Paid Media Owned Media

ConvergedMedia

Earned Media

LOCAL: SIMplifiedConverged Media in a Digital World

2

“�Regardless�of�whether��a�brand�manages�its�‘converged�media’��efforts�with�one�tool�or�several,�it’s�important�to�recognize�‘converged�media’�is�here�to�stay�and�begin�addressing�the�opportunities�that�come�along�with�it�now.”

JON SCHEPKE, SEW NOV 2012

ConvergedMedia

Paid MediaTraditional Ads

Owned MediaCorporate Content

PromotedBrand

Content

Brands thatask for shared

Earned MediaOrganic

SponsoredCustomer

Press Coverage

http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2012/07/19/altimeter-report-paid-owned-earned-converged-media/

Gone are the days where big brands and local businesses could safely

focus on just one digital media type to reach their consumers. Brands

today must integrate and align their media channels in order to be

successful in their digital marketing strategy. The integration of channels

results in “converged media.”

The term converged media represents the overlap of any combination

of paid, owned and earned media types. The Altimeter Group published

a very comprehensive study in July of 2012 that does a great job of

explaining the converged space:

What Is Converged Media?

3

Paid media

This includes pay-per-click

(PPC), mobile PPC, social

PPC, mobile search, mobile

display, etc.

Owned media

This refers to location

pages, mobile location

pages, Facebook pages,

Twitter accounts, Google+

Local pages, YouTube

channels, etc.

Earned mediaThis includes local SEO,

mobile SEO, Google+

Local and Bing listing

optimization, customer

reviews, and more.

Paid MediaTraditional Ads

Owned MediaCorporate Content

ContentManagement

System

SocialCRM

Earned MediaOrganic

Bid ManagementTechnology

While not a new term, converged media is a relatively modern concept

for many digital marketers that presents

opportunities, challenges and questions.

Before brands can begin to capitalize

on converged media, they must first

understand the different media types that

overlap to create “converged media” in a

digital marketing environment.

Let’s define converged media from a

SIM Partners’ perspective:

Paid Media•Pay-per-click(PPC)•MobilePPC•SocialPPC•MobileSearch•MobileDisplay

Earned Media•LocationSEO•MobileSEO•Google+Localand Bing listing optimization•ReviewGeneration Platform

BrandConvergedOpportunity

Owned Media•LocationPages•MobileLocationPages•FacebookPages•TwitterAccounts•Google+LocalPages•YouTubeChannels

4

“�Managing�the�Paid�component�of��Converged�Media�can�be�complicated�and�time-consuming.�One�thing�that�can�help�is�to�implement�a�best-in-class��bid�management�tool.�Often�times�these�are�complex�algorithms�that�will�take�into�account�the�thousands�of�moving�parts�in�a�SERP�and�make�optimiza-tions�towards�your�campaign�goals.”

Paid media includes any form of advertising

where a media buy is involved. In the digital

marketing world this includes pay-per-click

(PPC) advertising, mobile PPC, social PPC

(such as standard marketplace ads on

Facebook), mobile search ads, mobile

display ads, etc.

Paid media has traditionally led marketing

initiatives, but advertising alone is no

longer as effective as it once was, unless

complemented by other media channels.

According to the Altimeter Group, it is now

more important than ever for brands to

coordinate and align their owned and earned

media with their paid media campaigns, as

consumers today view brand messaging

across a myriad of channels and devices.

PaidMedia

NEIL MAHONEY DIRECTOR OF ECOMMERCE, SIM PARTNERS

5

“�Successful�management��of�‘converged�media’�will�take�practice,�and�CMOs�and�CTOs�must�work��together�and�break�down��silos�with�technology�to�make�it�work.�Brands��must�remain�flexible�to�maximize�success�and��minimize�potential��stumbling�blocks.��Regardless,�companies��must�act�now�or�risk��wasting�the�opportunity.”

JON SCHEPKE, SEW NOV 2012

Owned media refers to channels owned or fully controlled by

the business or brand. This includes the business’s location page,

mobile location page, blog, Facebook page, Twitter accounts,

Google+ Local pages, YouTube channel, etc.

An important aspect to owned media is content development.

A majority of owned media in the digital marketing world is content

marketing, or content a business or brand develops and pushes

out to media channels that does not involve any media buy.

OwnedMedia

Location Page & Mobile Page powered by VelocityTM

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Owned and Paid media seem to be fairly well

understood by most digital marketers. Earned

media, on the other hand, is a more difficult con-

cept to grasp and perfect. It is also the most sought

after, due to the inherent credibility it contains via

consumer perspectives. Examples of earned media

in digital marketing include customer reviews, social

media posts, social sharing of content and more.

Earned media is defined as any user generated

content regarding the brand or business that

is created and/or shared by users.

Earned media cannot be created or controlled by

marketing teams but often results from efforts in

the paid or owned media arenas through the

accumulation of “Likes,” “shares,” “retweets,”

customer reviews and other user-generated

content that features a company. Word of mouth

meets the web.

Many brands struggle to generate earned

media, but the following strategies from a recent

SIMPartnersarticleinSearchEngineWatch:

“ConvergedMedia:MaximizingConsumer

EngagementinaDigitalWorld” can help:

Make sure owned and paid content is unique

and valuable as quality content drives earned

media.

Work to gain the attention of key influencers

who increase value by sharing your content

with their followers; not all “Likes” are created

equal.

