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Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

Trust in the Age of AI: What Consumers Really Think About AI Generated Content

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

Influencer marketing isn’t just about cute outfits or hair and makeup tutorials. Business influencers have become a hot topic in recent years, lending their powerful voices to specific industries. They have an innate ability to sway their followers' opinions and buying decisions, not to mention a sizable audience who trusts their opinions. Leveraging business influencers gives companies an effective way to expand their reach and gain access to new audiences.

The process of working with business influencers is similar to that of traditional social media influencers. You can collaborate on sponsored posts, product reviews, tutorials, affiliate marketing, and even newsletter sponsorship. In turn, they can provide valuable exposure and authenticity to businesses as they increase their online presence.

The first step is knowing which business influencers to partner with. We’ve rounded up the data on the top business influencers around the world and compiled it into a neat and tidy package.

Check out the must-follow business influencers below:

US-based coach, motivational speaker, author, and business influencer, Tony Robbins has become widely known for his self-help seminars. He promotes the idea that people can change their lives if they can change their behaviors and that small steps can lead to larger goals (in lieu of expecting overnight success).

Tony has an active Instagram presence with more than 7 million followers. He’s also on Twitter, where he shares daily tips with more than 3.1 million followers.

Tim Ferriss rose to fame with the release of his book, The 4-Hour Work Week. A radical idea at the time, his book has inspired entrepreneurs to live more and work less. His name has now become synonymous with entrepreneurship and professional development. 

You can find Tim Ferriss on Instagram (1.2 million followers), Twitter (1.9 million followers), YouTube (1.24 million subscribers), and LinkedIn (2 million followers).

Average reach per post: over 2.6 million people

Gary Vaynerchuk (also called Gary Vee) is a Belarusian-American business influencer, entrepreneur, author, and investor. His company, VaynerMedia, specializes in social media marketing and has helped position him as a leading authority in digital marketing. 

Vaynerchuk has attracted more than 4 million YouTube subscribers, 3.1 million Twitter followers, and over 10 million followers on his Gary Vay-Ner-Chuk Instagram profile. He’s also among the top business influencers on TikTok, with over 34.7 million followers and an average reach of over 2.6 million people per post.

Facebook followers: Nearly 5 million (4.9)

A name synonymous with money and credit know-how, Dave Ramsey has helped millions of Americans achieve financial independence. His methodologies help his fans do more with their money regardless of income, allowing them to get out of debt and live within their means.

Dave shares his decades of experience in his books and on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Marketing consultant and business-savvy speaker

Marketing consultant and business-savvy speaker Simon Sinek rose to fame after his TED talk, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” He’s the author of Start with Why and Find Your Why and teaches leaders and entrepreneurs how to inspire others.

Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership -- starting with a golden circle and the question: "Why?"  His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright brothers ...

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

Sinek maintains an active presence on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, all featuring business-related content.

TikTok, IG, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Entrepreneur, motivational speaker, coach, and author Marie Forleo ditched the New York Stock Exchange in favor of marching to her own drum. She created video courses to teach others how to do the same, which led to her growth as an entrepreneur and public figure. 

Forleo's book, Everything is Figureoutable, has sold more than 12 million copies and became a New York Times Bestseller.

Her highly popular MarieTV show garners millions of viewers each week, where she shares business advice, personal growth tips, and ways to achieve work-life balance.

Welcome To MarieTV

Marie has her own podcast and an active presence on TikTok, IG, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has a long list of accomplishments to his name: CEO, investor, commercial astronaut, and founder of the Virgin Group brand, for starters.

He’s pioneering commercial travel to outer space and became the first billionaire to reach the outskirts of space — aboard a spacecraft his company designed.

Branson maintains an active social media presence in addition to speaking at conferences, writing books, and changing the world.

Melinda Emerson (also called the SmallBizLady) is an accomplished entrepreneur, author, and speaker known for her expertise in small business. She is also the author of "Become Your Own Boss In 12 Months," a book that serves as a practical guide for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Melinda F. Emerson on Instagram: "What does FAIL stand for?

#bosstips #keepgoing #motivationalquotes #businessquotes #youcandoit #keeptrying #businessowner #entrepreneur #becomeyourownboss"

She operated several small businesses herself before becoming an entrepreneurial powerhouse. Her work focuses on helping others (especially underrepresented groups) succeed in entrepreneurship and has become a leading voice among small business influencers.

