How B2Bs Must Combine Paid, Owned + Earned Media

13-09-2013Tags: Strategy

This is an article from Altimeter talking about converged media. It dates back to 2012, but it is still something which many B2Bs continue to struggle with.

It is challenging to have the skills to be able to manage all areas of your B2B's online marketing. As an digital agency, we understand the importance of integrating into our client's marketing teams, to be able to provide a seamless approach to their digital marketing presence.

The Converged Media Imperative

Advertising and media are converging. The results will disrupt how companies must deploy their marketing efforts. Marketers, and their agency partners must converge their media efforts by combining social, corporate content, and advertising reach -or risk connecting with the fleeting customer.

Owned and earned media are vital to campaigns, helping to amplify and spread brand messages through the complex paths consumers follow across devices, screens and media. Advertising, or 'paid' media, has traditionally led marketing initiatives both online and off-. But advertising no longer works as effectively as it once did unless bolstered by additional marketing channels.

While consumers distinguish less and less between these channels, marketers remain specialized in one medium at the expense of the others. Rather than allow campaigns to be driven by paid media, marketers must now develop scale and expertise in owned and earned media to drive effectiveness, cultivate creative ideas, assess customer needs, cultivate influencers, develop reach, achieve authenticity and cut through clutter.