Best Owned Media Software

Guide to Owned Media Software

Owned media software can be broadly defined as the digital platforms, applications and technologies that a company or organization owns and uses to disseminate its own content. This includes websites, mobile apps, blogs, social media accounts, email newsletters, podcasts and any other platform where a brand controls the message and presentation.

In today's digital age, owned media has become increasingly important for businesses of all sizes across industries. It offers organizations unprecedented control over their messaging and branding. Unlike traditional print or broadcast media outlets where a business may purchase ad space but has little say in the broader content or editorial direction of the platform, owned media allows businesses to determine exactly what information is communicated to audiences.

One of the most significant advantages to utilizing owned media software is cost-effectiveness. Traditional advertising methods like television ads or billboards can be prohibitively expensive for many small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Owned platforms like websites and social media accounts are often available at much lower costs - sometimes even free - allowing SMBs to compete with larger companies in terms of online visibility.

Another major benefit is direct access to customer data and analytics provided by these software tools. Companies who maintain active digital properties have access to an array of metrics that provide valuable insights into customer behavior patterns. This can range from vital statistics on website traffic such as unique visitor counts, page views and bounce rates; to more nuanced data points including user engagement rates on social posts or click-through rates on email newsletters. The analysis of this data allows organizations to fine-tune their marketing strategies in real time based on observed trends.

Owned media also offers brands unlimited creative freedom; they get to control every aspect from design elements like color schemes and fonts through content creation such as blog posts, videos or infographics. They can experiment with different types of content formats until they find what resonates best with their target audience without having to adhere any specific publication's guidelines.

However, making effective use of owned media software requires some resources and skills. Companies must continuously create and publish new content to remain relevant and engaging to audiences, which can be time-consuming. They also need professionals who understand how to use the different software applications they’re utilizing for their online presence.

Importantly, owned media should not be thought of as a replacement for paid or earned media channels. Rather, it forms one part of a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes all three types - owned, paid, and earned.

Each type of media has its own strengths and weaknesses, but in combination they become a powerful toolset for modern businesses. Paid media offers wide reach and potential for high impact while earned media lends credibility through endorsements from authoritative sources. Owned media provides control over branding message delivery directly to consumers.

Owned media software systems are integral tools for companies seeking to establish an online presence. Using these tools effectively enables organizations to communicate directly with customers – controlling the message being shared – while at the same time generating valuable data to guide future marketing strategies.

Owned Media Software Features

Owned media software refers to any web property that a company or individual owns and controls, such as websites, blogs, mobile apps, social media pages, etc. These digital properties help businesses communicate directly with their audience without relying on third-party platforms. Here are some of the features of owned media software:

1. Website and Blog Management: This is one of the key features provided by owned media software. It allows organizations or individuals to create, manage and optimize their websites and blogs. From designing attractive landing pages to updating blog content regularly for SEO optimization purposes, this feature comes in handy.
2. Social Media Management: Owned media software often includes tools for managing social media accounts across all major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., enabling users to schedule posts at optimal times to drive engagement.
3. Content Marketing Tools: These tools help in creating and distributing valuable content to attract a target audience. They include blog post schedulers, video creation tools, infographic makers, etc., that make it easy for businesses to produce high-quality content consistently.
4. SEO Optimization Tools: These tools help improve website visibility on search engines like Google and Bing by optimizing keyword usage in content titles, tags and descriptions.
5. Email Marketing Functionality: Many owned media software solutions offer email marketing capabilities allowing businesses to create personalized emails campaigns for different customer segments based on user behavior data collected from website visits or past transactions.
6. Data Analytics Integration: With this capability integrated into owned-media software solutions enable companies/brands collect data about how customers interact with their digital properties (like how much time they spend on each page), giving them insights into what works best for engaging visitors.
7. eCommerce Capabilities: For brands selling goods or services online through their own platform, ecommerce functionality provides shopping cart integration along with secure payment gateway options for seamless transactions.
8. CRM Integration: This feature allows brands to manage their customer relationships more effectively by keeping track of all interactions with customers in a central location, from website visits, email communication, social media interactions to purchases.
9. Mobile Optimization: With the increasing use of mobile devices for browsing and shopping online, owned media software provides tools for optimizing websites and content for viewing on smaller screens.
10. User-Friendly Interface: Owned media platforms typically have intuitive interfaces that are easy to navigate even without technical expertise – making it easier for businesses/individuals to perform tasks like posting updates or tracking analytics.
11. Customizability and Branding: Owned media software offers a high degree of customization enabling brands to tailor their digital properties according to their brand guidelines including color schemes, logos, fonts, etc., thereby providing a consistent user experience across all owned channels.