Tip: Take a look at our list of the top Facebook influencers if you're looking to work channel-specific.

The 17 Top Business Influencers [Global List]

With 1.3 billion monthly active users, and a projected 1.4 billion by 2025, Instagram is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. It’s become a prime place for building brand awareness, showing personality, connecting with influencers, and promoting products. There are many ways you can incorporate Instagram into you social media marketing strategy, but it can be tough to know where to start. 

Worry not — here are 20 Instagram marketing examples to help give your creativity a boost. 

One of the shining stars of social media to come out of the last few years is undoubtedly the language-learning app Duolingo. On the surface, the app is a straightforward educational service, helping users learn new languages with bite-size lessons and quizzes. Gamification comes into play with "Streaks" that encourage you to use the app everyday. 

Duolingo tapped into their target audience community culture with a masterful campaign that brings their owl logo to life in hilarious skits, many of which poke fun at their aggressive push-notification style. 

The campaign serves to build their brand personality as one that doesn't take itself too seriously, and yet takes their mission of helping users master a new language very seriously. It strikes a wonderful balance and encourages engagement, which is a prime KPI for any social media marketing campaign on Instagram!

In contrast to what many might recommend, Duolingo's Instagram profile is not exactly visually cohesive, utilizing a mix of video and photo content, some animation, some illustration, etc. but it seems to be working for them!

Hear from the mastermind behind Duolingo's social media marketing, Zaria Parvez, at Meltwater Summit, 2023! Get access to our summit on-demand sessions here.

As a leading SaaS company, Salesforce uses their Instagram profile to great effect for bringing their brand to life, with posts featuring their team to help humanize the product, lots of lighthearted humor and personality. They actually have a similarly all-over-the-place layout and variety to Duolingo, utilizing their mascot heavily and including a wide range of photo and video styles, but again it seems to work for them — perhaps it subconsciously signals the sheer depth, breadth, and reach of Salesforce as a company.

Overall, the throughline on the Salesforce Instagram page is energy. A lot of energy, radiating from people, events, announcements, and their mascots. Their content exudes excitement while also remaining grounded and informative.

Disney's streaming platform, Disney+, does a great job with their Instagram marketing, highlighting new shows, announcing when films or shows are added to the platform, and promoting upcoming projects which is a great Instagram marketing example.

Given the strong nostalgia factor of Disney, and the impressive number of properties they now own, this is probably one of the few cases when just posting about your "products" is still an effective way to drive engagement (positive and negative, that is. People tend to have a lot of strong opinions when it comes to Disney+ programming!).

The Disney+ Instagram page demonstrates a strong commitment to keeping their target audience in the know, but it is a promotion-heavy feed. So they do intersperse their content with various memes, humorous posts, and posts that celebrate things like #NationalPetDay to help break up the flow.

If there's one company that consistently kicks it out of the park when it comes to social media marketing it's Dove. The company has managed to carve out a specific niche in their marketing language which focuses on female empowerment, expanding the rigid definitions of "beauty", and highlighting the importance of mental health. 

Their Instagram feed is people-forward and very diverse, which has become a hallmark of their marketing style an approach. 

Over the years they've used branded hashtags to bring attention to various body image issues and the impact of social media on women's self-esteem. One recent example is "DetoxYourFeed" which encourages people to think twice before following accounts that could encourage unhealthy habits and negative self-talk. 

Apple's ongoing "Shot on iPhone" campaign is a masterful example of Instagram marketing for a particular product through the use of UGC (user generated content).

Interested in using UGC as part of your social media strategy? Check out our free UGC guide and take a look at more UGC examples!

Due to the fact that Apple so consistently shares posts that use the #ShotoniPhone hashtag, it has become an ubiquitous part of Apples online community. Nearly every post on their feed is user-generated content, which is a powerful flex — and they only have one Story highlight for promoting their most recent iPhone version.

Tip: Read about things we can learn from Apple's marketing strategy.

IBM's Instagram profile strength comes from its style consistency which makes it a great Instagram marketing example.

Their posts are people-forward and tech-forward, the combination of the two doing a great job to illustrate their brand personality and humanize the forward-thinking technology legacy of the company.

Their content is science and tech-heavy and doesn't shy away from appealing to true computer nerds, whether it be from a historical perspective or an interest in where technology is headed. You know immediately that if you follow IBM you're in for thought-leadership, deep dives, and interesting industry discussions.

