Why Channels Matter

The task for marketers used to be simple. Understand the brand, define the objectives, identify the audience, construct the message, build the media mix and measure the results. Boom. Done.

Oh how times have changed.

The Information Revolution has provided access to information at a level never seen before in the history of mankind. Additionally, the evolution of the Social Web has facilitated the sharing of information between people at an astounding rate.

Marketers no longer control the flow of information, and we have had to adapt to the ever-changing habits and behaviours of our audience. A whole new set of tools appeared in our marketing toolboxes and an entirely new attitude manifested within our customers.

In general, people always place greater weight on recommendations from friends and family than on those from marketers, and this attitude has only been magnified now that one’s social circle extends around the world. While farmers gain market insight from fellow growers at the coffee shop, they can now complement that information with insights from around the world.

Not unlike the rest of the population, producers now have increasing access to information that will influence their decision making. In fact, a study from Float Mobile Learning found that 94% of North American producers have a mobile phone or smart phone.

The traditional marketer’s media mix is simply no longer good enough.

Today’s progressive marketers (ag and otherwise) have replaced media plans with more holistically balanced channel plans that place communication vehicles into three distinct buckets: Paid Media, Owned Media and Earned Media.

Paid Media leverages the reach and content of third party publishers to communicate your key messages to a particular audience. And while this concept has been around for a good long time, the options available to choose from have never been greater. Beyond the traditional options of TV, radio, outdoor, print and the like, digital advertising presents an entirely new paradigm. The opportunity to engage and interact with consumers paired with the ability to micro-segment the audience offers a powerful method to inform, educate and motivate your customers.

Owned Media represents information and content stemming from channels owned by the brand itself. This includes the brand’s website, social properties (i.e. Facebook page, Twitter feed, Instagram, Pinterest, etc), retail stores, employees, etc. This channel features information stemming directly from the brand itself and doesn’t rely on any intermediaries to reach the customer. More often than not, this information is more informal and less sales-based than paid media. This content represents a conversation between consumers and the brand, and nobody wants to listen to people who do nothing but talk about themselves.

If owned media represents how a brand talks about itself, Earned Media is the conversation about the brand by others through non-paid channels like blogs, viral videos, social media sites and others. Earned Media, for better or for worse, is a reflection of the attitude and mindset of your audience. Do you like what they’re saying? Brands that actively monitor these channels get real time consumer insight and data to better adjust the information being pushed out through the other two channels. As Winston Churchill once said, “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”

Today’s marketers not only have to go through all the due diligence necessary to execute a paid media program, they also need to have a keen understanding of how those brand messages can be translated into owned and earned media as well. Each channel carries inherent strengths, and a marketer’s ability to execute tactics within a larger channel strategy can have a huge effect on the bottom line.

Stop talking about media plans, and instead shift your thinking to channel plans.

Incorporate plans for earned and owned media into your brand communication strategies and leverage the consumer insights you gain to better focus your brand messages. Be a voice in the conversation rather than the only one talking, and encourage producers to share your content.