Owned media software is beneficial for businesses as it gives them control over their digital assets and allows them to engage directly with their audience. They can leverage these features strategically based on business requirements and target audiences' preferences.

What Are the Different Types of Owned Media Software?

1. Content Management Systems (CMS):

• CMS software allows businesses to create, manage, and modify content on their websites without the need for specialized technical knowledge.
• They often feature user-friendly interfaces that enable non-technical employees to manage the company's web presence.
• This includes triaging customer inquiries, publishing new content, and overseeing the website's administrative functions.

2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software:

• CRM software stores all your customer information in one place to track interactions and improve customer service capabilities.
• It can also assist in lead generation by tracking potential customers throughout the sales funnel.
• Companies use this type of software to optimize their marketing strategies and strengthen relationships with customers.

3. Email Marketing Software:

• This type of owned media software lets businesses send out targeted email campaigns to subscribers or customers.
• It can help segment audiences based on various factors such as purchase history or demographics, delivering personalized content directly to a user's inbox.

4. Social Media Management Software:

• These platforms allow businesses to monitor and post across multiple social media networks from one central location.
• Often times they include analytical tools which provide valuable insights into audience behavior and engagement rates.

5. Blogging Platforms:

• This kind of software allows individuals or organizations to easily publish blog posts on their own sites.
• These platforms often include features for formatting text, adding images or videos, and optimizing posts for search engine visibility.

6. Web Analytics Tools:

• Web analytics tools are used by site owners to understand how visitors interact with their site.
• They offer metrics such as page views, bounce rates, average time spent per visit, etc., providing insight into user behavior which can help guide marketing strategies.

7. SEO Tools:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools help ensure a company’s website ranks high in search engine results pages.
• They provide insights into website's SEO performance and give recommendations on how to improve it.

8. eCommerce Platforms:

• These platforms allow businesses to sell products or services online, manage inventory, and track sales.
• They can be integrated with other types of software such as CRM or email marketing tools to provide a well-rounded ecommerce strategy.

9. Learning Management Systems (LMS):

• Used often in the field of education but also in business for employee training purposes, LMSs organize and track progress on educational materials.
• Such systems make it easy to deliver digital learning content to users, test their knowledge through quizzes or tests, and record progress.

10. Database Software:

• Database software helps organizations manage vast amounts of data by storing and organizing the information.
• This type of software may include measures for data security, compliance with regulations, and productivity features to aid in data management tasks.

11. Project Management Tools:

• This type of software assists teams in organizing workloads, tracking project progress, assigning tasks, and communicating effectively.
• It allows everyone involved in a project to stay updated on its status while ensuring that deadlines are met.

12. Multimedia Tools:

• Multimedia tools offer capabilities for creating visual content like images or videos that can be shared across various owned media channels such as websites or social media profiles.
• The ability to create custom multimedia content is crucial for engaging audiences and conveying a brand’s message effectively.

13. Marketing Automation Software:

• This software automates repetitive marketing tasks such as email marketing, social media posting, and ad campaigns.
• It increases efficiency by allowing marketers more time for strategic thinking rather than manual labor tasks associated with campaigns execution.

