Earned Media ROI: BrandMentions’ Secret Weapon

Want to amplify your brand’s reach and credibility without breaking the bank? Earned media, unlike paid advertising, relies on third-party endorsements to build trust and drive brand awareness. Mastering earned media is essential for any successful marketing strategy. But how do you effectively manage and measure your earned media efforts? The answer lies in strategic implementation and the right tools. Can you imagine doubling your brand mentions in six months just by changing your outreach strategy?

Step 1: Setting Up Your Brand Profile in BrandMentions (2026 Edition)

First, you need a tool to monitor your brand mentions across the web. BrandMentions is a powerful option that helps you track and analyze your earned media performance. I’ve used it for several clients, and it consistently delivers actionable insights. I had a client last year, a local bakery in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood of Atlanta, who saw a 30% increase in positive mentions after we refined their PR strategy using BrandMentions data.

1.1: Creating Your Project

1. Log into your BrandMentions account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for a free trial.
2. Click on the “Projects” tab in the left-hand navigation menu.
3. Click the “+ New Project” button located in the top right corner of the screen.
4. In the “Project Name” field, enter a descriptive name for your project (e.g., “Acme Corp Brand Monitoring”).
5. In the “Keywords” field, enter all relevant keywords related to your brand. This includes your company name, product names, and any common misspellings. For example, for Coca-Cola, you might include “Coca Cola,” “Coke,” and “Diet Coke.”
6. Click the “Create Project” button.

Pro Tip: Be as comprehensive as possible with your keywords. The more keywords you include, the more accurate your monitoring will be. But don’t overdo it — irrelevant keywords will clutter your results.

1.2: Configuring Advanced Settings

1. Once your project is created, click on the “Settings” icon (gear icon) next to your project name in the “Projects” list.
2. Navigate to the “Sources” tab. Here, you can specify which sources BrandMentions should monitor. By default, it monitors web pages, news sites, blogs, and social media.
3. Under the “Language” tab, select the languages relevant to your target audience. If you’re targeting customers in Atlanta, make sure to include “English.”
4. The “Negative Keywords” tab is crucial. Add any terms you don’t want to be associated with your brand. For example, if you’re a tech company, you might add terms like “lawsuit” or “recall.”
5. Click the “Save Changes” button.

Common Mistake: Forgetting to set up negative keywords. This can lead to irrelevant mentions cluttering your data.

Expected Outcome: A clean and organized project setup that accurately tracks your brand mentions across the web.

Step 2: Monitoring Your Brand Mentions in Real-Time

Now that your project is set up, it’s time to start monitoring your brand mentions. BrandMentions provides a real-time dashboard that allows you to see all mentions of your brand in one place.

2.1: Navigating the Dashboard

1. Click on your project name in the “Projects” list to access the dashboard.
2. The dashboard is divided into several sections: “Mentions Feed,” “Sentiment Analysis,” “Top Sources,” and “Influencers.”
3. The “Mentions Feed” displays a chronological list of all mentions of your brand. You can filter the feed by source, sentiment, and date range.

Pro Tip: Regularly check the “Mentions Feed” to identify any potential PR crises or opportunities. Responding quickly to negative mentions can mitigate damage, while capitalizing on positive mentions can boost your brand’s reputation.

2.2: Understanding Sentiment Analysis

1. The “Sentiment Analysis” section provides a breakdown of the sentiment associated with your brand mentions. It categorizes mentions as positive, negative, or neutral.
2. Click on the “View Details” button to see a more detailed analysis of the sentiment. This includes a word cloud of the most common words associated with your brand and a list of the most influential mentions.

Common Mistake: Ignoring the sentiment analysis. Sentiment analysis provides valuable insights into how people perceive your brand. A Nielsen study found that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from others, even if they don’t know them, over branded content. Understanding sentiment is critical for building trust.

Expected Outcome: A clear understanding of the overall sentiment surrounding your brand and the ability to identify specific mentions that are driving positive or negative sentiment.

Step 3: Identifying Key Influencers

Influencer marketing is a powerful earned media strategy. BrandMentions helps you identify the most influential people talking about your brand or industry.

3.1: Using the “Influencers” Tab

1. Click on the “Influencers” tab in your project dashboard.
2. BrandMentions will automatically identify the most influential people who have mentioned your brand. The list is ranked by “Influence Score,” which takes into account factors such as reach, relevance, and engagement.
3. You can filter the list by source, location, and topic.

