All You Need to Know About Owned, Earned, & Paid Media
The way media is presented online for marketing purposes has evolved over time with advances in technology and search engine updates. For this reason, you’re more likely to benefit from a converged media strategy, which is an online marketing plan that includes owned, earned, and paid media elements. The San Diego SEO specialists at Saba SEO explain these three types of media in detail.
Owned Media
Owned media refers to digital assets or platforms within your control. Common examples include your web content, emails, and blogs. Search engine optimization (SEO) efforts can make owned media an important asset. Proper use of structured data, useful content for featured snippets, content presented elsewhere (like on your social media pages), and well-researched keywords used naturally within content can boost your site’s performance and visibility. Common owned media metrics to keep an eye on include:
• Total traffic numbers and unique sessions
• Organic keyword rankings
• Referring domains (sites associated with your backlinks)
• Link popularity (citation flow)
• Website trustworthiness based on link quality (trust flow)
Earned Media
Earned media is free publicity for your business or brand that has a positive influence on how searchers interact with you online. Examples of this type of media include press mentions of your brand, links leading back to your content, and positive online reviews. Strategies that can help your business benefit from earned media include:
• Reaching out to online influencers
• Building mutually beneficial relationships with digital publications relevant to your niche or industry
• Writing press releases with newsworthy info about your brand.
Citations, brand mentions, and publicity value of media events are among the key earned media metrics. Be proactive with your efforts to earn media attention online by doing things like guest blogging. It’s equally important to address negative reviews before they damage your online reputation.
Paid Media
Paid media involves ad placement in exchange for payment, and the main purpose of this type of media is to drive more traffic to your website to increase conversions. Paid media can be grouped into three categories:
• Search ads – These are paid ads that appear above organic search results on search engine results pages. Google Ads (formerly AdWords) is the best-known example of search ads.
• Display ads – Also referred to as “banner ads,” display ads can appear on websites, social media pages, or apps. They’re more likely to be effective if included on trustworthy websites with relevant content. Some advertisers prefer to place such ads on competitors’ sites.
• Social media ads – These are paid ads that appear around the content on various social media pages. Social media ads can also appear in feeds and other places on social sites where the target audience is likely to view them.
Integrated strategies that include owned, earned, and paid media efforts are important because of the many ways online content is consumed these days. A multi-faceted approach with media makes sense for many businesses. There’s no secret formula for finding the right mix with a converged media strategy. However, knowing exactly who your intended audience is and having clearly defined goals can help you find a “media mix” that works well for your business.
If you need help creating a converged media strategy for your business, turn to Saba SEO. As one of the leading marketing companies in San Diego, we rely on a wide variety of tools and communication channels to create focused campaigns for our clients. With our help, you can expand your customer base, acquire more leads, and boost your online visibility. We offer search engine optimization, paid marketing, content development, web designing, and social media management services. To schedule an appointment with one of our digital marketing specialists, give us a call at 858-277-1717 today.