What Is Bought, Owned, And Earned Media?
When it comes to media and media exposure, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Many businesses find success with a variety of tactics and channels. Before you can create your own media strategy, it’s important to fully understand your options.
Bought Media
Bought or paid media is perhaps the easiest to understand. It’s media exposure that you’ve paid for. A Facebook advertisement, for example, is a paid media. Paid media serves as a proven method for promoting your content and driving exposure. Social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Pinterest offer advertising options that can be leveraged to boost your exposure. Choosing where to focus your attention, and dollars, depends on where your target audience is the most active and engaged with your brand.
Owned Media
Owned media is also straightforward and easy to grasp. In fact, you’ve likely been leveraging owned media since you launched your business, day one. Owned media is content you’re in full control of. It’s all the content you’ve created, including your blog, website, emails, and social media messages.
Owned media is powerful because it encompasses a variety of formats, ranging from white papers to blog posts or infographics. The goal for owned media, generally, is to pull prospects into and through your sales funnel. You’re providing value and encouraging action.
Earned Media
Earned media is often overcomplicated. Actually, it’s quite simple. Earned media is exposure you’ve earned through word of mouth. That word of mouth can be anything from a celebrity endorsement to a Facebook follower sharing a quote from your post with their readers and followers. It can be a retweet or a published interview in a trade magazine. It’s recognition that you’ve received as a result of your content and marketing efforts.
Earned media helps drive traffic and leads. It builds awareness, credibility, and authority in your industry and amongst your audience.
Working All Three
As you can see from simply looking at the fundamental definitions of each type of media, they play an integral role in your success. They support one another. For example, you’ll have better owned media results if you also explore and leverage earned media. And certainly, a degree of paid or bought media can also add fuel to your marketing fire.
As you explore your marketing and content strategy, take a look at how you can find a workable balance between these three types of media. Leverage your strengths and opportunities with media to grow your business.
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