Benefits of Owned Media Software

Owned media software refers to all the digital marketing channels, platforms, and content that a company has complete control over. This includes a company's website, blogs, email newsletters, social media accounts, mobile apps and more. Here are some advantages provided by owned media software:

1. Complete Control: The primary advantage of owned media software is full control. Businesses have absolute power over their scope, content, timing and execution of their digital strategy. They can decide what kind of tone or impression they want to put out through their content and how they want it to be perceived.
2. Cost-Effective: Owned media software usually entails fewer costs than paid or earned media strategies because there's no need to pay for space or advertisements. Once the initial set-up cost is paid for the platform (like a website or an app), only maintenance costs occur.
3. Brand Identity Development: Owned media provides a platform where businesses can establish and develop their brand identity consistently across various forms of content such as blog posts, podcasts, videos, etc., thus allowing them to shape customer perceptions.
4. Improved SEO Rankings: By regularly publishing informative and engaging content on your own platforms like websites or blogs, etc., you increase your chances of being found in search engine results which leads to higher organic traffic.
5. Long-Term Strategy: Unlike other forms of advertising which stop once funding is cut-off , owned media continues as long as the business wishes it to continue; this means it’s ideal for long-term growth plans.
6. Trust Building With Your Audience: When you consistently provide valuable information via your owned media channels, customers start seeing you as a trustworthy expert in your field over time - this helps foster loyalty and stronger customer relationships.
7. Data Collection & Personalization Opportunities: Owned platforms like websites have analytics tools that help collect data about visitors' behavior on-site giving detailed insights into consumer preferences enabling businesses to customize their offerings accordingly.
8. Multiple Platform Integration: A blog post can be shared on social media, a podcast can have a written transcript on your website, an e-book can be promoted through email newsletters - all your owned channels work in harmony to promote one another, boosting each other’s reach and effectiveness.
9. Building Email Lists: Owned media platforms are excellent for generating email subscribers as they allow businesses to directly interact with their audience without the intervention of third parties.
10. Direct Communication with Customers: The ability to communicate directly with customers is one of the biggest advantages of owned media software. Whether it's through comments on blog posts or direct messages on social media, these interactions provide valuable insights into customer needs and wants.

Having an effective owned media strategy is crucial for any company in today's digital world, where competition is fierce and attention spans are short. It offers numerous benefits while being cost-effective and sustainable over a long period.

Types of Users That Use Owned Media Software

• Content Creators: These are individuals or businesses that create content to be shared on various platforms, such as blogs, videos, podcasts, and more. They utilize owned media software to manage and distribute their content effectively.
• Small Business Owners: Owned media software is often used by small business owners who want to maintain control over their brand messaging and reach out directly to their customers. This audience uses the software for creating a blog, running a website, sending email newsletters or managing social media profiles.
• Marketing Teams: Marketing teams in companies use owned media software to strategize and execute marketing plans. This includes developing content calendars, scheduling posts for social media platforms, analyzing user engagement metrics or trends, enhancing SEO strategies among other tasks.
• Social Media Influencers: Individual influencers with large follower bases also make use of owned media software to organize and schedule their posts across different social networking sites. It helps them maintain consistency in posting while allowing for more flexible time management.
• Non-profit Organizations: Non-profits rely heavily on spreading awareness about their cause through communication tools like emails, websites or social media channels. They utilize these tools for effective audience reach and communications.
• Digital Advertising Agencies: These agencies handle multiple clients' digital strategy simultaneously; hence they need robust software that can keep track of different campaigns efficiently. Owned media software allows them to plan, implement and monitor the effectiveness of these campaigns from one place.
• Public Relations Professionals: PR professionals use this type of software for maintaining the public image of an individual or a company by distributing press releases or news updates via owned channels like websites or emails.
• Bloggers/Vloggers/Podcasters: They also use owned-media tools extensively for publishing regular content on self-owned blogs/vlogs/podcasts along with promoting it on various social networks ensuring maximum reachability.
• Freelance Writers & Designers: Such professionals use owned media software to showcase their portfolios, share their work with potential clients, interact with followers, and stay engaged in the freelance community.
• Educational Institutions: Schools, colleges, and universities make use of this software for various purposes such as communicating with students or parents, sharing news and updates via newsletters or websites.
• Government Agencies: Government entities utilize owned media software to disseminate information to the public in a timely manner. This could include releasing press statements, updating the public on services or policy changes among other things.
• eCommerce Stores: These stores use owned media tools to sell products directly from their website while also using social networking sites for advertisements and customer engagement.

