With the diversity of information dissemination in the background of the Internet society, there are notable cases where companies launch their own "Owned media".

 

It can be said that the modern internet world is becoming the mainstream of content marketing activities, where information content related to a company's products and services is created and disseminated from door to door.

 

However, "owned media" and "content marketing" are often confused.

 

This article will explain the difference and relationship between owned media and content marketing.

 

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is a marketing strategy that aims to expand company recognition and create purchase intent by publishing content that primarily concerns or interests potential customers.

 

Owned media is one method of implementing content marketing. But since it is often the primary means of content distribution, many people think of the two as the same.

 

However, in reality, content marketing is the delivery of content to potential customers using media other than owned media such as social media and web advertising.

 

What is “owned media”?

Owned means "to own", and owned media refers to all media owned by the company, such as blog media, corporate sites, e-mail magazines, various sales materials, and knowledge books.

 

However, in digital marketing, it is common to define owned media as blog media.

 

Owned media are media owned by companies, so they are characterized as easy to control. As a result, content marketing takes center stage, leading to the misconception that content marketing = owned media.

 

Why content marketing and owned media are important

Content marketing and owned media are becoming increasingly important to corporate activity, and for a reason.

 

As communication speeds became faster and more stable. Smartphones became more popular, and the Internet spread rapidly among people. Now that anyone can choose the information they want, more and more people dislike outside sales and PR methods such as walk-in sales, telephone sales, and FAXDM.

 

Due to the change in people's information gathering process, content marketing has become a marketing strategy that is suitable for the current era, "what potential customers want at that time", "what they care about" and "content" appropriate media. It begins to attract attention.

 

Due to the Corona disaster, the way people collect information has become more online. It is believed that even after the epidemic's end, people's lifestyles will not return to how they were before the corona crisis. If you don't engage in content marketing to provide your prospects with the information they need online, you won't even be able to get them to know about your product or service.

 

Owned media is an effective way to effectively implement content marketing, which is now essential as a marketing strategy.

 

 

What is the difference between owned media and content marketing?

 

Let's first look at the characteristics of owned media and content marketing.

 

Above, we will explain the difference and relationship between the two and the benefits of both.

 

Characteristics of owned media

 

Owned media is a general term for media owned by a company.

 

In a broad sense, it includes digital media such as SNS and blogs and paper media such as pamphlets. It usually refers to a website operated separately from a company's official website.

 

The purpose of owned media is also different from corporate sites that focus on corporate information. In most cases, the main focus is to attract customers and build relationships with users. Thus, they tend to manage information about their own products and services.

 

There are two main types of media:

 

1.    Paid media: Media that distributes information at a cost such as TV commercials and listing advertisements.

2.    Earned Media: Media that generate information and content based on users such as word of mouth sites and SNS.

 

The advantage of owned media is that it compensates for the "limited information volume and posting duration and one-way communication" of paid media. Also, the media is "easier to trust because of posts by experienced people".

 

In other words, the biggest feature of owned media is that it can "interact with users and consistently deliver highly reliable content."

 

Characteristics of content marketing

Content marketing is a marketing method that delivers content to potential customers, piques their interest, and ultimately leads to a purchase.

 

If anything, it is used for a medium to long-term gain, not a temporary one. For example, consider a user who is new to camping.

 

If you search the web for "camping spots that even beginners can enjoy," you'll find sites and blogs run by outdoor-related companies. What's more, the site not only contains spot information but also various information such as equipment, fashion, and introduction to nearby facilities.

 

If the information on the site is useful for users new to camping, it will create a favorable feeling and affinity for the site management company. Additionally, if you are a fan, you can say that it is a marketing method chosen by users that increases the likelihood of them continuing to purchase products and services.

 

Relationship between owned media and content marketing

So far, we have explained owned media and content marketing separately, but most of them are often explained together with content marketing.

 

The reason is that owned media is part of content marketing. In other words, it is a strategic option. In other words, content marketing can be described as "plan" and "strategy", while owned media can be described as "methods and means" and "tools". "

 

In the first place, content marketing platforms don't care about transmitting the information. Owned media, on the other hand, is characterized by the dissemination of information through websites.

 

Also, from an objective perspective, content marketing aims to provoke a series of purchasing behaviors such as "providing users with the information they need and ultimately leading to a purchase". On the other hand, the main purpose of owned media is to use content to attract customers and build (nurture) relationships with users.

 

It is important to plan for owned media and content marketing as a close relationship with SEO. If you have any concerns about content creation, please feel free to contact us.

 

Benefits of choosing owned media for content marketing

Earned media such as SNS are also an option for content marketing.

 

On SNS, content can be distributed with almost no platform costs, not to mention advertising costs (it costs money to create your own content).

 

●     The Role of Owned Media and Content Marketing

Now that we've established that owned media is an option for content marketing, let's see what role it plays next.

 

The common theme of both is "approach to prospective customers" and "branding".

 

●     Approach prospective customers (lead nurturing)

What users are looking for in owned media is "Efficiency + Ease of Understanding + Fun" among many media.

 

Some users may feel that the information on the Internet is shallow and insufficient. As a company, we specialize in managing our own products and services, so our strength lies in conveying information from an expert perspective.

 

For example, providing only in-depth information related to products and services, such as development secrets, the company's unknown disadvantages, and unexpected product usage patterns, can be an opportunity to change users' interest and awareness.

 

In building relationships with users, existing customers can be expected to be excellent customers (sales contribution, information dissemination, etc.). Connecting with new customers and prospects in an effective way is easy, which becomes more difficult as the sales process progresses over the years.

 

●     Brand your company (branding)

Owned media are good at branding because they can control and select the information content themselves.

 

It is possible to reflect the philosophy and thinking of the company in the content. In addition to gaining empathy and feedback from users, you can establish a corporate image by creating a site design with a sense of unity.

 

Also, if you continue to provide information that meets users' needs through owned media, your company should have a strong brand image, "This website provides information on XX."

 

In particular, in the "Lifestyle, Beauty and Health" category, owned media that offer lifestyle content with useful information are showing their strength.

 

Owned media is “part of content marketing”

In this article, we have explained the differences and relationships between owned media and content marketing, which are often confused due to their similar nature.

 

To recap, "owned media is part of content marketing". From a medium to long-term perspective, it is important to position owned media firmly in content marketing.

 

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