• Blog
  • Owned Media Uncovered: Why It’s Not What You Think
John Harrison
March 4, 2024

You’ve heard the chatter about owned media, likely bracketed it with words like ‘control’ and ‘cost-effectiveness’, right?

Wrong.

The digital landscape shifts rapidly, repainting traditional definitions in bold, disruptive hues. No longer limited to the familiar territories of blogs, websites, and social networks, owned media is donning a sparkling new avatar. And forgive my forthrightness, but it’s likely not what you’re making it out to be.

The torn landscapes of Mars are vast and desolate, yet, hold the promise of alien life. Owned media is akin to that unfathomable Martian landscape. It’s as unknown, as promising, and as compelling to explore. So, let’s swap the rover for a virtual spacecraft and embark on an ambitious journey, redefining owned media’s misleading misnomers and uncovering its uncharted potential.

If you’re intrigued, buckle up; the journey into the depths of owned media is about to begin.

Unraveling the Mystery of Owned Media

  • Get a deeper understanding of owned media
  • Understand why owned media is crucial for your business
  • Learn the power of owned media for marketing strategies

Defining Owned Media: A Closer Look

Owned Media refers to media that’s wholly controlled by the company, which includes the company’s website, blogs, newsletters, and social media profiles. It’s the digital storefront of your brand, a bespoke platform where you can craft messages and interact with your customer base on your own terms.

Yet, owned media isn’t simply a shiny object to look at; it’s an integral piece of your marketing toolbox. It’s a versatile and dynamic platform that, if used right, can substantially enhance your business’ overall digital footprints.

A key feature of owned media is that it allows you to bypass the gatekeepers in traditional media. You control the narrative, deciding what to say and when to say it. And the best part? You are not constrained by character limits or editorial mandates. You are the determiner of your brand’s image and story.

The Power of Owned Media: Why It Matters

The power of owned media lies in its ability to build lasting, meaningful relationships with your audiences. And in the digital age, relationships dictate business success.

When you own your media, you can create content that resonates with your audience – content that can turn idle visitors into active customers. Your blog isn’t just a blog; it’s a megaphone to promote your brand’s voice, tone, and value proposition. It’s a meeting point where your audience can interact with your brand and build strong brand loyalty.

Owned media is also a critical player in your SEO arsenal. Topics on your blog can be keyword optimized, backlinked, and structured for search engine effectiveness. In other words, your owned media can drive traffic and bring more potential customers to your doorstep. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Crucially, the influence of your owned media extends beyond the digital space. It impacts every facet of your customer’s perception, from awareness to trial, to purchase and repurchase. The power to control that perception lies in your hands, waiting to be unleashed.

Now that we’ve unravelled the mystery surrounding owned media, it’s time to delve deeper into how you can maximize its potential in your marketing strategies. Find out how to harness its power like never before. Step inside.

Maximizing Your Owned Media: A Comprehensive Guide

  • It’s about auditing existing owned media assets.
  • It dives into developing a unique content strategy for your media.
  • Finally, optimize your owned media for SEO and visibility.

Let’s delve into the specifics.

Step 1: Auditing Your Existing Owned Media Assets

Organizing your owned media assets is the first critical step in your mission. Think about what you have and how well it fulfills its purpose.

Remember that quality trumps quantity. A good few assets performing consistently can contribute more to your brand objectives than a sea of mediocre content.

Step 2: Develop a Content Strategy for Your Owned Media

Once you’ve audited your owned media assets, it’s time to map out a strategy. Focus on adding value to your existing assets while addressing gaps in your content.

A compelling content strategy centres on your target audience. What problems can you solve for them or what can you educate them on that no one else has? Answering these questions can serve as a good starting point.

Ensure consistency in your messaging across all owned media platforms. Consistency breeds familiarity, and familiarity can create a loyal following.

Step 3: Optimize Your Owned Media for SEO

Optimizing your owned media for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a whole new ball game. But it’s one you have to master for visibility.

Millions of content pieces get published every day; being seen in this cacophony is crucial.

Start with keyword research to optimize every piece of owned media.

SEO isn’t just about keywords. High quality, valuable content will keep visitors coming back, improving your site’s standing in search engine results.

The climb to SEO glory might be arduous, but with consistent effort, the views from the top are well worth it.

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Strategies for Owned Media

  • A look into the strategic possibilities of social media profiles as owned media channels
  • Discussing the synergy between owned media, paid media and earned media
  • Leaving you informed and ready for the next step in your owned media journey

Leveraging Social Media Profiles for Owned Media

A shift is underway. Social media profiles are no longer seen simply as communication channels. They are becoming strategic platforms in their own right. With a well-crafted approach, these profiles form a significant part of our owned media assets.

Compared to traditional owned media – websites, blogs, newsletters – social media provides better reach and engagement. Along with these benefits, the genuine, real-time interaction it enables can help strengthen your brand’s relationship with its audience.

A strategy is key for making the most of this. Visual content works best – videos, images, infographics. Scripted content can often seem too promotional and may not get the response you want.

Integrating Owned Media with Paid and Earned Media

Owned media, on its own, doesn’t paint the full picture. In an effective media strategy, owned media works in harmony with paid and earned media. Paid media refers to any media space that a company buys, while earned media is publicity gained organically or through promotional activities.

Integrating these three media types can give you a multifaceted strategy that extends your reach and deepens your relationship with your audience. To successfully combine these, an understanding of their unique characteristics is crucial.

Owned media, whether it’s your website or your social media profiles, allows you full control over your content. Paid media can speed up the process of reaching a larger audience, while earned media provides credibility and endorsement.