How Much Does Owned Media Software Cost?

Owned media software cost can hugely vary based on factors like the size of your business, the complexity of your needs, and the particular software you're interested in. At the most basic level, there are some free owned media management tools available. These are typically bare-bones offerings that provide basic features for small businesses or freelancers who only need to manage a few social media channels.

On the other hand, more comprehensive software platforms designed for larger businesses or agencies usually come at substantial costs. These complex solutions often include functionality for managing multiple social media accounts across various platforms, publishing and scheduling content, analyzing performance data, monitoring brand mentions, tracking competitors, integrating with other digital marketing tools (like email marketing or SEO platforms), providing customer service support through social channels among others.

Prices across these more advanced systems can range from around $50 per month to upwards of $10k per year - depending on user count, additional modules or services required, etc. However, remember that these are just estimated prices and actual costs may be much higher when integrating into existing systems or requiring additional services such as customized features enhancements training and support.

Software vendors might also offer different pricing structures: some operate on a subscription basis where you pay a monthly or annual fee while others may charge a one-time fee upfront with ongoing maintenance charges thereafter. There could also be additional costs related to implementation including setting up the system to work within your environment and training staff members on how to use it effectively.

Then there's always custom-built owned media management systems which can come with hefty price tags - but offer tailor-made solutions which precisely fit individual companies' needs.

When considering purchasing owned media software it is important to look beyond just the sticker price. Try understanding what overall value it will provide including better control over your brand's message; efficient content distribution; improved audience engagement; precise targeting & measurement, etc. Given its ability to amplify brand voice without relying on paid methods whilst retaining full control over the content, timing and methods of delivery; owned media software could indeed promise good returns on investment despite their prices.

Moreover, it's important to note that this is a rapidly evolving marketplace with new features and capabilities constantly being added. So, while considering the cost of current needs also take into account your growth plans and future requirements from such a system.

There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to how much owned media software costs as it largely depends on the specific needs and size of your business as well as which vendor you choose to go with. Investing in this type of software should be seen as part of an overall digital marketing strategy aiming for long term benefits rather than just an immediate purchase expense.

What Software Can Integrate With Owned Media Software?

Owned media software, also known as content management systems (CMS), is a type of technology that allows businesses to control and leverage their digital content on various platforms. This includes blogs, websites, social media accounts, newsletters, and more.

Several types of software can seamlessly integrate with owned media software. One crucial category is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software such as Salesforce or HubSpot. CRM tools collect detailed information about customers’ behaviors and preferences, which can be used to develop personalized content strategies.

Another type is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools like SEMrush or Moz Pro. These tools help companies boost their online visibility by optimizing owned media content for search engines. Email marketing software such as MailChimp or Constant Contact can also integrate with owned media systems to automate email campaigns and track their performance.

Social media management tools like Hootsuite or Buffer are another important integration because they enable companies to schedule posts and analyze the engagement of followers across multiple social networks from one platform. Moreover, analytics tools like Google Analytics can be synced with owned media software to provide in-depth data about website traffic and user behavior.

Additionally, ecommerce platforms such as Shopify or Magento could be utilized alongside these systems. They allow businesses to create online stores within their existing websites and manage every aspect of ecommerce operations from inventory management to customer service.

Adtech platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Business Manager can be integrated into the CMS for better tracking of advertisement performance on different platforms. It's worth noting that the exact types of integrations available will depend on the specific owned media software being used; some may offer more extensive compatibility than others.