EarnedMedia

Reviews Platform example powered by VelocityTM

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They are afraid to leave their comfort zone

Brands are slowly but surely

becoming aware of the need to

integrate paid, owned and earned

media. Often times, however,

those that first realize the im-

portance of a converged media

approach are still not willing to

leave their comfort zone and

be an advocate for change. It is

important that a company recog-

nizes a leader to direct the overall

integration and convergence of

the media types.

Living within departmental silos

It is often hard for companies to

escape the departmental silos,

but it is crucial that each depart-

ment work together and align

their messaging and strategy.

The public relations team, social

media team and advertising

department need to be consistent

with their messaging across all

channels as well as implement

the same standards for analytics

and measurement. Without cross

channel attribution, this model is

a failure before it even begins.

Lack of marketing automation tools and technology

Brands need to access tools like

a CMS, marketing automation,

analytics and social CRM. With

the wide range of digital mar-

keting channels that need to be

managed, brands are in need of

marketing automation tools and

technology that are scalable,

adaptable and allow for cross

channel reporting and attribution.

“�As�the�Internet�of�things��becomes�a�reality,�in��10�years�media�will�be��embedded�into�and�around�common�objects.�Products,��appliances,�and�tools�will�contain�data.�Initially,�this�information�will�be�paid��and�owned,�but�very�quickly��earned�components�will��develop�and�commingle��with�other�information.”

ALTIMETER STUDY, JULY 2012

While “converged media” has existed in various forms for years,

changing consumer media consumption habits prompted by the rise

of the Internet, social networks, tablets, smartphones, etc. – have sped

up the evolution of paid, owned, and earned digital media. Today,

these three categories naturally overlap, and brands should focus on

developing a fourth, opportunity-rich digital media type: “converged.”

As is often the case, addressing untapped opportunity brings challenges;

“converged media” is no different. In order to move toward a converged

media model, companies must overcome a variety of issues. Several top

issues facing organizations looking to move into converged media are:

Challenges

8

Have a Content Strategy for Your Brand and Locations that Works Across Paid, Owned, and Earned

CMO’s need to lead how content flows between each

of the different teams. Consumers now follow a more

complex path across paid, owned and earned media,

so it is important that these departments all work

together to create a seamless experience from

channel to channel.

Achieve “Earned” With Scale

Brands should utilize tools and technology that allow for

a scaled approach to earned media. These tools should

take a scalable approach to producing user-generated

content such as customer reviews and social sharing.

Alignment of Teams Paid, earned, and owned decision makers must

be aligned to plan brand strategies through technology

solutions and partners or agencies. It is crucial that not

only the internal organization be aligned but that they

also work closely with outside technology providers,

partners and agencies to ensure there is a consistent

message, value, look and feel across all channels.

Reporting and KPI’s (Real Time)Performance measurement and reporting are

especially critical in earned media. Brands must

have a meaningful method of evaluating the

engagement of their customer along each step

of the customer’s journey.

StrategyandSuccess

“�The�‘Connective�Tissue’�for�these�three�media�types�within�converged�media�consist�of�these�items:�Bid�Management�Technology,�Content�Management�System,�Social�CRM.��The�best�technology�will�help�large�brand�advertisers�‘connect�the�dots’�between�Paid,�Owned�&�Earned��media.�This�will�allow�for�‘cross�channel�attribution’,�so�large��advertisers�can�spend�their�online�budgets�more�effectively�based��on�pre-defined�KPI’s”.

JON SCHEPKE CEO, SIM PARTNERS

Work Closely With Partners That Have Deep Expertise in Tools and Data (proprietary or strategic partnerships in technology): By leveraging the right tools and data, brands can

automate these efforts and achieve a great deal

with their converged media strategy. Brands should

carefully choose the right automated technology

and partnerships to help them expand their efforts

and easily measure the results.

Brands can overcome the challenges of moving to a converged media approach by developing

a strong strategy and leveraging tools, technologies and an automated approach. Marketers

should consider the following tips for leveraging convergence for their brands:

9

Don’t be overwhelmed by the convergence. To help you as you prepare your digital strategy,

we have created a short checklist to guide you.

To Learn More About Converged Solutions: CONTACT US: info@simpartners.com

VISIT US: www.simpartners.com/velocity

We have claimed and optimized Google+ Local listings for all locations.

Our digital marketing efforts (social, local, mobile) are siloed.

Our Brand employs adaptable, scalable technology that allows for

cross-channel optimization and reporting.

We distribute one clean, unified data set for all locations through

an aggregator (e.g. Localeze, etc.) on a weekly/monthly basis.

We can easily and effectively update that data set.

We have a Brand strategy for optimizing Google+ Business pages

to improve organic ranking.

Our Brand has implemented marketing automation technology.

We have a strategy to ensure data integrity within Apple Maps.

We utilize a content management system that creates and controls

optimized location pages/websites for each location (dealer, agent,

franchise, store, etc.).

Our Brand utilizes the same content on all location pages/websites

consistently.

PlanningYourBrand’sDigitalRoadmap

YES NO DON’T KNOW

87 Graham St. Suite 250San Francisco, CA 94111

Phone: (800) 260-3380

1601 Sherman Ave, 3rd FloorEvanston, IL 60201

Phone: (800) 260-3380

SIM Partners is dedicated to creating innovative digital marketing products and services that provide ongoing value to our customers.

Top home services providers, hotels, insurance companies and other consumer brands trust SIM Partners to keep thousands of locations visible and accessible in top search engine results, mobile devices, social networks and other sources of local information.

A technology company at its core, SIM Partners offers a full suite of holistic solutions that include data distribution, their VelocityTM platform, video, mobile app development and performance reporting.

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