You come across a relatable post on Facebook and share it on your Timeline. That is where two forms of media converge right there for the one who created the original post. If you are an essay writer giving away tips on perfecting the art of writing a narrative essay on your blog, and it gets shared on social media platforms, then both owned and earned media work in sync to bring you more revenue. SEO and best digital marketing practices blend in, forming your promotions and advertisement plans, and knowing the three key players in content is the need of the hour.

This post explains the three essential factors of digital marketing – Paid, Owned and Earned Content – and how to use the three to your advantage.

Know-how of paid, owned and earned content

The Holy Trinity of content marketing, paid, owned and earned content, is ruling the roost when it comes to quick conversions and enhanced revenue generation for businesses worldwide. Here is your quick guide to what paid, earned and owned media or content is all about so that you can integrate those into your marketing strategy.

1. Paid content: All content that you publish as advertisements fall under the category of paid media. It is simply the content space that you buy, and employ tools such as Google AdWords. Display advertising and PPC campaigns are also part of your paid media campaign for digital marketing. The following are some examples of paid content that are already a part of your marketing strategy.

• Display advertisements
• Pay-per-click advertisements
• Social media advertisements
• Paid content promotions
• Paid influencer posts
• Retargeting content
• Sponsored content publishing

2.Owned content: This is your home ground. Owned content includes all types of content that are solely your copyright. The media channel that you create on the Internet covers all owned media for your business. For example, if you are an online florist, all content on your website is owned media, including pictures and videos of your services and products. The following are the various forms of owned media that you currently have for your business.

• Mobile site
• Website
• Blogs
• All social media channels (pages and accounts included)

3. Earned content: Earned media or content is the most coveted one among this trio. By putting the user or customers in the advertisement and promotion game, it has a special place for every content marketer’s strategy. Earned content draws more attention to your business, and has the best chances of conversions. Here are a few examples of what earned content could do for your business.

• Social media mentions
• All content shares
• Reviews from customers
• Recommendations and reposts of your content

Blending the three to create the right marketing mix

While paid, owned and earned media are effective strategies by themselves, a holistic approach is the best way to go for. Engaging, user-oriented content is sure to drive your sales upwards. Couple that with the promotional advantage that you get from all three forms of media, and you have just the recipe for success.

Before you go about combining a marketing strategy including the three pillars – paid, owned and earned content – here are a few pointers to guide you along the way.

• Know your customer and identify their typical problems. What are they searching for? Get together with your sales team to handle all those questions.
• LinkedIn groups and Twitter handles have huge influences on your target audience. See where you have got more influencers, and proceed accordingly.
• Google search tools can come to help when you want to get into the heart of popular jargons and keywords in your industry. Get to know your buyer’s persona better by using those keyword search stats.
• Keep an eye on the competition, and see what they are up to. You can find better insights into the trending blogging topics. Use their ad channels to leverage your position as well.
• The launch of products or enhancements that help you get ahead of the competition via paid or owned media is also a good way to strategize your marketing strategy. Keep company news on top of your priorities, and you can formulate a proper digital marketing strategy.

Using paid, owned and earned media to your advantage

Every content marketer should keep the following in mind when devising a marketing strategy with the three forms of media to maximize conversions and revenue generation.

• Use your Twitter posts to reach out to your audience. Your Twitter handle is a form of owned media that helps in syncing the same with earned media through user engagement on your posts. Once you gauge target audience reaction to your posts, use the results to amp up your advertising or paid content channels.
• E-books are also a fabulous form of owned media that you can use for promotions. For example, if you are a beautician, publish an e-book on home remedies for beauty hacks that get noticed by an influencer. Once they decide to share it, you have your earned media advantage right there.

• All owned media that you create transforms itself into earned media the moment it gets shared. Same goes for replies or comments on your posts. Boost it on other channels using paid media strategies, such as a sponsored tweet or Facebook mention.

Wrapping it up

Converging the three forms of content using a holistic approach for marketing is the way to go in current times. While there is no perfect balance for all businesses, knowing the right combination for your business is the key. That is when an in-depth knowledge of the three forms of content – paid, owned and earned – comes into play. Follow the tips shared in this post for totally nailing your marketing strategy, and generating more revenue in 2018. Good luck with your digital marketing endeavors!