When it comes to business and marketing, in particular, there are several different types of media that you can use to reach your target audience. One important way is through owned media, which is content that your company creates and controls.
Owned media is part of a bigger picture that also includes paid media (like ads) and earned media (like customer reviews and press coverage). Together, these form the main channels through which brands communicate with their audience.
In this article, we’ll look closely at owned media and provide the simple but precise definition of this concept. Moreover, we’ll dive deeper into the best owned media marketing strategies, so take some notes on how you could improve your owned media content.
What Is Owned Media?
Owned media represents the marketing channels and outlets that a brand truly owns, such as its website, blog, and social media content.
Owned media is centered around creating and distributing content through channels you own and control to grow your audience and build relationships with your customers. The benefits of an owned media strategy include more management over your message and brand identity, as well as the ability to build a direct connection with your audience.
Despite a brand’s power over its outlets, these marketing channels might not be the best option for the business. A delicate balance of control and profitability is what you should aim for.
Key Takeaways
Owned media is one of three fundamental types of marketing channels, together with paid media and earned media, and it is at the core of many brand marketing strategies;
Owned media marketing requires time and resources to develop, which is why a brand should consider its current position on the market and how effective it might be compared to paid or earned media;
Experimenting with different content formats is an excellent strategy to improve your owned media content and draw interest from new parts of your target audience.
How to Define Owned Media?
In marketing, owned media refers to a brand’s channels and assets that they control, like their website, blog, and email list. This contrasts paid media, like paid ads or social media posts, and earned media, which customers and influencers generate through word-of-mouth.
Although an owned media marketing strategy can prove effective, an owned media strategy requires a significant investment of time and resources. It can be challenging to stand out in the noise of the internet without a well-defined plan.
If you’re considering an owned media strategy for your business, it’s crucial to weigh the pros and cons to decide if it is the better option when compared to paid and earned media.
Owned media works well for detailed product launches, building long-term relationships, and controlling your brand’s narrative, especially during crucial communication times.
It may not be suitable if you need quick results or want to reach a new audience, as it often requires significant time and resources to maintain effectively.
Why Is Owned Media Important?
This media type is incredibly influential for businesses, allowing you to directly reach the audience with your message.
1. Direct communication and relationship-building
Owned media is crucial for businesses as it allows them to communicate directly with their audience. Unlike paid and earned media, owned channels like blogs, websites, and social media accounts enable brands to consistently share their message and build relationships with potential customers.
2. Cost-effective strategy
The standout benefit of owned media is its cost-effectiveness. By maintaining control over their own platforms, organizations can manage their messages and reputation more effectively, reducing overall marketing expenses.
3. Establishing authority
By creating and managing their own media platforms, organizations can establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. This helps in building long-term relationships with their audience and reinforcing their brand’s credibility and trustworthiness.
Owned Media vs Paid Media and Earned Media
There are a few significant differences to note concerning these three types of communication channels. It makes sense that people frequently wonder what kind of media a specific marketing component is since the division is not always so clear-cut.
Owned media refers to content you create and control, such as what’s on your website or your Facebook page. In contrast, earned media is content created by others about your product or service, like product reviews or Instagram posts.
Owned and earned media are free, whereas paid media is content you pay to promote in front of an audience as an advertisement or sponsorship.
What Are The Best Owned Media Strategies?
Owned media strategies involve leveraging the content and platforms that you create and control. Here are some of the most effective marketing strategies for maximizing the impact of your owned media.
1. Consistent content scheduling
Implementing a consistent content schedule is key to maximizing the impact of owned media. By regularly updating your blog, social media, and other owned channels, you establish reliability and keep your audience engaged. This consistency helps in building a loyal following and improves the visibility of your content through steady traffic, enhancing SEO over time.
2. Track social media trends
Keeping up with social media trends is crucial for engaging content creation. By tapping into viral trends, your content can gain increased engagement and visibility, significantly boosting your brand’s awareness.
3. Experiment with content formats
Diversifying your content formats can greatly enhance engagement. While maintaining a consistent format has its merits, incorporating a mix of images, videos, and text can attract more attention. Visual content often outperforms text-only posts in terms of engagement, making it a valuable component of your owned media strategy.
4. Stay on top of your SEO
Optimizing your website and blog for search engines is critical. If you’re not adhering to the latest SEO best practices, you’re likely missing out on potential traffic. Effective SEO ensures that your content reaches your target audience more efficiently, maximizing the impact of your owned media.
5. Leverage user-generated content
Incorporating user-generated content (UGC) into your owned media can significantly increase trust and engagement. Encourage your audience to share their experiences and content related to your brand. Featuring such content on your platforms not only fosters community but also provides authentic material that resonates well with new and existing customers.
Additional Tips & Tricks
- Your digital marketing efforts will likely revolve around more than one type of media, so getting to know both paid and earned media is a good idea for aspiring marketers;
- The converged press combines owned, paid, and earned media. A more established brand is likely to create a marketing strategy following this combination;
- Consider how your brand content strategy fits into different marketing channels. If the type of brand content you intend to put out is appropriate for owned media channels, optimizing it for search engines might be wise.
The Bottom Line
Owned media refers to communication and marketing channels that a brand or organization owns wholly. The most common types of owned media include brand websites, blogs, and social media accounts.
This article taught you what owned media is and how it can benefit brand strategy. It’s up to you now to determine if owned media is the marketing channel you need to implement for your brand or organization.
Owned Media FAQs
To put it simply, yes. Email marketing can be considered a part of owned media. If the email marketing campaign is not paid for but used to distribute your content, it is a part of your owned media marketing channels.
There is a lot of confusion regarding social media, and rightfully so. The unsatisfactory answer is that social media platforms have different elements comprising owned, paid, and earned media. The profiles and content posted are owned media, the paid ads are paid media, and word of mouth generated by users who share your content is earned media.
Content marketing is essential to both owned and paid media and earned media. Excellent content is the basis of delivering value to customers and works across all marketing channels.
Owned media refers to marketing channels that are entirely under the control of the brand, and influencer marketing is not truly owned. As a paid promotion method, it falls under the paid media category.