A harmonized approach to media will maximize your brand’s influence and effectiveness. How you combine these three largely depends on your company’s objectives, the nature of your audience and the kind of product or service you offer. Establishing a balance between them is the key to an integrated media strategy.

You are now poised for a deeper exploration into the dynamics of media evolution. Leveraging owned media, integrating it with paid and earned media, and harnessing the potential of social media has laid the groundwork for this journey. As you march forward, remember the power of strategic approaches to a multifaceted media landscape. Today’s digital environment allows for innovation.

The only limit is imagination itself.

The Future of Owned Media

  • Understand emerging trends shaping owned media.
  • Discover how to future-proof your owned media strategy.

Emerging Trends in Owned Media

Owned media isn’t a static landscape. It’s always transforming, mirroring the shifting preferences of consumers and technological advances.

One significant trend is the rise of personalized content. Audiences yearn for experiences that reflect their needs, preferences, and behaviors. Unlike traditional, one-size-fits-all content, personalized offerings resonate on another level, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

Another trend is the growing focus on analytics and data-driven insights. Businesses are leveraging data to optimize their owned media, understanding what works and what doesn’t. This paves the path to creating more effective and impactful content.

Lastly, we see an increased emphasis on multimedia elements in owned media. From dazzling infographics to engaging video content, a mix of multimedia enriches user experience and boosts retention rates.

Preparing Your Owned Media Strategy for the Future

Foresight is essential in the ever-evolving world of owned media. Being future-ready starts with recognizing the trends and preparing your strategy accordingly.

Make personalized experiences a norm in your owned media. Leverage data to understand your customer – their likes, dislikes, and behavior patterns. Then, use that insight to craft content that feels tailor-made for them.

Furthermore, embrace the world of data analytics. Treat every content piece as an experiment. Analyze the data, make sense of the findings, and use those insights for future content. This approach not only optimizes your current strategy but also helps you adapt to changes more efficiently.

Lastly, don’t shy away from experimenting with multimedia in your owned media strategy. Infographics, webinars, podcasts – the possibilities are endless. Push your creative boundaries and keep an eye on what your audience is responding the most to. Remember, multimedia content is not just about variety but also about adding value.

That’s the beauty of owned media – it’s a world full of possibilities, where the boundaries are only as limited as your imagination. Keep these trends in mind and future-proof your owned media strategy for success.

Wrapping Up: The True Value of Owned Media

  • In this section, we debunk prevailing misconceptions about owned media.
  • We’ll then shed light on why its present perception isn’t entirely accurate.
  • By the end, understand the true value and potential of owned media.

Debunking Common Misconceptions About Owned Media

A prevalent conception is that owned media holds a static, unchanging role in marketing strategy. It’s viewed as nothing more than a digital storefront, a place for canned corporate messages.

This couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Owned media is the backbone of your digital presence. It’s dynamic, updating real-time, echoing your brand voice, and directly communicating your marketing messages. Moreover, unlike paid or earned media, you have total control over your owned media platforms.

There’s also the misunderstanding that owned media doesn’t fit into the customer journey. Customers rely heavily on your business’s owned media platforms to make informed decisions. Their journey, right from discovery to conversion, often involves multiple touchpoints with your owned media.

Finally, businesses often undervalue maintaining owned media as it doesn’t directly generate profit. However, it has a significant indirect impact on revenue through lead generation, customer acquisition, and building customer loyalty.

The Last Word: Why Owned Media is Not What You Think

Owned media isn’t just another piece of your marketing puzzle; it’s the base around which your marketing strategy gets built.

The power of owned media emanates from its capacity to align with your brand, tell your story, and engage your audience – all under your control. The impact it has on your revenue might not be as direct as your sales team’s, yet it’s just as integral, potentially even more powerful given its long-term effects.

Whilst many companies view owned media only as a cost center, disregarding its potential contribution to revenue, this is a myopic view. By utilizing narratives relevant to your audience, it can be transformed into a money-making tool.

Owned media isn’t just responsible for echoing your brand’s voice to the world, but it also forms the crux of your online reputation. In the absence of strong owned media, you’re leaving your brand reputation in the hands of the web at large.

Ultimately, the true power of owned media lies in its longevity and cost-effectiveness. Unlike paid media that disappears after the budget runs out, owned media continues to generate value over time without requiring additional budget, forming an integral part of a sustainable marketing strategy.

Breaking Down Owned Media Myths: Your Power Move

Re-thinking owned media has shattered our conventional beliefs. The secret isn’t just controlling your message, but creating a symphony of engagement that makes your audience want to keep listening.

This level of insight isn’t simply beneficial—it’s critical. Armed with this, you’re in position to reconstruct and optimize your own media approach towards success.

Don’t wait. Review your owned media assets today, identify your strengths, and start honing in on how you can amplify your engagement.

With all this information, which aspect of your owned media strategy will you disrupt first?

So here’s the wind up: Owned media isn’t what we thought—it’s better. Let’s not just control the message, but choreograph the dance.

Generate high quality, search optimised articles with Penfriend.ai

No credit card necessary
Unsubscribe any time

About the Author

With Penfriend, I was able to generate two 3,000+ word articles around niche topics in 10 minutes. AND THEY ARE SO HUMAN. I can easily pass these first drafts to my SMEs to embed with practical examples and customer use cases. I have no doubt these will rank.

I cannot wait to put these articles into action and see what happens.

Jess Cook

Head of Content & Comms
Island