Module 1 - intro to owned media and content marketing

Owned media

Digital channels that a company controls, such as its website, social profiles, and email lists.

Role of Owned media in the marketing trifecta

Owned media is a key component of the POEM model (Paid, Owned, Earned Media), giving brands direct control to communicate and build relationships without third-party reliance.

Content marketing

Creating and sharing valuable, relevant content to attract and retain an audience.

Role of content marketing in B2B marketing

In B2B, content marketing educates and nurtures leads through in-depth materials like whitepapers, webinars, and case studies.

Role of content marketing in B2C marketing

In B2C, content marketing builds brand awareness and loyalty through blogs, videos, and social media.

Marketing funnel

The stages a prospect passes through from awareness to purchase.

Marketing funnel explanation

Prospects move through phases in a funnel—Awareness, Consideration, Decision—requiring different content and strategies at each stage.

Content strategy

Planning and managing content to meet business objectives and audience needs.

Lead

A person or entity showing interest in a product or service.

Prospect

A lead who matches target criteria and is likely to become a customer.

Customer

Someone who has purchased and engaged with a business.

Lead gen

Activities that attract and capture potential customers’ contact details.

Demand gen

Tactics focused on creating awareness and interest in a product or brand.

ABM (account-based marketing)

Targeting marketing efforts to specific high-value organizations.

Inbound marketing

Attracting customers through valuable content and experiences.

Channels

Platforms or mediums used to reach and engage an audience (e.g., email, social, events).

Funnel

The stages a prospect passes through from awareness to purchase.

Pipeline

Structured tracking of prospects as they progress toward becoming customers.

Content

Any materials—text, images, video—used to educate, engage, or persuade.

Meta content

Descriptive info about content, such as meta tags or titles.

Gated content

Valuable resources available only after submitting contact info.

Whitepaper

In-depth, authoritative report to educate and persuade.

Ebook

Digital book, used to inform or nurture prospects.

Core content

Foundational pieces that establish expertise and drive conversion.

Anchor content

Central material that regularly drives strong engagement or traffic.

POEM

Paid, Owned, and Earned Media; classifying media by origin and control.

CRM

Customer Relationship Management system for managing audience interactions.

Micro conversion

Small actions that move someone closer to a primary goal.

Macro conversion

Achieving a primary goal, such as a sale.

Lead nurturing

Ongoing engagement and education to move leads toward purchase.

AIDA

Attention, Interest, Desire, Action; classic customer journey model.

TOFU goal

Generate interest and attention, start the customer journey.

TOFU content examples

Blog posts, infographics, ebooks, webinars, videos.

TOFU key metrics

Unique visitors, click-through rate, social engagement, downloads, brand mentions.

MOFU goal

Nurture and guide leads toward becoming qualified customers.

MOFU content examples

Targeted emails, workshops, interactive tools, demos, whitepapers.

MOFU key metrics

Email campaign engagement, landing page engagement, conversion rates for mid-funnel offers.

BOFU goal

Convert leads into customers by addressing pricing and support concerns.

BOFU content examples

Coupons, FAQ pages, customer support, competitor guides, use cases.

BOFU key metrics

Purchase conversion, customer acquisition cost, retention rate, return on ad spend.

Learning from competitors’ conversion funnels

Study market leaders, research their target audiences, channels, engagement tactics, and strategy shifts to improve your own funnel.

Benefits of owned media

Total control, cost effectiveness, long-term value, ability to build audience relationships, supports other channels, independence from algorithms, SEO benefits

Drawbacks of owned media

Limited reach at first, resource intensive, slow results, measurement difficulty, ongoing maintenance needed, possible credibility challenges

Reasons owned media is growing

Declining effectiveness of other channels, increased ad costs, need for first-party data, control over brand narrative, foundation for omnichannel strategy, higher loyalty and engagement

Content marketing formats—digital

Blogs, opinion pieces, case studies, infographics, memes, whitepapers, webinars, e-books, lists, links, videos, photos, drawings, animated gifs, guides, tutorials, lookbooks, surveys, quizzes, calculators, tools, games, maps, contests, advertisements

Content marketing formats—analogue

Print books, flyers, posters, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, brochures, business cards, direct mail pieces, pop-ups, exhibits, presentations, speeches

Inbound marketing

Opposite of push marketing; attracting traffic, converting visitors to leads, turning leads to customers, and building repeat business through valuable content

Inbound marketing process

Attract traffic, convert visitors to leads, convert leads to sales, turn customers into repeat higher-margin customers, analyze and improve continuously

Difference: owned media, content marketing, strategy

Owned media refers to brand-controlled channels; content marketing is valuable information distributed; content strategy is ongoing planning to deliver the right content in the right context

B2B-owned media differences

Longer decision processes, more stakeholders, need for more informative and educational content, greater lead generation and nurturing, marketing hands off qualified leads to sales

Micro conversions

Small website actions indicating interest or engagement, such as newsletter sign-ups, demo requests, downloads, call-to-action clicks, video views, chatting, social follows

Macro conversions

Significant actions contributing to business goals, such as making purchases, signing up for subscriptions, booking appointments, requesting demos, registering for events

Marketing campaign

A coordinated series of tactics and content designed to move prospects through one or more funnel stages and drive conversions

TOFU campaign example

Objective: Generate awareness and attract leads. Tactics: Blog posts, social media tips, daily posts, infographic sharing—all focused on attracting small business owners

MOFU campaign example

Objective: Nurture leads and gain trials. Tactics: Email series, webinar, case studies, newsletters tailored for small business owners

BOFU campaign example

Objective: Convert trials to paid users. Tactics: 14-day free trial, personalized demos, retargeting ads with discounts, targeting late-stage trial users

Micro conversion examples

Signing up for newsletter, viewing a demo, clicking call-to-action, watching videos, downloading resources, using chat, following on social media

Macro conversion examples

Making a purchase, completing sign-up, booking appointments, requesting quotes or demos, registering for events or webinars