Featuring a mix of UGC and employee spotlights, Starbucks uses their Instagram profile to promote new products, provide drink-making tutorials, and build the Starbucks culture and brand personality. Even though they always seem to have a new type of brew or blend coming out, they always make sure to celebrate their cult favorites as well.

And while not their primary content type, Starbucks does lean into meme culture quite successfully, as with this post assigning classic Starbucks drinks to Taylor Swift songs:

Aside from showcasing their footwear products, Adidas uses their Instagram presence to shed light on social issues as well. And they don't shy away from boldness with their Instagram marketing. In particular, they started the hashtag #WithWomenWeRun after learning that 92% or women feel unsafe when running:

Adidas also works with sports influencers and posts sport-industry-related content, widening the scope of how their company may be perceived.

Their Instagram marketing conveys the message that they're not "just a shoe company". They're an essential voice in the world of fitness and active lifestyle, trusted by Olympic athletes and highly respected sports figures.

Netflix uses its Instagram profile to promote upcoming shows, lean into nostalgia for shows that have ended, and cultivate the Netflix community culture. They appreciate and use meme humor, but don't overdo it. 

They trust their audience, posting imagery that might seem cryptic to anyone who doesn't watch a particular show, but "if you know you know" and the comments don't disappoint:

Aside from that, their Instagram feed is full of interviews, behind-the-scenes snippets, and blooper reels. They do a masterful job of building anticipation ahead of a new show or film releases as well which is really their bread-and-butter when it comes to their Instagram marketing.

UltaBeauty partners with diverse beauty influencers of all races and genders, which is what makes them stand out as a great Instagram marketing example. 

Involving so many different beauty influencers to demonstrate their products helps Ulta reach wider and wider audiences, with the common denominator being an enjoyment of makeup. They have a powerful angle: good products (as evidenced by so many respected beauty influencers working with them) at reasonable prices that allow you to achieve certain looks without breaking the bank. 

They also use their Instagram marketing to do a lot of myth-busting and de-mystifying of beauty products, skin and haircare routines. These posts also help project a friendly and conversational vibe helping them appeal to consumers who may feel intimidated by more cost-prohibitive and higher-end brands such as Sephora or Mac. 

Luxury apparel and beauty brand, Prada, uses their Instagram profile to showcase their products, promote events, and highlight various partnerships. Most of their posts are fashion-forward, punchy, and edited to represent Prada's sleek and luxurious personality.

A partnership that made a splash in 2022 was with actor and activist Emma Watson. A unique pairing to be sure, given the initial juxtaposition between Watson's vocal and well-known activism, focusing on sustainability and gender equality, and Prada's reputation as a premier luxury brand, highly expensive and not known (or at least not recognized) for sustainability. 

So the use of Watson as a spokesperson served several purposes. First, it got people talking about the brand, and of course the specific product she was promoting: a new perfume, Paradox. Second, it helped Prada position itself as a brand that cares about sustainability, and cares about lifting women up — the theme behind the Paradox marketing campaign. 

Watson was heavily involved, directing and starring in the commercial herself as a short film, and promoting Paradox in highly stylized  posts on her Instagram page. 

Learn more about this campaign on our Best Social Media Marketing Examples blog and take a look at some of the top beauty influencers to inspire your brand!

Spotify's Instagram profile leans into a love of music through supporting various music artists, fun data-backed posts, light humor, and engaging conversation-driving posts:

A staple on best of lists when it comes to social media marketing, the Spotify Wrapped campaign has become a very popular and much anticipated end-of-year campaign for brands and consumers alike. 

Everyone can get in on the fun, and there's even a subculture that's come out of it with people creating "fake" Spotify Wrapped templates to poke fun at how wrong or right Spotify gets their "most listened to" habits throughout the year. 

Netflix jumped on the chance to highlight the cultural phenomenon that came from Season 4 of Stranger Things: an entire new generation getting introduced to Kate Bush's song "Running Up That Hill":

Reading Tip: How AI helps Spotify win in the music streaming world

The American Express Instagram marketing approach is youthful, informative, and lighthearted — perhaps not what one might expect from a credit-card that may be perceived as more high-end, which is precisely the point. Their Instagram business profile goes a long way toward humanizing their brand, focusing on amazing travel, hotels, food, and experiences — all the things you can get with their card.

Amex also partners with celebrity influencers for various campaigns, helping to spread the word about their card perks and create an emotional connection with customers.

