Last update: 15/6/2023

In a nutshell

This comprehensive guide delves deep into the role of media in marketing, helping entrepreneurs and marketers, novice or experienced, understand the subtleties of different media channels and how they can be leveraged for success. We explore Owned, Earned, Shared, and Paid media, providing examples and practical tips for each. This guide also outlines how to translate these theories into effective actions and offers a scoring system for evaluating your current media strategy. It covers potential reasons behind scores and offers insights for strategic improvement. The article concludes with a case study from Green Clean to illustrate how a well-executed media strategy can propel a business forward. This guide serves as an essential read for anyone looking to harness the power of media in their marketing strategy.

In the Marketing Canvas

The Marketing Canvas is a powerful tool for entrepreneurs and non-marketers to build a robust marketing strategy. It consists of six meta-dimensions, each with four sub-dimensions, for a total of 24 sub-dimensions defining your Marketing Strategy. One of these sub-dimensions is MEDIA, which falls under the CONVERSATION meta-category

Defining Media

In any given relationship, communication is vital. The same is true for your business, where the exchange of messages is constant between you and your audience—your prospects, clients, customers. You initiate conversations using your stories and content. But where do these discussions take place? This leads us to a rather colossal industry that encapsulated $629 billion in 2018: media advertising.

A look into the past reveals how companies carpet-bombed potential and existing clients with advertising—a unidirectional monologue that is now more commonly referred to as "Push Communication." As times evolved and technology advanced, the internet and digital marketing gave birth to a more targeted and pertinent approach, transiting towards a pull mechanism.

In today's world, you could adopt a minimalistic approach requiring almost no budget, or you could choose a more sophisticated and expensive strategy. Your media strategy depends entirely on your business's scale, budget, audience, and objectives.

PESO model from Spinsucks (credentials: https://spinsucks.com/communication/peso-model-breakdown/)

To comprehend this vast landscape, we employ the PESO model. As a business, you already possess some media assets—your website, an email database of your clients or visitors, business cards collected during events, and more. This is your Owned Media. You don't need to shell out extra money to publish content on these channels. This is an excellent start for any business, particularly startups or SMEs.

The second type is Earned Media. Earned media refers to publicity or media relations. It's when you secure a mention in a newspaper or a trade publication, or you make an appearance on a news show to discuss your product. This has been the traditional domain of PR.

Shared Media, also known as social media, is the next facet. It has evolved beyond just marketing or customer service, becoming a primary means of communication both internally and externally for many businesses.

Finally, we have Paid Media. These are channels that you pay for to distribute your content. It could be mass media like TV, billboards, newspapers (also known as above the line), or direct marketing media like mailing lists (referred to as below the line media). Social media platforms such as Facebook also offer paid advertising options.

Your media strategy should be in alignment with your customers, your purpose, and the touchpoints of your journey. An imbalance in your efforts across these four media types, or a lack of alignment of your media strategy with your customers and goals, can compromise the effectiveness of your campaign.

Tools for Media

In the constantly evolving digital era, having the right set of tools is key to managing and optimizing your media presence. Here, we delve into some of the tools essential for each type of media.

For Owned Media, a CMS (Content Management System) like WordPress or Squarespace is necessary to manage your website. Email marketing software such as MailChimp or Constant Contact can assist with email campaigns.

For Earned Media, consider tools like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to connect with journalists looking for expert quotes or BuzzSumo to analyze which content performs best.

For Shared Media, social media management tools like Hootsuite or Buffer can help manage and schedule posts. Social listening tools such as Sprout Social or Brandwatch can monitor mentions of your brand across various platforms.

For Paid Media, platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Business Manager can help with ad creation and tracking. Tools like SEMrush or SpyFu can provide insights into your competitors' ad strategies.

Each of these tools helps manage different aspects of your media strategy, making your campaigns more effective and efficient.

Translating Media into Action

The effective usage of the media mix is not an end in itself. It's about converting that usage into concrete actions – which ultimately results in achieving your organizational goals.

Firstly, Owned Media, if used effectively, can create a strong brand identity and serve as a reliable information source about your products or services. An action point here is to optimize your website and other owned media to convert visitors into leads or sales.

For Earned Media, the goal is often to build credibility. Positive press mentions can be leveraged to foster trust among your audience. The resultant action would be to convert this trust into customer loyalty and advocacy.

In Shared Media, the action can be twofold. Firstly, it can serve to foster a community around your brand, driving engagement through shares, likes, and comments. Secondly, it can be used to provide customer service, addressing concerns and queries in real-time.

Lastly, Paid Media can drive a variety of actions, from awareness to conversions. The key here is to design the creative and copy in a way that resonates with your target audience and prompts them to take the desired action.

Statements for self-assessment

Is the current Media strategy helping you achieve your goals?

To understand whether your Media strategy is helping you achieve your goals, comprehensive evaluation is critical. Rate your agreement with the following statements on a scale from -3 (completely disagree) to +3 (completely agree):

Your owned media are solid, consistent with your goals and serve as the foundation for your media strategy.
Your earned media strategy helps you to secure authority and credibility of your business to your audience.
You have created engagement and community for your customers through your shared media strategy.
You have amplified your targeting for achieving your goals through paid off-line and on-line media.
Your media strategy is compatible with the concept of sustainability

This scoring system will help you identify areas where your strategy is strong, as well as areas for improvement. For instance, a low score in the earned media strategy may indicate a need for stronger PR efforts.

Remember, media strategy is a dynamic process that requires constant refinement. Regularly evaluating your strategy and making necessary improvements can lead to better alignment with your business objectives, ultimately improving your return on investment.

Marketing Canvas Method - Conversation - Media Strategy

Interpretation of the scores

Negative scores (-1 to -3): These scores suggest significant gaps in your media strategy. Your owned media may lack consistency, your earned media efforts may fail to build credibility, and your shared or paid media may not engage customers effectively or align with sustainability.
A score of zero (0): A neutral score indicates partial effectiveness. While some media aspects may work, others are underdeveloped, limiting the overall impact of your strategy.
Positive scores (+1 to +3): Positive scores suggest a well-rounded and effective media strategy. Your owned, earned, shared, and paid media are aligned with your goals and sustainability principles, creating a cohesive and impactful presence.

Case study: Green Clean’s Media strategy

Misaligned Understanding (-3, -2, -1): Green Clean’s owned media (e.g., website) lacks regular updates and optimization. Earned media efforts are sporadic, and shared media fails to engage customers meaningfully. Paid campaigns are generic and do not target specific audience segments effectively.
Surface Understanding (0): Green Clean has a functional website and earns occasional media coverage but lacks a cohesive strategy. Shared media posts generate limited engagement, and paid campaigns are not optimized for ROI or sustainability.
Deep Understanding (+1, +2, +3): Green Clean uses a regularly updated, sustainability-focused website as the cornerstone of its strategy. Earned media features testimonials from eco-conscious influencers, while shared media fosters a community through engaging posts about reducing waste. Paid campaigns use targeted ads promoting green initiatives, all while minimizing environmental impact.

Conclusion

The Media sub-dimension ensures that your marketing efforts are strategically aligned across owned, earned, shared, and paid channels. By focusing on integration, engagement, and sustainability, you can amplify your brand's reach, credibility, and impact, fostering stronger connections with your audience and supporting your business goals.