Tips for Effective Client Monitoring

There is no greater feeling than finally landing the perfect placement for a client. After working hard, pitching, and drafting releases, seeing your clients name in print or on camera feels like the ultimate success. When working with lower profile clients, such as a startup company or a small business, you may find that you pitch to smaller publications. This can often make it harder to monitor your client's notable mentions. Here are a few tips to help you master client monitoring:

• Subscribe: If you know that you frequently pitch clients to certain small papers or magazines, it's a good idea to buy a subscription to those services. This will insure that you get the news first, delivered right to your doorstep. If you find your clients fall into certain niches such as culinary arts or music, having those subscriptions will also help you stay up-to-date on industry headlines.
• Search often: Make it a part of your morning routine to Google search your clients name or the name of a client's products. Look closely at what the top 10 or so results are, and of course make notes of any mentions you see so that you can present them to the client.
• Google Alerts: Google Alerts allows you to get the lastest on any term or topic delivered right to your inbox. Make an alert for your clients name, any products they have, or anything you've recently pitched the press about.
• Watch TV: If you've been pushing to get a client mentioned on a certain TV program, be sure to watch the show to see if your client gets a mention. Even if the show doesn't bring up your client, it's go to know what they are talking about so that you can pitch them more effectively later!
• Surf the hashtag: Hop onto Twitter and search your clients name or product as a hashtag. If people are talking about it in detail, take a screen shoot of the buzz! You may even find links to articles online that didn't show up in your google search, like the link to a small blog's post.

Monitoring for clients is just as important as pitching. Even if you aren't seeing the results you want, keeping a close eye on the progress you're making allows you to refocus on time, instead of just disappointing the client.

Have you had to do client monitoring at a job or internship? Did you use other methods to monitor clients? Let us know!