To help you understand a little more about the auditing process, we have gathered all the most important information on the subject in this article. Learn more about what an image audit is, how this process works, when it is necessary and what its benefits are.
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What is image auditing?
Image auditing studies, researches and analyzes a corporation's reputation among its stakeholders , consumers and potential prospects . It is worth remembering that this process is not only an assessment of public opinion about an institution, but also the company's reputation as reported by the media.
However, it is important to realize that, although image auditing work studies a company's reputation in media such as television, radio, TV and even in the digital environment , this process is not the same as media image research or the clipping process.
What is the difference between image auditing and media analysis?
Although there is confusion in the market about both concepts, they are very different. The media is just one element within a more complex auditing process.
Are image auditing and clipping work the same thing?
Image auditing is not a simple clipping process — a method that documents the mentions about the company in communication channels. So, while the clipping process only documents the mentions in the media about the company, the auditing process is a careful evaluation of the reputation of that institution. In other words, the audit analyzes and studies the clipped news.
How does the image audit process work?
At the beginning of the process, a general analysis of the vp r&d email lists company's presence is carried out. Then, all mentions in the media about the institution are monitored, as well as the forms of publication, how the releases sent were interpreted and the reaction of the public reached by these issues.
In a second step, a graph is produced with the aim of helping the contracting company to make pertinent decisions about actions and its communication plan .
Is it possible to do a retroactive audit?
One point that should be highlighted is that the image audit process can be carried out retroactively for companies that already have some media exposure. This process is interesting for documenting a history, monitoring developments, making comparisons and studying the actions that had the best results on reputation in order to repeat them.
How does this process work in practice?
To understand how this work works in a practical way, a good alternative is to analyze its application in the companies' routine.
Think of a fast food chain . In order to understand its reputation among the company's relevant audiences — from customers to suppliers and strategic partners — it hires an outsourced audit service.
In this process, the contracting party indicates the relevant media outlets to the company responsible for the audit. In addition to the channels, the fast food chain also informs the period of time for which the study will last.
When the process begins, the professionals in charge of the work thoroughly analyze the news about the contracting company in the indicated media outlets. However, for in-depth work, topics and content that do not directly mention the company but may positively or negatively influence its reputation are also analyzed.
How important is related news?
The importance of this analysis of news, in addition to those that directly mention the company, can be seen through the following example: imagine that, on the indicated channels, news is broadcast presenting the harmful effects of consuming food from fast food chains . The news item does not directly mention a company's brand, only a general situation. However, it causes damage to the brand's reputation in an indirect but significant way.
