28 Paid, Earned, and Owned Media Model

Everyone plans to succeed in online marketing: create a few good blogs, a website, social media accounts and then sit back and relax, right? Well, no. It is not enough to have the owned media (a website; a blog; some social media accounts; a special landing pages, etc.). You also need a clear plan for paid media and an idea of how to harness earned media.

A comprehensive plan acts as the sieve through which all content, social media platform choices, and key stories run. With prior planning of messaging and story, content creates cohesion and clarity for a customer. Before we get to creating a SM plan, let’s take a look at two campaign routes that both need to be taken into consideration as part every successful plan: paid and earned media.

Paid Media

Most social media platforms are set up to allow businesses to purchase advertisements. The campaign typically works by utilizing a pay-per-click (“PPC”) model: choose the demographic, interests, and likes of target customers and pay each time your add is clicked. A brand should target within 2-4% of the broader market to get the most return on their advertising efforts. Paid advertising can drive traffic to your channels or website (i.e through Google Ads) and this can create measurable conversions (turning visitors into buyers). This method typically gives immediate results, and by setting the maximum amount you are willing to spend for each click, you can set a realistic bid and budget that is right for your organization.

Depending on the platform, set-up and cost can vary significantly when it comes to PPC or any paid advertising.

The most important thing to remember when considering paid advertising on social media is to invest in advertising and marketing where your audience will actually find it! For example, if a businesses’ target audience is 65 years+ then it may not make sense to promote your brand on TikTok and SnapChat because that is not where this demographic typically interacts. Furthermore, it is important to assess the return on investment (“ROI”), carefully: is the result worth the cost, particularly with regard to conversions (i.e. calls or leads to actions). If the ROI is not adequate, then the campaign will need to be modified for future use. This kind of tweaking helps make the most of your marketing budget.

Earned or Organic Media

Earned marketing happens when content, such as a video or a photo that has been created and shared, is seen as valuable to others. Often sharing and giving value by producing products under creative commons, free to distribute and use, will get a business a lot of attention.

Social media marketers often hear their bosses telling them to make a post, blog article or video “go viral”. Brands often have a very hard time making this happen because the modern consumer is very wary of any content that is “sale-sy” or overly humanistic. Emotion is a powerful motivator. Apple Inc. has done an amazing job, year after year of making us believe their products will make a happier, merrier Christmas for everyone with their video advertisements. Businesses need to be very careful and wary of this technique to ensure an attempt at pulling heartstrings doesn’t backfire and result in negative reactions. (Remember the Kendall Jenner Pepsi Ad?)

People and companies want to see the personality and authenticity behind a brand. Personal messages and carefully curated non-promotional content can be a magic combination.