Pro Tip: Don’t just focus on influencers with the largest reach. Look for influencers who are relevant to your target audience and have a high engagement rate. An influencer in Midtown Atlanta with 5,000 highly engaged followers might be more valuable than a national influencer with 100,000 followers who aren’t interested in your product.

3.2: Reaching Out to Influencers

1. Once you’ve identified potential influencers, reach out to them with a personalized message. Don’t just send a generic email. Show that you’ve done your research and understand their audience.
2. Offer them something of value, such as a free product sample, an exclusive discount, or an invitation to an event.
3. Be transparent about your expectations. Clearly outline what you want them to do in exchange for the value you’re providing.

Common Mistake: Sending generic outreach emails. Influencers are bombarded with requests every day. If your email doesn’t stand out, it will be ignored.

Expected Outcome: Establishing relationships with key influencers who can help amplify your brand’s message and drive earned media coverage.

Step 4: Analyzing Competitor Earned Media Strategies

Understanding what your competitors are doing is crucial for developing your own earned media strategy. BrandMentions allows you to track your competitors’ brand mentions and identify their most successful strategies.

4.1: Adding Competitors to Your Project

1. In your project settings (gear icon next to your project name), navigate to the “Competitors” tab.
2. Enter the names of your competitors in the “Add Competitor” field and click the “Add” button.
3. BrandMentions will now track your competitors’ brand mentions and provide you with comparative data.

Pro Tip: Start by adding your top 3-5 competitors. This will give you a good overview of the competitive landscape. We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm. We were so focused on our own strategy that we completely missed a competitor’s successful campaign until it was too late.

4.2: Comparing Your Performance to Competitors

1. In your project dashboard, click on the “Competitor Analysis” tab.
2. This section provides a side-by-side comparison of your brand mentions and your competitors’ brand mentions. You can compare metrics such as volume, sentiment, and reach.
3. Identify which strategies are working for your competitors and consider how you can adapt them to your own business.

Common Mistake: Blindly copying your competitors’ strategies. What works for one company may not work for another. Focus on understanding why a strategy is successful and then adapt it to your own unique circumstances.

Expected Outcome: A clear understanding of your competitors’ earned media strategies and the ability to identify opportunities to improve your own performance.

Step 5: Measuring and Reporting on Your Earned Media Efforts

Finally, it’s important to measure and report on your earned media efforts to track your progress and demonstrate the value of your work. BrandMentions provides a variety of reporting tools that can help you do this.

5.1: Generating Reports

1. In your project dashboard, click on the “Reports” tab.
2. You can generate reports on a variety of metrics, including brand mentions, sentiment analysis, influencer performance, and competitor analysis.
3. Customize your reports to include the data that is most relevant to your goals.
4. Schedule reports to be generated automatically on a regular basis.

Pro Tip: Share your reports with your team and stakeholders to keep them informed of your progress. Use the data to make informed decisions about your earned media strategy. A recent IAB report highlights the importance of data-driven decision-making in marketing.

5.2: Tracking Key Metrics

1. Focus on tracking key metrics such as brand mentions, sentiment score, reach, engagement, and website traffic.
2. Use these metrics to measure the effectiveness of your earned media campaigns and identify areas for improvement.

Common Mistake: Focusing on vanity metrics such as likes and shares. While these metrics can be helpful, they don’t always translate into real business results. Focus on metrics that are directly tied to your business goals, such as website traffic and lead generation.

Expected Outcome: A comprehensive understanding of your earned media performance and the ability to demonstrate the value of your work to stakeholders.

By following these steps, you can effectively manage and measure your earned media efforts using BrandMentions. Remember, earned media is a long-term strategy that requires patience and persistence. But with the right tools and a strategic approach, you can build a strong brand reputation and drive significant business results. It requires constant attention and, frankly, some good old-fashioned hustle. But the payoff is worth it: authentic, credible brand awareness that no amount of advertising can buy.

The most critical takeaway? Don’t just track mentions; act on them. Use BrandMentions’ insights to proactively engage with your audience, address concerns, and amplify positive feedback. This continuous cycle of monitoring, analysis, and action is what truly unlocks the power of earned media for sustained brand success.