Now that each has a name, and we realize the differences, we can begin to understand how to use these definitions to help clarify some of your advertising.
We’ll use an imaginary flower shop, called Rosie’s, as an example. Rosie’s decides to increase its business. Rosie’s pays for print ads, email blasts, and some direct mail. All of this advertising looks good; there are sharp, crisp images, and the language clearly states that large percentages are being discounted for a precise period of time. Unfortunately, sales don’t increase. Is Rosie’s to assume that “Print is dead?” Why did this paid media fail?
This is why having a smart advertising company that understands the holistic approach to marketing is important. A good ad agency doesn’t look at the ad, and say, “This is great!” until they have examined what your competition is saying, what the physical restrictions to your business may be, and what the general population thinks of both you and your product. If Rosie’s is located in a small, hard to find place, a portion of the ad needs to address how to find Rosie’s a little more than, say, a BestBuy would. If Rosie’s was known for having poor quality in the past, the ad needs to address the reputation, and clearly state that there has been a change.
When companies most often fail with paid media, the failure is caused by thinking that the ads will run in a vacuum. Remember, everything needs to tie together, to have a full message. Just because you have the ability to say whatever you want with paid media, you still need to have ads based in reality, of what the customer should expect from both you and the product. Obviously, you cannot break the law, with false advertising. Beyond that, the ad must also have a certain level of credibility. How many businesses have put together ads that are too good to be true, only to have no customer participation? How many times has the phrase “tons in stock” actually meant “just a couple”? Bending the truth will eventually catch up with you, and your paid media will become less effective.
The easiest of these to repair is the most tangible; your owned media. By “Easy” I don’t mean “Inexpensive”. Get your websites under control. Make your physical location pleasant, clean, and accessible. Stock the products your customers want. Provide customers with a pleasant place to do business.
The hardest to wrangle is the earned media. Earned implies that a company cannot simply go out and buy it. You get it from the customers. In order to have a successful earned media presence, you need your customer service spot on. You need to give the customer avenues to talk to your company about any service issue that comes up, as well as an experience that they would want to share with others. Although websites fall under owned media, the comments from customers on your social media channels are most certainly “earned” media. Complete transparency and a way to discuss any issue that may occur is your primary concern. Building some loyalty through some fun, innovative ways, whether it be Facebook contests, loyalty cards, and rewards programs all have the potential to increase your positive earned media. Referral plans work to build word of mouth for some businesses. You can try to influence earned media, but a lot of it has to happen organically, and over time.