James Curtis
Media takes many forms but they can broadly fall into three categories: Owned, Earned, and Paid. While each of them represents its pros and cons, all are essential for a great marketing strategy. These are the pillars that a marketing strategy is built upon.
Below, we will discuss each of these categories along with examples of each and how they are utilized.
Owned Media
Owned media represents the media that your company personally handles. This is any web property that you or your company has actual ownership of.
Examples
The most common examples of owned media are websites, social media channels, and any other connected channels that are owned by your company. Owned media allows companies to have complete control over a channel of media that is often more permanent than the other forms.
How to Utilize
The more channels your company has, the more extensions of your brand can get out there. Oftentimes these channels are the easiest to make changes to and to take advantage of. Tragically, this is often one of the most underutilized channels as it can be quite time-consuming.
Earned Media
Earned media is the media that your company gains through people talking about you. This crucial element of media allows your customers to plead the case for your business to others on your behalf.
Examples
Word-of-mouth marketing, reviews, write-ups, and other times when your customers are speaking on your behalf count as earned media. This can also include press coverage, social media influencers, or people who have simply decided to become brand ambassadors for your company.
How to Utilize
Cultivating a healthy amount of earned media is crucial for any business. For starters, 92% of B2B consumers said they are more likely to purchase a product or service with positive reviews. A recent study of 800 consumers found that 95% of them were likely to consult reviews before making a purchase.
More than this, the power of a friend or family member telling of a positive experience cannot be overstated. No customer will ever enter your doors as confident as one who was sent from an enthusiastic friend.
Paid Media
This refers to all media that cannot be executed for free. Any form of media in which your company has to pay out money to accomplish it would be considered in this category.
Examples
Paid search, paid ads, and banner ads are the most common examples of paid media. Though organic social media represents an owned channel, paid ads would fall into this category.
In addition to the digital options for paid media, there are also billboards, mail flyers, TV ads, and many other options.
How to Utilize
The benefit of paid media is that it often allows you to target a specific audience and ensure that you are reaching the people that are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer. Paid media also typically offers robust reporting which allows you to measure the real impact of your dollar.
This is also the best form of media for attracting new customers that haven’t heard of your brand before.
The Benefits of Content Writing Services
While it’s possible to provide the content yourself on behalf of your business, most people elect to go with a content writing service to help accomplish all three forms of media. Paid SEO copywriting services to represent paid media. This, in turn, draws more people to your website (owned media.) The conversation created around your brand in your post then makes a case and gives your readers a topic to share with their friends and colleagues (earned media.)
The benefit of an SEO (search engine optimization) content writing service is that it assists in getting the most you possibly can out of all three options. Content that is crafted well and with SEO in mind will assist in raising the organic ranking of a business to get the most out of its owned options. It will help to drive traffic to owned assets like the website and social media channels.
Additionally, content written with specific searches in mind makes for great paid search ads. This provides a better option for paid media and allows you to establish your brand as an authority while also advertising. Content written with search engines in mind will be more compelling and more likely to convert.
One of the main benefits of a content writing service is that it allows you to create much more content. The more content you have, the more discussion you will be able to generate around the issues surrounding your industry. Not to mention that you will be more likely to show up when people search for those topics.
Content Cucumber
Content Cucumber is here for all of your content writing and SEO needs! Our talented team of dedicated professionals will work tirelessly to ensure that you are getting the absolute most that you can out of your three forms of media. Reach out to us today to book a demo and see how we can help you stand out from the rest!
