Effective media monitoring – how to choose the right keywords for your brand?
Media monitoring is based on keywords. First of all, they determine the subject of publications that we look for, observe and receive as part of the monitoring process. However, it is the correct entry of well-chosen phrases and their appropriate construction that make it possible to search for publications that are actually interesting to us and to eliminate entries not related to the brand or topic. What should you pay attention to when choosing keywords? What mistakes should be avoided?
Search for words in every possible variation
Typing all the terms in every possible variation as keywords can be inefficient. It’s a waste of time! All you have to do is add the asterisk * symbol at the end of the fixed part of the word (word formation, word base). For example, if you type “compan*” keyword, the system will allow you to search for words „company” and „companies”.
Be careful with short keywords
Short words such as „TOP” can be problematic. In the case of using the “TOP*” keyword – if we want to search for publications in the context of something popular, “on top” – unfortunately we will also receive entries containing words such as topic, topology, topless, etc. If the search term is short, it is best to save the full variant rather than using an asterisk. This will help limit publications that are completely unrelated to the topic.
Note that the asterisk notation also searches only for the base of the word, in the example:
Refine your search
Keywords selected for monitoring can be ambiguous, e.g. like or draft. What’s more, they can occur in various contexts, e.g. “party” as a mass event or a house party. Then it is worth supplementing the keywords with additional words or exclude inappropriate ones. In this way, as part of media monitoring, we will find fewer publications, but they will be consistent with the selected issue.
Take into account the space between words
Sometimes publications cover several topics or address many issues. These can be summaries of the most important events of the last week or news from the world of fashion. Narrowing the search also means limiting the space between selected terms by using the ~ symbol. The use of the notation “nike model*”~4 allows you to search for publications containing the terms “nike” and “model” within a distance of no more than 4 words, and the asterisk at the end of the word will allow you to include all variations of the word “model”. If we want to include a smaller or larger space, we can write any other number instead of “4”. Such a record will allow you to reach publications containing phrases such as “Nike has launched a new model of shoes” or “Nike is spreading its iconic sneaker models”.
In the Newspoint panel, this option is available in the advanced search settings.
Add the brand name and website address
The brand name (also its abbreviated version) is a good complement to the monitored terms. This solution will enable accurate search for entries, also published in social media. In addition to the full name of the company or brand, it is good to include abbreviations or incomplete names. What’s more, it is worth adding the website address to the keywords. Perhaps the name of the brand will not be mentioned in the entry itself, but a direct link to the website will be included.
Add company or brand account names on social media
It is also possible to use different account names in social media, e.g. due to the similarity of the name with another company or product, or creating accounts related to operating in a specific country. It is also worth taking this into account in the monitored keywords. Especially in social media, Internet users use company account designations. This solution enables very precise monitoring of entries.
Add company hashtags
It is common practice to add thematic hashtags to social media posts. Most products, campaigns or events have their more or less unique passwords (written with a characteristic # sign before a word or several words). What’s more, not everyone writes directly about the brand. Some provide only a short comment and use # to emphasize the context of the statement. It’s worth following them.
Currently, what counts is a short and catchy entry, based primarily on the relevant password. It doesn’t have to contain our keyword. That’s why it’s worth adding # with the brand name and company or business slogans. Also, don’t forget about # related to a specific marketing campaign.
Follow the brand nickname
Many brand names have shorter nicknames. Check if your brand also has its own. It is popular, especially on social media. Common expressions are used, i.e. “Mickey D”, “Chevy”, “Caddy” or “Bloomies”.
A misspelled name is also a name
Everyone makes mistakes. Not every Internet user knows how to spell a given name right, especially if it comes from a different language. Commonly misspelled words like “achieve”, “believe” or “business” should be included into monitoring along with their common misspellings.
There is also another problem that can be presented on the example of the Polish language. Some use a polonized version of borrowed words. Many such examples can be cited:
- chill – “czil” or “czill”
- pyjama – “pidżama”, “piżama”, “pijama”, or finally “pyjamas”
- shopping – “szoping”
It is worth paying attention to the characters, often replacing conjunctions or specific words, e.g.: “&” or “and”, “%” or “percent”.
Let’s not overlook the importance of associative and disjunctive spelling. There are also problems in this range, e.g. “Cola Cola” and “CocaCola” or “More Bananas” and “MoreBananas”.
AND DONE.
We believe that thanks to our quick manual you can effectively monitor keywords in all media sources.