For those of your familiar with the PESO model – you must know that Paid, owned, shared and earned media are the major tools of Public Relations and business marketing. Earned media refers to any promotional material about your business that you haven’t paid for. Although paid and owned media are the ones truly under your complete control, it’s always a good idea to blend earned media into your cocktail for marketing and promotion for the best results. However, earned media doesn’t come without a price, it requires your company to gain influence and produce campaigns that stand out. Let’s get into why earned media is essential to every success story.
Helps boost brand image
With consistent, quality content, your brand tends to get noticed more. When a significant person or entity decides to share your message and promote your brand, it could make a world of difference to your business. When your business is linked to a brand with influence, it will increase your credibility and help you gain popularity. Product reviews, social media shares and other such efforts taken by your followers who are impressed by the work done or products and services offered by your brand makes a positive impact on how your brand is viewed by the world.
It’s a great companion to other media
When earned media is combined with paid, owned and shared media, you can get the most out of your marketing strategy. Sometimes, customer testimonials are the most convincing piece of evidence to prove your brands worth. A customer’s satisfaction can create a positive outlook in the mind of another potential customer. When this earned media is shared by yourself or your customer, it encourages other people to try out your company’s offerings.
Doesn’t eat into your marketing budget
The strongest point in favour of earned media is that it’s free. Studies show that the average marketing budget for a business is anywhere from ten to twenty percent of the annual budget, depending on the size of the business. This sometimes converts to little or no results and if an organisation invests in a method that doesn’t compliment the business, it could mean tons of losses in almost no time. But when it comes to earned media, your business does not have to spend a dime on it. Providing quality content consistently generates the interest of other reporters or creators who in turn share the goodwill, thus “earning” your business more publicity.
Make money – spending virtually nothing
You can generate a whole lot of additional income from earned media, and save money in the process. It helps prevent you from spending too many baht on unproven marketing methods to boost your business. You can attract more earned media by putting your customer first and encouraging people to review your brand and spread the word – the easiest way to do that in this day and age is social media. Positive feedback from social media influencers can lead to your brand becoming an overnight sensation. All this means your brand grows without any additional investment on your part.
Earned media is a ‘bonus’ addition to your marketing strategy – for both young and developed businesses. All forms of media are profitable, of course. But the idea that your company can boost image and sales without any extra investment is worth the effort to produce consistent quality with and offer your customers the best.
The Human & Digital Communications Agency
Our award-winning communications team blends human interactions & digital engagement seamlessly to produce results for brands.
