Why Earned Media is Back in the Driver's Seat

Trust is the cornerstone of any successful brand. It’s how we connect with audiences, develop relationships and turn conversations into conversions. It also attracts key influencers and drives authentic messaging.But brand trust is eroding. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, people trust their family, friends, peers and subject matter experts significantly more than they trust brands.This has marketers scrambling to address the biggest communications question of the day: How trusted is our brand? And more to the point: How can we build on that trust?Enter earned media. Word of mouth and third-party mentions are seeing a revolution in the marketing space like never before.As Cision Senior Vice President of Marketing Ken Wincko discussed in a recent white paper, this is because consumers are growing resistant to advertising and turning away from owned channels, leading to 81 percent of marketers rating earned media as more effective than paid.During our next webinar on Wednesday, November 16 at 2 p.m. ET, Ken will be joined by Sodexo’s Vice President of Public Relations Steve Cox to discuss this shift and its impact on your 2017 marketing strategy.“Marketers have traditionally underinvested in earned media and overinvested in paid and owned channels,” says Ken in his white paper Master the Mix. However, brands can no longer simply buy consumer trust and interest. For instance, nearly 80 percent of today’s internet users say they almost never click online ads.While this doesn’t translate into abandoning all owned and paid efforts, it does require content marketers to rethink the role of earned media in their overall strategy and adopt a more holistic approach.“The most effective strategies incorporate all three in a more balanced approach, bringing in automated media monitoring and other predictive analytics tools to create compelling content that is shared with the right people, in the right place at the right time – amplifying program success,” Ken adds.By better balancing paid, owned and earned media, marketers can focus on building more effective communications frameworks and repairing brand authenticity.Bottom line: you can’t build brand trust on your own. Incorporating earned media amplification into your paid and owned channels is now essential for creating consistent messaging, connecting with consumers and increasing credibility.Ken and Steve will help you tackle these challenges during the free webinar The New Kid on the Block Is Back: Why Earned Media is Back in the Driver’s Seat.  

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