The home services market is unique in some of its advertising challenges and needs. Encompassing everything from plumbing and HVAC to cleaning and pest control to roofing and remodeling, these are businesses that require drive and urgency because no
What Is Paid Media?
Paid media is exactly what it says on the tin: it’s the ads, posts, and marketing that you pay for in order to get it to your ideal customers. Unlike traditional advertising, it’s aimed at boosting brand reputation and visibility and not just about selling a particular product or service.
Paid media includes things like:
- Paid search and pay-per-click
- Social media ads
- Sponsored podcast ads
- TV and radio advertising
- Ads for YouTube and streaming platforms
- Online display ads and banners
- Direct mail
The benefits of paid media are that it can be implemented and scaled up quickly and targeted to specific demographics. It’s an especially effective way to reach customers who might already be interested in or actively searching for you.
The biggest challenge with paid media is that it relies on you having the budget to keep it going, whether it’s for Google AdSense or an ad spot during the local news or a paid YouTube sponsorship.
What Is Owned Media?
Owned media is the advertising and content you produce and share on your own website, socials, and audience. It’s the long-term strategy for establishing your brand image and building authority in your industry.
Owned media includes things like:
- Your website
- Blogs and articles
- Whitepapers and ebooks
- Brochures
- Your social media accounts
- Email newsletters and subscriber lists
The benefits of owned media are right there in the name—it’s owned, it’s yours. You have control of what’s being posted and the messages and values you’re portraying to consumers. It also doesn’t incur the same costs as paid media.
The biggest challenge of owned media is that your own website and platforms likely won’t have the same reach, so there is less chance for discoverability for brand-new consumers who aren’t familiar with you.
What Is Earned Media?
Earned media is different from sponsored spots or paid ad reads; it is, instead, free coverage from an independent third party.
Earned media includes things like:
- Coverage on news programs or talk shows
- Endorsements on podcasts or radio
- Social media influencers naming and recommending your brand
- Customers naturally sharing and reviewing you online
The benefits of earned media—sometimes also called user-generated content (UGC)—are that it carries the most credibility and weight with other consumers and can be extraordinarily beneficial to your marketing.
The biggest challenge with earned media is that you can’t control it; it is entirely organic. It relies on well-crafted public relations and relationship-building, not just with journalists and influencers, but also with your own current customers.
Best Practices for Using Paid, Owned and Earned Media
For all the pros and cons of each, the best marketing strategy will utilize a balance of all three of these media types to achieve the best results in your campaign. Your budget, your resources, and your goals all will factor into the overall makeup of your sales funnel.
When you’re developing your strategy, it’s important to stay flexible so you can adjust and pivot as needed depending on your key performance indicators. It’s okay for these three types of media to interact and overlap; they should work together.
Use paid media when…
- You have space in your budget and a clear idea of where it will best be spent. Throwing money around randomly will be a waste.
- You need instant visibility and to drive more awareness at the top of the sales funnel.
Utilize tools like Google Trends, Looker Studio, Microsoft Clarity, and the Ads Managers and Ads Libraries offered by Google, Meta, and Tiktok. Measure the effectiveness of your paid media through metrics like click-thru rate, cost-per-click, return on ad spend, reach and impressions, and cost per acquisition.
Use owned media when…
- Your primary concern is control over not just what message you want to convey, but where it appears.
- You have the time to commit to consistent, long-term messaging that builds and supports the middle of the funnel.
Utilize tools that offer detailed data on content and social media performance and website heatmapping, as well as solid email marketing and customer relationship management platforms. Measure the effectiveness of owned media through metrics like website traffic, bounce rate and time on page, search engine performance, email open and click-thru rates, and social engagement.
Use earned media when…
- You have the personnel resources to invest in strategic public relations outreach, content creation, and relationship building.
- Your top priority is supporting the bottom of the sales funnel by building trust and authority.
Earned media is difficult to track, but there are tools like Brandwatch that offer media monitoring and reporting, plus Google Alerts, which alert you of media coverage for free. Measure the effectiveness of earned media through metrics like third-party backlinks, quality press mentions, social shares and mentions, influencer shoutouts, and reviews.
Create a Better Media Balance
There is space for all these different media aspects in everyone’s marketing campaign; the trick is creating a balanced strategy that delivers on your goals. If you’re not sure where or how to begin, connecting with a digital marketing partner can be invaluable. If you’re interested in getting started, contact us at EdwardsSchoen, and we’d be happy to discuss your needs and how the right media marketing mix can meet them.