GoPro uses Instagram marketing to great effect, showcasing UGC that illustrates all the amazing activities you can do with a GoPro camera, and the kinds of amazing video footage you can achieve. Their feed is very cohesive, using heavily saturated colors, and dramatic photography and video.

Instagram Marketing Examples: 20 Excellent Examples & Ideas from Top Brands

Competitive data has many homes: websites, social media channels, and SWOT analyses, to name a few. Bringing all of this data together gives companies a more holistic view of who their competitors are and where they stand. That’s why creating a centralized competitive intelligence database should be high on your radar.

For data-driven decision making to thrive, companies need the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The truth is harder to come by when it’s scattered across various documents and systems. Simplifying the way you collect and organize competitor data makes it more accessible, usable, and useful. 

The result: better decisions made on complete, accurate, up-to-date information.

Here’s why you should create a centralized competitive intelligence database and how to go about it.

What Is a Centralized Competitive Intelligence Database?

Next Steps: Sharing Your Competitive Data with the Right Stakeholders

A centralized competitive intelligence database creates a single source of truth for your competitive data. It funnels information from various sources into a single location for analysis and reporting. 

This approach reduces or eliminates many of the struggles companies face with competitor data management. For example, a centralized database improves collaboration across teams and makes data more accessible. It also removes the need to manage multiple data sources, allowing companies to gain a single view of the competitive landscape.

Developing a business intelligence database offers a range of benefits and purposes. It ensures all users are on the same page and can access the same data regardless of need. Here’s how this approach proves beneficial in any organizational context.

Reading Tip: Single Source of Truth for PR & Marketing Data

Increase data’s usability for the average user

Breaking down data silos is a top priority for many organizations. One study found that 62% of decision makers believe that the average user lacks the competence to work with data. A lack of sufficient or complete data increases the need to prepare individual data sets, which places further pressure on data users.

Bringing all competitor data under one roof relieves some of the pressure created by data silos and usability shortcomings. Data is standardized to reduce the need for additional data preparation and analysis.

Duplicate, old, or incomplete records can skew the decisions made from data. A centralized competitor database can implement checks and balances to ensure data is up-to-date, complete, and reliable so that users can make informed decisions.

McKinsey once reported that the average worker spends 19.8% of their time — or about one out of five work days — searching for information.

A newer report from Elastic shows the problem has gotten worse: 58% of office workers say that searching for files is a “top three problem,” with more than half of workers spending more time searching for resources and content than working with those resources.

Centralizing competitive data in a competitive intelligence database is a step forward in improving productivity. Users know exactly where to look for information and don’t have to spend time searching multiple places to gain a complete picture.

Departments working on the same strategy cannot operate as a black box. Rather, they need to be able to access the same data when they need it.

A single source of truth expands data access to the right stakeholders. It eliminates data silos so that users can gain a complete picture of their competitors.

However, expanded access doesn’t mean a free-for-all. These databases allow for role-based access so that only the appropriate stakeholders can view critical information. Systems administrators can grant quick access to specific users based on need.

When team members are on the same page, better communication becomes a natural byproduct. Teams can access the same information in real time, allowing everyone to contribute to your competitive strategy in meaningful ways.

Competitive data comes from many sources, which is one reason why centralizing this data is so cumbersome. There’s also the matter of companies keeping their business strategies close to their chest to avoid leaking too much information to competitors. Because of this lack of detail, it’s important to latch on to any information available to develop insights into a competitor’s strategy.

As you’re developing your competitor database, you’ll want to analyze a few key components:

Competitive analysis involves researching your major competitors to learn more about their marketing strategies, target audience, products, sales process, and branding. This gives you a chance to compare your own approach to these components and see how you stack up in the market.

Competitor research covers many aspects, including SWOT analysis, market research, market share, social media presence, technology stack, content production, pricing strategy, and audience engagement. 

Your goal in conducting this research is to learn how your competitors operate so you can find opportunities to outperform them.

Search engines can provide a wealth of data on your competitors. Search engine results pages (SERPs) contain both organic and pay-per-click (PPC) content that gives you insight into how your competitors are performing via search. 

You can use SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, or UberSuggest to see how your competitors are ranking in organic search. See which keywords they’re ranking for, their average organic position, and even how much traffic they’re getting via Google and other search engines.