Recent Trends Related to Owned Media Software

Owned media software refers to digital marketing tools used by businesses to manage their owned platforms such as websites, blogs, social media accounts, etc. Here are some current trends related to owned media software:

• Growth of Content Management Systems (CMS): More businesses are using CMS like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal to manage their online content. These platforms allow for easy content publishing and updating without the need for extensive coding knowledge.
• Increase in Social Media Management Tools: With the growth of social media, businesses are utilizing social media management tools such as Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule posts, engage with followers, and track performance across multiple platforms.
• Shift Towards Personalization: Companies are using advanced analytics and AI to deliver personalized content to visitors. This can range from personalized product recommendations, tailored email newsletters or unique user experiences on the website.
• Rise of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software: CRM software like Salesforce or HubSpot is being widely used by companies to manage interactions with current and potential customers. This allows businesses to analyze customer data and improve relationships.
• Use of SEO Tools: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools like SEMrush or Google Analytics are increasingly being used by businesses to improve their search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic.
• Integration of Chatbots: More businesses are integrating AI-powered chatbots into their websites and social media accounts. These chatbots can answer customer queries 24/7, improving customer service and freeing up time for human staff.
• Adoption of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): These technologies are beginning to make their way into owned media strategies. They can provide immersive experiences for customers, such as virtual tours or interactive demonstrations.
• Increased Focus on Mobile Optimization: As more people use mobile devices to access the internet, businesses are prioritizing making their websites mobile-friendly. Some are also developing mobile apps for a better user experience.
• Growth in Video Content: Video has become a dominant form of content on the internet. Businesses are leveraging this trend by creating and sharing more video content on their owned platforms.
• User Generated Content (UGC): UGC such as reviews, testimonials, and social media posts made by customers can boost brand credibility. Many businesses are harnessing this content and featuring it on their owned media platforms.
• Enhanced Data Protection: With increased concerns about data privacy, businesses are implementing software that ensures the protection of user data. This includes encryption tools and secure payment gateways.

These trends indicate that owned media software is evolving rapidly and becoming more sophisticated to meet the changing needs of businesses and consumers alike.

How To Select the Right Owned Media Software

Choosing the right owned media software is a critical task that can impact the success or failure of your marketing and communications efforts. Owned media refers to any web property that you control, such as websites, blogs, newsletters, and social media accounts. Therefore, it’s important to select software that can help you effectively manage these properties. Here are some steps on how to select the right owned media software:

1. Identify Your Needs: Start by defining what you need from a software solution. Are you looking for tools to help manage social media platforms? Do you need help with content creation or search engine optimization (SEO)? Knowing exactly what your needs are will guide your decision-making process.
2. Review Available Options: There's an array of owned media management tools on the market today, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Compare features of different products across multiple vendors before deciding on which ones might be best for your business.
3. Consider Budget: Budget constraints may affect your choice of software. Some options may offer more capabilities but come at a higher cost, while others may be more affordable but offer limited features.
4. Check User-Friendliness: The best software is one that's easy to use and navigate since this will encourage regular use and increase productivity.
5. Look at Integration Capabilities: If you're already using other marketing tools or customer relationship management (CRM) systems in your organization, ensure that the owned media software you choose can seamlessly integrate with them.
6. Research Customer Support: Good customer support is essential when dealing with technology products where glitches may occur or when there's a need for assistive training on using new features.
7. Request A Demo Or Trial Period: Most companies provide demos or free trials for their products which should give you hands-on experience before making a financial commitment.
8. Weigh in Reviews & Testimonials: These could provide useful insights into user experience and product reliability providing a taste of what you can expect.
9. Consider Scalability: You should also consider whether the software can scale with your business as it grows and evolves.
10. Evaluate Analytics and Reporting Features: Good owned media software should have robust analytics for tracking engagement and measuring ROI. 

Choosing the right owned media software is a strategic decision that should be carefully thought out, taking into consideration these factors among other unique needs of your organization or brand. This ensures that you'll get value for your investment, improve efficiency, achieve better results, and make work easier for all stakeholders involved in managing your owned media channels. Utilize the tools given on this page to examine owned media software in terms of price, features, integrations, user reviews, and more.