It’s been a while since I’ve had an opportunity to write a blog. Tomorrow I will present to my peers and as I was writing the presentation on owned, bought, and earned media I thought I’d share my thoughts with you also.
In writing outreach strategies for clients, which align with their business goals, I always take into consideration owned, bought, and earned media.
Owned media is anything you own that can be leveraged for marketing purposes; apparel, office supplies, your website, social media, etc.
Website: maximize its potential; add a blog or news feed, update images, post client/customer testimonials, link to your social media profiles, backlink
Social media; post engaging, informative and timely content; images, videos, industry related information, ask questions, post surveys, piggyback on trends and topics, share content from other business pages etc.
Bought media is anything you buy; advertising in magazines, online, social media, TV, radio, billboards etc. It’s really a case of working out which of the above will bring you the greatest return on your investment. We are seeing more and more people investing in social media advertising/Facebook boosting and videos – as well as Google ad words – the most important benefit to remember about online advertising, is that it’s measurable.
Earned media
Essentially – Public Relations – the core of what Gem PR & Media does for clients on a daily basis.
Speaking opportunities: there are a wide variety of speaking opportunities in central Illinois and beyond.
Articles, profiles, and interviews on TV, radio, in print and online. This is a great opportunity to spread the word about your business and/or services.
Awards; enter awards and nominate clients, colleagues, and partners/third party providers – not just to show that you care, but to spread the word about your organization, its people and those that it interacts with.
CSR – corporate social responsibility; this is a huge part of what we do as a business and encourage other businesses to do so also. Giving back to the community in which your business operates, and you live in, is a major plus here.
In addition to being a nice person, you’re also elevating your brand.
If you choose to dedicate time and resources to a cause make sure it is either one you are extremely passionate about and/or aligns with your business goals.
Make sure you have the time to commit – don’t half-ass it – that’s bad for your reputation.
Use your existing skills – if you’re an accountant – offer to do the bookkeeping, if you’re a lawyer offer to be legal counsel etc.
One of the most important things to remember about public relations/earned media is longevity – this is something often forgotten … when you have an article published online, or you make a presentation/speech and someone shares a photo of you and tags your business on Facebook, or you volunteer for an organization, secure a spot on the news, and a link to the interview is shared on the website and social media platforms - the message is repeated, the exposure is wide reaching and you are now established as a go-to source – you/your business/services/products and expertise are available for anyone that is interested days, months, even years after you’ve ‘paid’ for that PR.
So think about the ways in which you can best leverage your owned, bought, and earned media - and remember the investment is well worth it in the short - and long-term.
