There's a saying that all publicity is good publicity, but media analysts would beg to differ. Heading up the responsibilities of all things media related, the job may take her around the country, or even the world, as she manages the performance of the company in media outlets and finds suitable markets to compete in. The media analyst has several opportunities for work, such as with press cutting agencies, media analysis firms, television, radio, magazines and newspapers.
Tracking Company Performance
Among the many responsibilities of the media analyst is keeping track of her company or brand's performance. This includes traditional outlets such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines. Performance tracking in this regard refers to monitoring the frequency of which the product in question is mentioned, in what capacity it is mentioned, the amount of viewers/readers it reached, and whether or not the product's impact was positive or negative. Some of her duties include designing research tools for qualitative and quantitative analysis, such as questionnaires and focus groups.
Researching The Best Markets
Media analysts are always researching optimal market viability for specific businesses. She must display good judgment when analyzing statistics as they relate to one another. This way she can recommend the best time and place to market a product so as to maximize its visibility and reception. She will research the readership, age range, education and any other relevant information in order to make an informed decision about the best place to place a product, company or brand. In making her decisions and recommendations, she may have to give presentations, write reports, network with media owners and attend events.
Keeping Tabs on Social Media
Despite the fact your 14 year old niece uses it religiously, social media still commands enough respect to be a full-time job on its own. While it may fall under the large umbrella of media analyst duties, there are even specialist roles for social media analysts. Her role involves reputation management, or making sure her client or product is portrayed favorably online. She will also look into data specifics of other Web 2.0 sites, such as the amount of traffic the website receives, reputable links on the website, user interaction and connections to popular social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Travel and Working From Home
With all of the responsibilities she has to oversee, working outside the office and office hours is a very real possibility. Perhaps the most demanding responsibility throughout her career is the need to always be on, even in the off hours. In addition, media analysts will often have to travel to meet the needs of their clients, and to fulfill her career responsibilities. Whether working from home or on the road, the media analyst must balance it all while being analytic, organized and interpersonal.
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Writer Bio
Johnny Kilhefner is a writer with a focus on technology, design and marketing. Writing for more than five years, he has contributed to Writer's Weekly, PopMatters, Bridged Design and APMP, among many other outlets.