Until recently, we’ve been living in this wonderful marketing world of SEO magic, where you carefully tend to one primary marketing channel (your website), create a regular stream of content, and voila! A handful of your blogs start ranking in search and thousands upon thousands of visitors pour into your site – yours to nurture, engage, and convert.
But if your business is like most, you’ve likely seen a significant dip in organic traffic over the last year and a half. Google algorithm shifts, changes in search behavior, AI-assisted search, and generative AI platforms are changing the game. The single-channel approach isn’t cutting it anymore.
When it comes to being seen by your target audiences, the importance of domain authority (the credibility of your website) is being replaced by the importance of brand authority (the credibility of your brand across all digital spaces). And these audiences are no longer just going to Google to gather information. So, we’re back to meeting prospects where they are – trade publications, podcasts, social media, virtual events, live events, etc. In other words: a multichannel marketing approach.
Long before you start thinking about what channels to employ, you of course need to deeply understand your business priorities, the areas in which marketing can impact, your company value proposition and differentiation, and your target audience’s needs, motivations, and frustrations. These pieces inform your marketing goals and the tactics you’ll execute to reach them. As we like to say, strategy before tactics.
Once you have identified your marketing priorities, built out your persona profiles, established your brand positioning and messaging, and identified your content themes and topics, you’re ready to map out just how you’re going to get the word out through owned, earned, and paid media channels. Let’s take a look at each of these categories.
Owned media represents the channels a business has complete control over. This media type serves as the foundational bedrock of your digital presence, offering a home base where prospects can learn about your offerings, values, and industry insights.
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To maximize the impact of owned media, focus on creating valuable, relevant content that addresses the needs and questions of your target audience. Engage with visitors through interactive elements and use analytics to refine your strategy continuously.
Earned media is arguably the most credible form of marketing, encompassing word-of-mouth, customer reviews, media coverage, and social media mentions. It’s the natural outcome of having a product, service, or content that others find valuable enough to share or endorse without any direct payment or prompting from you.
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Encourage earned media by engaging with your audience, providing exceptional customer service, and creating shareable content. Monitoring social mentions and industry conversations can also help you capitalize on opportunities to amplify positive feedback.
Paid media covers all marketing channels you pay for, such as pay-per-click advertising and sponsored content. This media type can accelerate your marketing efforts, offering targeted visibility and quick results.
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To effectively integrate paid media into your multi-channel strategy, start with clear objectives and a defined target audience. Test different platforms and ad formats to determine what works best for your business, and always align your paid efforts with your organic and earned media strategies.
The real magic happens when owned, earned, and bought media work together, creating a synergistic effect that amplifies your marketing impact.
Say you publish a compelling blog article on your website (owned media). Then, a well-respected industry publication picks it up and shares it with their audience (earned media). Seeing how well-received this piece has become, you amplify that content through targeted social media ads or a sponsored newsletter (paid media), extending its reach even further. This synergy creates a powerful wave that drives brand awareness, engagement, and ultimately, sales.
Here's how to leverage each media type:
Owned Media:
Create high-quality content that educates, entertains, and solves problems for your target audience.
Build an email list and nurture leads with targeted email campaigns.
Utilize social media to engage with your audience, share industry insights, and showcase your company culture.
Earned Media:
Identify key industry influencers and build relationships with them.
Create shareable content that resonates with journalists and publications.
Participate in industry events and conferences to build brand awareness.
Paid Media:
Utilize targeted advertising to reach your ideal customers on relevant platforms.
Experiment with different ad formats – video, display, and social media ads – to see what resonates best.
Track your results and optimize your campaigns for maximum reach and engagement.
A multichannel approach isn't just about throwing content at different walls and hoping something sticks. It's about creating a cohesive strategy where each piece complements the others. Here are some tips:
Embracing a multichannel approach in your B2B marketing strategy, with a balanced mix of owned, earned, and bought media, can significantly enhance your brand's visibility, credibility, and customer engagement. By strategically integrating these media types, you can build a robust marketing program that drives awareness, engagement, and growth for your business.
TREW is a marketing agency dedicated to reaching engineering and technical audiences through a range of marketing initiatives. Contact us today to learn more about the services we offer.