Elon Musk’s current transfer to purchase Twitter for $44 billion has been one of many greatest tales of the yr. Regardless of the seemingly endless drama, the proposed deal has big implications for the social media world.
By itself, the foundering Twitter transaction might not appear all that pertinent to PR professionals. But when you concentrate on it for a second, this tried buy represents one other occasion of rich people or giant corporations making an attempt to personal their media presence. Comparable circumstances embrace Jeff Bezos’ 2013 acquisition of The Washington Publish, and Disney’s huge controlling stake in main TV networks and channels, together with ABC, ESPN, A&E Networks, and extra.
Whereas not many PR professionals are more likely to be coping with billionaire purchasers who purchase newspapers or social media platforms, there are many purchasers on the market who solely need to work by owned media. Owned media has at all times been troublesome for PR professionals to handle, particularly with regards to questions of legitimacy and transparency. How can I make my consumer’s owned media work for them whereas additionally making it appear unbiased and truthful?
Sorts of media
Let’s remind ourselves of the totally different media varieties and the way they differ from each other. Many advertising professionals shall be accustomed to the PESO mannequin of media varieties (Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned), which is a planning instrument for media campaigns by digital entrepreneurs and PR professionals.
To begin, paid media is any advertising content material that an organization has paid for, resembling advertorial content material, sponsored content material, and different promoted media. Earned media is any favorable protection in a media outlet that an organization hasn’t paid for, resembling media mentions, bylined articles, and thought management placements. Shared media is something natural in nature, resembling evaluations, on-line feedback, and references in different on-line communities.
Lastly, you will have owned media, which is any on-line content material that an organization totally owns and controls. Examples of owned media embrace firm blogs, self-hosted movies, webinars, and e-mail advertising campaigns. The wonderful thing about owned media, and what makes it so common, is the entire management you will have over it. In contrast to shared or earned, owned media can be utilized to speak the precise message you need to your viewers. It additionally raises your model consciousness by growing your search visibility and permitting you to achieve new audiences.
An issue arises when purchasers solely need to use owned media, which implies they miss out on the total advantages that may come from a extra diversified PR marketing campaign. Every media sort has its personal professionals and cons, and a great PR skilled will know that an efficient media marketing campaign usually requires a wholesome stability of the assorted varieties.
Methods to ‘personal’ your owned media
From the reader’s perspective, it’s very troublesome to belief info that comes from a brand-owned supply, notably when the language makes it clear that the purpose is to promote you one thing. Happily, even when a consumer does insist on utilizing owned media and nothing else, there are methods to make sure it carries extra weight for the reader and earns their belief. It’s all about the way you current the data.
Under are three steps you may take to make your consumer’s owned media extra genuine and reliable within the eyes of readers.
1. Make it informative and helpful
When speaking together with your consumer’s viewers, it’s necessary to make the content material each informative and helpful. Typically talking, individuals who repeatedly go to a brand-owned weblog or join an organization’s e-newsletter aren’t instantly trying to buy the corporate’s service or order its merchandise. If they’re excited about making a purchase order, they are going to simply go to the “order” or “contact us” web page.
Weblog posts and newsletters fulfill a distinct want by offering info that may assist the consumer make future choices about an issue they’re dealing with. Typically that leads to leads, after all, however that may’t be the main target of the content material, a minimum of not should you’re making an attempt to construct belief. The extra informative and helpful the content material is, the extra seemingly it’s that the reader will return for future posts, share those they like on social media, and, ultimately, think about using the model’s companies or merchandise.
2. Hold it unbiased and clear
What’s it that units a media outlet just like the New York Instances aside from a brand-owned weblog? The reply is the dedication of the Instances in the direction of the core tenets of journalism: transparency and goal reporting. Granted, each supply has its biases, however for probably the most half, journalistic juggernauts just like the Instances attempt as greatest they will to stay neutral and truthful of their reporting. The identical must be true of your consumer’s owned media.
That’s to not say you may’t be a bit promotional with owned media. The trick is to make it refined. Folks can acknowledge after they’re being marketed to, and so they could also be postpone when it’s too of their face. Folks don’t thoughts advertising after they’re in shopping for mode, however after they’re simply on the lookout for data, a tough gross sales angle might be off-putting.
With owned media content material, attempt to deliver up opposing viewpoints and current them in a manner that appears truthful whereas additionally arguing why your consumer’s merchandise/companies are the higher alternative. It’s not at all times simple to perform this stability, but it surely builds better belief together with your audience.
3. Handle consumer expectations
For those who’ve carefully adopted the above two factors, then you must by now have a media piece that’s each informative and reliable sufficient to attraction to the audience. Nonetheless, there’s one other issue it’s good to take into account within the owned media equation: the consumer. They might not be solely pleased with this strategy you’ve taken. They won’t perceive why they will’t use these items to overtly promote their services and products. Count on to obtain some pushback the primary few instances you ship in some content material for his or her owned media.
Be able to persuade them—in an inexpensive manner—why the smooth promote is far more efficient, even with owned media. You must also be prepared to accommodate the consumer’s needs as greatest you may. An sad consumer received’t stay a consumer for lengthy, so be ready to offer some floor if vital. Little question, it’s a troublesome balancing act to maintain your consumer completely satisfied whereas additionally conserving their content material truthful and clear. However over time, the outcomes ought to converse for themselves.
Ultimate ideas
In comparison with different media varieties, owned media permits for extra freedom for purchasers to get their message out as they see it. Nonetheless, there’s a proper and incorrect option to strategy it. As PR professionals, we have to acknowledge what that proper strategy is and gently persuade our purchasers to take that strategy.
As extra companies look to develop their advertising attain by owned media, there shall be an elevated want for PR professionals to have these probably troublesome conversations amongst each themselves and their purchasers.
