Social Media + the PESO model
The PESO model is used within public relations and marketing to make sure that all aspects of media are being used in the appropriate manner. While public relations and marketing used to function completely separate of each other, in the social media age it is so important for all communications and marketing departments to be on the same page when it comes to their media and how they are distributing it and putting money behind it.
The P stands for PAID
On social media, paid media is when a brand or company pays to have their content promoted across specific social media accounts. Paid media is really important right now, as many people claim that “organic reach is dead!”
Spoiler alert: it’s not. But many brands are finding that on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram pay to play is the way to go in order to get their brand in front of as many consumers as possible.
It’s impossible to scroll through your Facebook or Instagram feed these days without an ad popping up every 4–5 posts. Paid media allows brands to target content to users based off their interests and internet usage. For example, whenever I am looking for a discount code on an item all I have to do is Google it and then flip back to my Facebook page…I know an ad for that item or brand is bound to pop up if I keep scrolling!
The E stands for EARNED
Earned media is all the rage, specifically when it comes to influencer marketing on social media.
Just like how you can’t scroll without seeing a promoted ad in your social media news feed, it is also becoming more and more common place for social media celebrities and influencers to post #ad posts where they are promoting products, many times including a custom discount code.
Influencer marketing makes a lot of sense to get their product or brand name in front of a whole new audience via the influencer’s audience. Many times influencers are carefully selected based of their target follower demographics to sell more of their products successfully. Also research has shown that in the social media age of FOMO (fear of missing out) and keeping up with the Joneses, followers want products that their favorite celebrities are using. So influencer marketing has been wildly successful for brands and is definitely here to stay in the marketing mix.
Not all influencer campaigns are paid, some are just collaborations between influencers and companies because the influencer loves the brand or products.
S stands for SHARED
Shared content is when a brand shares their own content to their own audience via social media handles. Top content creators know that in order for their social media handles to flourish, they need to create compelling content that is ultra share-worthy and easy for fans to like, comment or retweet. All brands and companies are chasing “viral content” as that is a great way to extend the reach of your content far beyond your immediate audience.
Shared content can help boost engagement and follower counts for brands and companies, therefore increasing their opportunity to sell their product via social media. In 2019, where many consumers, especially younger consumers, tend to prefer to shop online rather than in a brick and mortar store, social media is important more than ever to selling.
O stands for OWNED
Owned media is just that…media that a brand or company owns the rights to on social and digital media! Owned media is the most significant contribution brands can make to social media: content that is created and owned by them wholly. When shared across social media, fans will always know where the content came from.
20 years ago, it was easy for brands to own their media because we didn’t live in a society that was fueled on social media and sharing content at a rapid rate. In the social media age, it is important that brands make sure they are branding their content where it makes sense. It can be a logo or a watermark that appears in the content, anything that will let a fan know where that content originated from is helpful. As you can see in the Bleacher Report example above, the simple but distinguishable watermark logo in the top corner will make sure that the credit always goes back to the owner.
In the social media age it important that communicators and marketers are using all four segments of the PESOs model in order to maximize social media engagement and content.
