LONDON, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Precise, the leading provider of media intelligence data, today announced the launch of its new social media monitoring service.

Whilst Precise has been involved for some time in monitoring social media content on behalf of its clients, the new service is a breakthrough in terms of genuinely addressing the issues of identifying and tracking influence.

Commenting on the service, Martin Holroyd, Operations Director at Precise said Our clients are aware of the importance of social media but what we have repeatedly encountered is uncertainty as to how to identify the sites with real influence. Everyone knows there is a ton of content being produced. Focussing on social media sources that really matter is the key and this is where our methodology comes in.

Precise has developed three measures to identify influence: traffic volume, audience engagement and a research based 'credibility ranking'. By applying this methodology to its structured media database, it helps clients identify sites that are both active and influential. Sites are also assessed on an ongoing basis and this information is constantly updated.

The growth in social media influence magnifies the importance of employing a structured approach to what to monitor, continued Holroyd. A lot of time is wasted focussing on areas that have little or no impact on the mainstream media.

The launch of the new service comes after several months of development, modification and consultation with clients. It is hoped that it will be seen as a welcome move by the communications industry - the latest research highlights that there are over 130 million blogs. However, only a fraction of these have any real authority when the extent to which other sites link to them and their impact on the mainstream media is assessed.

And, with a growing number of mainstream journalists sourcing and researching their stories from social media sites, it has become ever more relevant to be aware of content that is being published.

Note to Editors:

Precise is the leading provider of media intelligence services in the UK, providing press, online, broadcast and social media monitoring, media analysis and forward planning services to support PR and external communications activity.

For further information, contact: Juliette Murray Marketing Director Precise +44(0)20-3301-4490 Juliette.murray@precise.co.uk Precise The Registry Royal Mint Court London EC3N 4QN

For further information, contact: Juliette Murray, Marketing Director, Precise, +44(0)20-3301-4490, Juliette.murray@precise.co.uk; Precise, The Registry, Royal Mint Court, London, EC3N 4QN