Earned media in social media marketing refers to the exposure a brand gains through organic methods, like mentions, shares, or discussions, rather than through paid or owned media. It plays a key role in boosting credibility, expanding reach, and fostering authentic interactions with the audience. What is earned media in social media marketing? It’s publicity a brand earns through external sources like customers, influencers, and media outlets. Unlike paid or owned media, earned media is spontaneous and often considered the most trustworthy form of marketing, as it involves unbiased endorsements and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Understanding Earned Media in Social Media Marketing
To fully grasp the concept of earned media, it’s important to understand how it works within the broader framework of social media marketing. Earned media is often contrasted with paid and owned media, which are both directly controlled by the brand. Let’s dive deeper into each type of media and explore the distinctions:
Paid Media: This involves spending money on advertisements, sponsored posts, or partnerships to reach the target audience. It is entirely controlled by the brand.
Owned Media: Owned media includes any digital property a business has control over, such as its website, email list, or social media profiles. These channels are curated and managed by the business itself.
Earned Media: Earned media refers to the exposure that a brand gains from external sources such as customer reviews, social media shares, media coverage, or any mention of the brand by third parties. It’s the result of creating content that is engaging enough to be shared or recommended by others.
Earned media is powerful because it carries a level of authenticity and trust. When customers or influencers talk about a brand, their audience tends to trust their opinions more than advertisements or promotional content from the brand itself.
The Importance of Earned Media in Social Media Marketing
Earned media is essential in social media marketing because it signifies that a brand has successfully captured the attention of its target audience in an organic, non-intrusive way. Here are several reasons why earned media is crucial for businesses:
Increased Brand Credibility: People trust recommendations from others more than they trust advertisements. Earned media provides social proof, which can be a significant influence on consumer behavior. Positive reviews, shares, or mentions by influencers or satisfied customers act as endorsements for the brand.
Wider Reach: Earned media helps to extend a brand’s reach without additional costs. When users share or comment on a brand’s post, it exposes the content to their networks, thus amplifying its visibility. This organic reach often has a more significant impact compared to paid promotions because it comes from trusted sources.
Improved SEO Performance: Earned media, such as mentions or backlinks from authoritative sites, can help improve a brand’s search engine rankings. Search engines consider these mentions as a vote of confidence, signaling that the brand is relevant and trusted.
Stronger Engagement: Brands that generate earned media often experience increased engagement. This is because earned media creates more genuine and meaningful interactions with audiences. When customers share content or engage with a brand’s social media posts, it signifies their genuine interest.
Cost-Effective Marketing: Unlike paid media, earned media does not require a financial investment. It relies on the organic efforts of customers, influencers, and other third parties. This makes it an incredibly cost-effective marketing strategy for businesses, particularly small businesses with limited budgets.
How to Generate Earned Media in Social Media Marketing
Generating earned media is not something that can be purchased or guaranteed through a paid campaign. It requires a combination of strategy, creativity, and consistent engagement. Here are several ways to generate earned media through social media marketing:
Create Valuable Content: Content is king in social media marketing. Businesses need to create high-quality, valuable, and engaging content that resonates with their target audience. When content is compelling and relevant, it encourages users to share it with their networks. This could be in the form of informative blog posts, entertaining videos, infographics, or user-generated content.
Engage with Your Audience: Active engagement is crucial for generating earned media. Responding to comments, participating in conversations, and acknowledging user feedback shows that a brand is attentive and cares about its audience. This fosters goodwill, which can lead to mentions, shares, and positive word-of-mouth.
Leverage Influencers: Influencers play a significant role in generating earned media. By partnering with influencers who align with your brand values, businesses can tap into their established audience. However, it’s important that these collaborations feel authentic and not forced. When influencers genuinely endorse a brand, their audience is more likely to trust the recommendation.
Encourage User-Generated Content: User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most effective ways to generate earned media. Encouraging customers to share their experiences with your product or service on social media can help amplify your brand’s message. This can include sharing photos, reviews, or using branded hashtags.
Leverage Social Listening: Social listening involves monitoring conversations on social media about your brand or industry. By listening to what people are saying, brands can join relevant conversations, engage with customers, and respond to feedback. Addressing customer concerns or praising positive reviews can help generate more earned media.
Create Shareable Campaigns: Creating campaigns that encourage sharing is another effective way to generate earned media. This could include running contests, challenges, or giveaways that incentivize people to share the brand’s content. The more shareable the content, the more likely it is to spread organically.
Engage with the Press: Positive media coverage can contribute to earned media. Press releases, media outreach, and building relationships with journalists can result in mentions or stories about your brand. Media coverage, especially from respected publications or blogs, enhances brand credibility and visibility.
Examples of Earned Media in Action
To better understand how earned media works in real-world social media marketing, let’s explore some examples:
Customer Reviews and Testimonials: A restaurant might post a beautiful picture of a new dish on their social media account. Customers who love the dish might take photos and post them on their own social media, tagging the restaurant. This is earned media because it came from the customer, not the brand.
Viral Content: A clothing brand might post a funny or emotional video that resonates with their audience. Users share it, and soon it goes viral, garnering millions of views. The brand didn’t pay for this exposure; it was earned through content that people found shareable and engaging.
Influencer Mentions: An influencer might share a story on Instagram featuring a brand’s product. While the brand didn’t pay for the mention, the influencer’s followers take note of the endorsement, resulting in organic interest and engagement with the brand.
Media Coverage: A technology startup might launch a groundbreaking new product and gain media attention in tech blogs or news outlets. The brand didn’t pay for this coverage, but it earned it through its innovation and relevance in the industry.
Challenges of Earned Media in Social Media Marketing
While earned media offers many benefits, it also presents certain challenges. These challenges arise because earned media is largely unpredictable and often beyond a brand’s direct control. Here are some of the key challenges:
Lack of Control: Since earned media comes from external sources, brands have little control over the message being shared. Negative reviews or mentions can also be part of earned media, which can harm a brand’s reputation if not handled properly.
Difficult to Measure: Unlike paid media, which provides clear metrics for performance, earned media can be more difficult to track and measure. While social media shares, mentions, and user interactions can be monitored, it’s challenging to quantify the overall impact on brand awareness or sales.
Requires Time and Effort: Generating earned media takes time. It’s not something that happens overnight, and it requires continuous effort in creating engaging content, interacting with the audience, and building relationships with influencers or journalists.
Risk of Negative Exposure: Earned media is not always positive. A poorly handled customer complaint or an unflattering review can result in negative earned media. Brands need to be prepared to address and manage any negative exposure effectively.
Conclusion
Earned media is an essential component of social media marketing that can have a significant impact on brand reputation, reach, and engagement. It is the result of organic, unpaid efforts such as customer reviews, social media shares, influencer mentions, and media coverage. While it comes with challenges, earned media provides businesses with the opportunity to build trust, enhance their credibility, and expand their reach in a cost-effective manner. By creating valuable content, engaging with audiences, and leveraging influencers, businesses can increase the likelihood of generating earned media and reaping the benefits of its organic, authentic power.
Related Topics
- What Is Social Media Content Marketing?
- What Is Social Media Viral Marketing?
- What Is Social Media Influencer Marketing?
