Earned & Owned Media are two distinct methods of communication that brands use to reach and engage with their target audience. Both are critical components of an effective marketing strategy, but they serve different purposes and require different approaches.
Earned Media refers to any publicity or coverage that a brand receives from external sources, such as media outlets, influencers, and customers. It is “earned” because it is not directly controlled by the brand, but is generated through the organic sharing of information about the brand or its products and services.
Earned Media can be highly influential in shaping public perception of a brand. It can come in many forms, including:
Earned Media can be incredibly powerful in spreading brand awareness and building a positive reputation. However, because it is beyond the control of the brand, it can also carry risks, including negative press or customer complaints that spread rapidly through social media.
Owned Media refers to the platforms and channels that a brand controls and uses to directly communicate with its audience. This includes a brand’s website, social media accounts, email marketing campaigns, and other digital or offline channels that the brand has direct control over.
Owned Media provides a brand with a direct line of communication with its target audience, allowing the brand to control the message and content it wants to share. Owned Media channels provide a level of control and predictability that is not possible with Earned Media.
Owned Media can be used for a variety of purposes, including:
Owned Media is a critical component of an effective marketing strategy, as it gives brands the ability to communicate with their audience in a direct and controlled way.
Both Earned and Owned Media offer unique benefits and challenges, and it is important for brands to understand the strengths and limitations of each in order to make the most of their marketing efforts.
Earned and Owned Media are both critical components of an effective marketing strategy, offering unique benefits and challenges for brands. By understanding the strengths and limitations of each, brands can create a comprehensive and well-rounded marketing plan that leverages the power of both Earned and Owned Media.
To maximize the impact of their marketing efforts, brands should consider a combination of Earned and Owned Media, using Earned Media to build credibility and reach a broad audience, and Owned Media to communicate directly and consistently with their target audience.
Earned media is publicity gained through word-of-mouth recommendation, press coverage, customer reviews, and other unpaid forms of communication. Owned media refers to company-created platforms such as a corporate blog, website, or newsletter.
Using both earned and owned media can help businesses increase brand recognition, reach new audiences, generate leads, and create valuable customer relationships. It also helps companies to stay top-of-mind with their target audience.
The best channels for earning media include customer reviews, public relations, influencer partnerships, and word-of-mouth marketing. For owned media channels such as a website or blog are effective. Social media platforms such as Instagram or Twitter can be highly beneficial too.
The type of content you choose for your earned and owned media campaigns will depend on the goals of your campaign, as well as your target audience. Generally speaking, interesting and visually appealing content works best, such as videos, blog posts, infographics, e-books, etc.
Metrics such as engagement rates (likes, shares), referral traffic from websites and blogs, brand impression numbers, sentiment analysis (positive vs negative sentiment towards your brand) can help you track the effectiveness of your earned and owned media campaigns. Additionally looking at sales metrics such as website conversions or lead generation metrics can be beneficial.
