The B2B industry is undergoing a digital transformation, so it’s time to rethink go-to-market strategies. One major shift businesses are making is moving from relying on paid media to focusing on owned media. This change is critical to addressing the complexities of today’s buyer journeys and helps businesses create a more authentic and engaging brand voice. With owned media, companies have complete control over their content and can build stronger, more direct connections with their audience, making it a powerful tool for growth.
Owned media covers all the digital content and channels that belong to you, like your website, newsletter, or blog. This is content that you or your team have crafted, sometimes in partnership with others, and it’s yours to update, adjust, and share freely on your platforms.
Typical examples of owned media include:
Owned media is your company’s storytelling playground. It’s where you can shape the message, adjust the details, and keep visitors returning to learn more. When owned media is executed well, it doesn’t just bring in traffic; it transforms that interest into action, guiding potential clients toward conversion.
Imagine sharing a blog post that captures readers’ attention and gets them thinking, “This company understands my business challenges.” They are more likely to book a call, join a webinar, or explore your offerings. This is the power of owned media: you set the stage for long-term relationship building.
For B2B growth, owned media offers significant advantages:
You build a resource with owned media that can continually drive new business.
Owned media lets you control your brand story and connect directly with your audience. Below are some key types of owned media:
Websites
Your website is where you can showcase your products, services, case studies, and blog content. It also offers the flexibility to include tools, data, and free resources that engage visitors.
Blogs
Blogs provide a platform to share valuable insights, guides, and evergreen content that continues to attract traffic over time. Blogs can bring long-term value to your brand when optimized for search engines.
Lead Generation Content
eBooks, white papers, and reports are examples of gated content designed to capture leads. These can be promoted across various channels and repurposed into other content formats.
Video Content
Videos are an effective way to demonstrate your products, services, or company culture. By posting videos on your website, you create owned media that adds value and engages your audience.
Podcasts
Podcasts position your brand as a thought leader, offering easily digestible content. They are cost-effective for engaging your audience with in-depth discussions and interviews.
Email Lists
Emails, newsletters, and surveys are crucial to maintaining direct communication with your audience. These channels allow you to directly share updates, offers, and other valuable content.
Creating a successful owned media strategy is key to building lasting relationships with your audience and driving sustainable business growth. However, the right approach is necessary to make it work. Here are the key factors to consider when crafting a strategy that resonates with your target audience and aligns with your business objectives.
Step 1: Define Your Goals
Setting clear, measurable goals is the first step in creating a successful owned media strategy. Think of your goals as the roadmap that guides your efforts. Whether you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or improve customer engagement, having specific goals ensures that your media strategy stays focused and aligned with your overall business objectives.
Step 2: Identify Your Target Audience
A successful strategy speaks directly to the people you want to reach. Knowing your audience is crucial—go beyond basic demographics. Understand their challenges, motivations, and pain points to create content that truly resonates. This insight will allow you to craft content and messaging that effectively engages your audience and helps move them through the sales funnel.
Step 3: Choose the Right Channels
Not all media channels are created equal. Selecting the right ones for your strategy depends on your goals and where your audience spends their time. Consider factors like audience behavior, the nature of your content, and available resources to determine which channels will have the greatest impact. From a company blog to a podcast or webinar, ensure your content is accessible and engaging on the most relevant platforms.
Step 4: Develop Engaging Content
Content is the backbone of your owned media strategy. It needs to capture your audience’s attention and offer real value. Whether blog posts, videos, or infographics, your content should be relevant, helpful, and aligned with your audience’s needs. Engaging content builds trust and credibility, turning passive readers into active advocates for your brand.
Step 5: Measure and Adjust
Finally, it’s important to track and measure the performance of your content regularly. You can see what’s working and where to improve by monitoring key metrics and comparing them to your goals. The digital landscape is always changing, and your strategy should evolve to keep up. Adjust your approach as needed to align with audience preferences and industry trends.
To grow your brand through owned media, focus on crafting content that connects and engages your audience across all platforms. Make the most of your owned channels by:
Applying these strategies can intensify your brand’s reach and build stronger connections with your audience.
To make the most of your marketing strategy, it’s important to integrate your owned media with other channels, such as paid, earned, and shared media. Doing so creates a unified brand experience that engages your audience across multiple touchpoints. Here’s how to effectively combine owned media with your broader marketing efforts:
Use Paid Media to Boost Reach: Promote your owned content through paid ads to expand visibility. For instance, you can use paid promotions for blog posts, videos, or lead magnets to drive more traffic to your site and generate leads faster.
Leverage Earned Media: Earned media, like PR mentions or user-generated content, can help reinforce your owned media. Sharing press coverage or customer reviews on your website or social channels boosts your credibility and builds trust with your audience.
Engage Through Social Media: Social media is a shared platform, but you can use it to direct traffic to your owned media. Share blog posts, videos, or email content to drive more engagement and visibility for your website and other owned content.
Repurpose Content Across Channels: Repurpose content created for one platform for others. For example, turn a long-form blog post into a social media post, infographic, or video. This helps you reach different audience segments and extend the value of your content.
Create a Seamless Customer Journey: Ensure your messaging and content are consistent across all platforms—whether on your website, social media, or email campaigns. This seamless approach helps guide customers smoothly from discovery to conversion.
Integrating your owned media with paid, earned, and shared efforts can reinforce your brand message, increase engagement, and drive conversions.
As the digital landscape shifts, the role of owned media will continue to evolve. Here are some emerging trends that brands should watch out for:
Content Fragmentation: Audiences are consuming content across a variety of devices and platforms, making content fragmentation a key trend. Brands will need to optimize content for multiple formats (such as long-form articles, short videos, and infographics) and devices to reach their audience effectively across every touchpoint.
Zero-Party Data Collection: As privacy concerns grow, zero-party data—information customers willingly provide, such as preferences or feedback—will become a valuable asset. Brands will use this data to personalize content and offer more tailored experiences across owned media channels, all while ensuring transparency in data usage.
Subscription-Based Models: Subscription services and membership-based content are on the rise. Brands are increasingly adopting subscription models for newsletters, premium content, and exclusive offers, which allow for a more direct and sustained relationship with their audience.
Increased Use of Augmented Reality (AR): As AR technology advances, more brands will integrate AR features into their owned media. This could include interactive product demos, virtual try-ons, or immersive brand experiences on websites and apps, enhancing engagement and providing new ways for customers to interact with products.
User-Generated Content (UGC) Integration: UGC will continue to play a pivotal role in owned media strategies. Brands will look for creative ways to incorporate user-generated content into their websites, blogs, and social channels, increasing authenticity and fostering community engagement.
Focus on Sustainability and Purpose-Driven Content: Consumers are increasingly interested in brands that align with their values. Owned media will shift to showcase a company’s sustainability efforts, social impact, and ethical practices. Brands that share purpose-driven content will build stronger connections with their audiences.
Content Clusters and Topic Authority: Search engines are getting better at understanding context and content relevance. Brands will focus on creating content clusters—groups of related content that cover a topic in depth. This strategy enhances SEO, establishes authority in niche areas, and improves user experience.
