How to Leverage the Difference Between Owned, Paid, and Earned Media
Whether you realize it or not, your digital strategy is likely comprised of three main types of media: owned, paid, and earned. Understanding what each of these are will allow you to leverage their differences and create an effective digital strategy. Here are a few tips on how you can use owned, paid, and earned media to your brand’s advantage.
Owned Media
Owned media refers to any media that your business owns and fully controls. The clearest examples of owned media include a brand’s website and owned social media profiles. Owned media is where your company pushes its message using branding and content marketing. The goal of owned media is to educate the leads you have generated. It is important to know how well your owned media is performing and how to boost its success. Using analytics helps you can track this success and better understand the traffic viewing your owned media. These analytics help determine if your content matches your target audience. You can boost your website’s performance once you are confident that your content is a good fit. You can do this organically through Search Engine Optimized (SEO) blog posts relating to your brand.
Above is an example of a blog post from The OCI Group, a company that helps you build your financial department. The blog features information relevant to their brand and appeals to their clients. As a result, these blogs increase organic search performance. You may consider using a social media advertising agency, like Bright Age, to ensure you get the most from your owned platforms.
Paid Media
Paid media is any content your business pays to promote your brand and gain exposure. This includes both traditional forms of advertising and digital strategies like promoting posts on social media, Pay Per Click (PPC) ads, and more. The goal of paid media is to generate leads and drive consumers to your owned media. It is also a strong means of sparking earned media, which will be explained later. Your business should consider a variety of options when paying for media space. This is why it is common to consult a social media advertising agency for help when determining which paid platforms will best reach your target audience. Agencies can also help decide what content will engage your target audience and help you put this strategy into action.
Earned Media
Earned media is the most unique of this trio. It includes any conversation regarding your brand, product, or service created by someone outside of your organization. This conversation must take place on an account not owned by your business. Earned media includes social media mentions, shares, reviews, press, and more. Conversation surrounding your brand implies credibility and increases social media engagement. As opposed to the previous two, earned media is entirely out of your control. However, this means it is extremely important to monitor and respond to. Paid media is a great way to spark earned media, or to get consumers talking about your brand.
Above is an example of GoodRx’s earned media and how they responded to it. A consumer responded to someone’s tweet promoting GoodRx because of her positive experience. Social media advertising agencies offer services that monitor the conversation around your business, respond to consumers, and manage your brand’s reputation.
Overall, it is essential to understand the difference between these media types to effectively distribute your company’s resources. It’s a great idea to utilize a social media advertising agency, like Bright Age. This would be a smart means of ensuring that you get the most of each media form.
