archive.
Will it really grow my business?
Remember: technology will become a core business function within organizations
Yes it will, as investment in IT and technology is expected to grow over the next five years, according to the latest ICCO World PR Report for 2020-2021. Moreover according to the same report, technology proved to be the most buoyant industry sector during the corona virus pandemic.
So, no doubt, that technology will become a core business function within organizations. And we understand that there is pressure on the cost. And value versus cost depends on an organization’s actual goals and requirements. For some use-cases and organizations, fully automated solutions can be appropriate. For more sophisticated needs, we generally agree with those who say that, in the current state of market development, a good combination of sophisticated technology and expert human analysis is the appropriate approach.
In a competitive world, it is important to remain agile. And if you are part of a multi-office organization, it is important to maintain effective cross-organization: keep teams well organized and connected, from anywhere, anytime.
Time is also important, as time saves money. With our MediaScouting software solution you can save valuable time by using our automation and streamlined web based user interfaces.
And if you adopt a cloud-based software solution it will help you easily manage scalability, either your needs demand to scale down or up.
Will data privacy be preserved?
Remember: Artificial Intelligence promises a safer environment
Fear over security and data privacy is well understood. There are many challenges, but the main one can be grouped into three major classes: data, accessibility, and communications.
Explore options
Remember: there is the right solution for your business
The reasons why to choose a cloud-based software are many, notably cost savings, increased productivity, speed and efficiency, performance, and security. DataScouting’s media monitoring software for broadcast, online, social, and print media is built for cloud (but depending on the use case, it can also be installed on premise). The MediaScouting Suite combines leading-edge technology and human editorial tools to track company mentions, products, brands or competitors, and provides actionable information to make data-driven decisions. It is used is used by MMOs, PR and Ad companies, government bodies and other organizations for their daily media monitoring needs.
Schedule a demo and find out how our solution might be the best fit for your business.
This is an extract of the webinar we delivered as part of the AMEC Measurement Month on the 26th of November. The recording of this session is available here.