You can also do a quick manual search to see if your competitors are running PPC ads for specific queries. See what type of content they’re promoting and how they’re generating leads or sales. For example, they might be using PPC ads to promote top-of-the-funnel or middle-of-the-funnel content to generate leads. Or they might be focused more on short-term deals and offers to drive immediate sales.

Reading Tip: How to Write SEO Optimized Content

Are your competitors getting attention from major media outlets, blogs, and podcasts? If so, you’ll want to know where this attention is coming from and whether they’re earned or paid opportunities.

Tracking media mentions via brand monitoring, or generic media monitoring gives you direct insight into how your competitors are getting noticed by their target market. You can manually track this by setting up Google Alerts using the company name as your keyword. However, this approach can be somewhat limited as you’ll only get alerts based on sources that Google tracks. 

A better approach is to use an all-in-one tool like the Meltwater Media Intelligence Suite that tracks thousands of online and offline sources. You can track unlimited keywords across blogs, social media, podcasts, print media, and other sources to learn more about your competitors’ media coverage.

In the same vein as media mentions, you’ll also want to know who is linking to your competitors. Backlinks are a major indicator of quality when it comes to organic search. Content with lots of backlinks tends to rank higher on Google, allowing you to drive more “free” traffic to your website and increase your brand awareness.

You can manually do backlink research via SEO tools like Ahrefs. A faster way is to put this analysis on autopilot and track your competitors’ backlink strategies at a glance. Learning where they’re getting backlinks can give you a more focused direction when reaching out to websites to earn your own.

Choosing to create a competitor database is the easy part. Your next objective is to decide what data to collect and how to organize and access it.

Chances are, you’re already collecting much of the information you’ll want to include in your database. The key is organizing it in a logical and consistent way and making it accessible to the right people. 

Follow these steps for long-term success:

1. Decide what data is essential to your competitor strategy

There are tons of bits and pieces you can collect about your competitors. While you want as complete a picture as possible, there can be such a thing as too much data. Viewing too much information at once can cause important insights to become lost in the jumble.

To start, identify what types of data will matter most to your strategy. This data should tie directly to your marketing, sales, and branding initiatives so that you can make valuable improvements. 

Get input from all departments and teams that will be using the data. Sales, marketing, customer service, and R&D all have different priorities when it comes to competitor strategies and can therefore provide unique insights into what’s important and how the data will be used.

2. Use a tool to automate data collection and analysis

All-in-one tools like the Meltwater Platform can collect data on your behalf and funnel it into your competitor database. You can collect the most up-to-date information on autopilot without it becoming a time-consuming manual process.

Tip: These are the best competitor analysis tools on the market.

You may be able to create your competitor database in a format you’re already accustomed to. For instance, if you’re using Excel sheets or Airtable for other types of data, your competitor data might adapt well.

If you’re using a tool like the Meltwater Platform, you can create custom dashboards to gain insights at a glance. You can see the most important competitor data, then choose items to analyze more deeply.

4. Have a strategy for maintaining your competitive intelligence database

Creating your database is one thing; maintaining it is quite another. Competitive data isn't stagnant — it's always changing, so you’ll need to allocate time and resources to maintain this data to get the most value from it.

Revisiting your database gives you an opportunity to re-evaluate your competitive approach and make sure you’re collecting the right data on the right competitors. You might discover new competitors or sources you’d like to monitor. You might even surface new insights that may have gone overlooked.

Reading tips to maintain your competitive intelligence database: An Introduction to Database Normalization, The Fundamentals of Data Structuring, How to Use Data Cleansing & Enrichment

Competitive analysis tools like Meltwater serve as both a database and a full-service reporting platform. Easily share your competitor data with the right stakeholders to demonstrate ideas, growth opportunities, and impact. 

With Meltwater, you can quickly generate competitive analysis reports based on a single metric or sets of metrics that matter to you. Automatically collect new insights in real time and share findings with teams and decision makers. Show them only the data they care about in a relevant context.

Meltwater makes it possible to turn competitor data into one of your greatest assets in a way that’s simple, complete, and not time-consuming.

Learn more when you request a demo by filling out to form below.

The Meltwater Blog

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Instagram Marketing Examples: 20 Excellent Examples & Ideas from Top Brands

Why You Should Create a Centralized Competitive Intelligence Database

The 9 Best Branded Communities for You To Join

The Global State of Digital in April 2023

Modernizing Sponsorship ROI Measurement with AI

What Brands Can Learn from a Year of “Green” Keyword Mentions

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