Just as important as how you go about creating quality content for your content marketing program is how you go about drawing attention to your material. Too often, content is simply published, hoping that people will find it. The truth is, the most successful content marketing strategies are well-orchestrated, and take advantage of three distinct types of media: paid, owned, and earned.
Paid Media — Plenty of folks will take your money to help spread the word on your content. These paid options include:
- Pay-per-click.
- Website display.
- Social media.
- Retargeting.
- Paid “influencers”.
- Traditional media. (e.g. Print, TV, radio, etc.)
The upside of paid media? It can get attention for your content in places you might not reach otherwise. The downside? It’s paid. And it can be costly. The net-net of this [from our perspective] is that paid media can definitely play a role in your strategy, you just want to be sure you understand which of these channels is most effective for you and where the law of diminishing returns kicks in. (i.e. I’m paying for more but not getting much more).
Owned Media — You may not think of your organization as a “media company,” but it is. If you utilize a content marketing strategy, you are, in fact, a “publisher.” Your “outlets” include your website, blog, and social media presence.
Owned media has many advantages:
- It’s free (essentially).
- You are the “gatekeeper”.
- Content delivery can be very consistent.
- It helps you build long-term relationships with prospects.
We are big believers in getting all the value you can out of owned media. Nothing beats the combination of cost and control that you get from it. Establishing yourself as a trusted provider of valuable information, and a thought leader in your industry, takes time and effort, but it’s well worth it.
Earned media — While it is the hardest to achieve, earned media momentum is very powerful.
- Follows
- Likes
- Mentions
- Referrals
- Positive reviews
- Sharing of your content
If you can get your target markets—and the buyer personas within them—talking about your products and services in a good way, you are in great shape. People trust the opinions of their peers far more than any other source of information.
Creating the right mix of paid, owned, and earned media to supercharge your content marketing strategy isn’t easy. Trial and error is one method for getting to the right recipe. A better one is to work with an agency like ours that has extensive experience in fine-tuning marketing programs for a wide range of companies.
