Digital Communications Strategy :: Inbound Marketing :: Social Media

A common component to media strategy these days is Earned, Owned and Paid. The terms refer to the general nature of different forms of media. In generic terms, earned media is as it sounds – you’ve earned the exposure somehow. Public relations is the best example of earned I can think of. Paid media is typically some form of advertising, where you pay to play. Television commercials, billboards and banner ads are all good examples of paid media. Finally, there’s the concept of owned media, which is the newest of the three (at least in terms of how we describe it).

Think of owned media as the channels you own. For most organizations, this is your website, blog, social media, newsletters, and in some cases, corporate publications. This isn’t a new concept. Companies have been using owned media for years. Social media has really brought owned media to the surface, as more and more organizations see the tremendous return on investment (or return on marketing investment) delivering through owned channels.

Owned media – like your Facebook Page or blog – gives you complete control over your message. The more successful you are attracting and building your audience, the more effective your organization can communicate with its target audiences. Consider the example of a company trying to launch a new product. You could try to convince a reporter that it deserves coverage (owned media), you could buy up a bunch of air time (paid media) or you could post to your product blog (owned media), read by hundreds of loyal fans. You could post advance updates to your Facebook Page, and get the online word-of-mouth going well in advance of any traditional earned or paid media appearing.

When you start to think about your media targeting strategy for your next campaign, consider organizing your channels by Owned, Earned and Paid. In my opinion, this is the preferred order. From past experience, delivering a message at staged intervals across owned, earned and paid is the best way to build momentum and encourage a groundswell of support for whatever you’re promoting.

What owned, earned and paid media channels are most effective in your marketing programs? What owned channels do you currently embrace in your organization? How do you see this targeting strategy evolving over the next five years?

(Image Credit: Target by Jasper Johns – cliff1066)

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