Earned media and word of mouth are types of promotion organically received by brands. At times, the terms are interchangeably used. The nature of these promotions and how they occur can result in brands mixing them up. But, in actuality, earned media vs word of mouth involves differences owing to factors like the kind of content through which they are promoted, who promotes them, their potential reach, the goals that are fulfilled through these, and others. To form marketing strategies around either of these, understanding these factors is important for marketers.
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Connect With UsWhat is Earned Media in Digital Marketing?
In marketing, one can understand earned media as the exposure and publicity a business obtains through the use of sources other than the medium owned by it as well as paid promotions. It gains them organically through social media mentions, articles, shoutouts from influencers, customer reviews, and others.
- Note that this is one of the core types of media in digital marketing.
- Such media is voluntarily received by the business.
What is Word of Mouth in Marketing?
Word of mouth, in the marketing landscape, is the exchange of conversations, experiences, opinions, reviews, and recommendations in relation to a business or its products or services. Also called WOM, the information exchanged can take place online as well as offline. In either case, it is led by the experiences delivered to buyers.
Earned Media vs Word of Mouth: What is the Difference?
Word of mouth and earned media are types of organic promotion for a brand. However, the kind of communication, how these are generated, the scale at which they occur, etc., lead to differences between them.
Majorly, there are 5 points of differentiation between WOM and earned media.
Word of Mouth | Earned Media |
| Digital word of mouth marketing occurs when an existing buyer shares his/her experience with one or more people through online mediums. However, when it takes place offline, the interactions can be face to face and more personal. | This type of promotion is generated by online users across social media, influencers, journalists, bloggers, and even industry specialists. |
| The core purpose of WOM is to make a brand or business credible, visible, and authoritative. | Through this, a business can fulfill the purpose of building buyers’ trust and guiding their purchase decisions. |
| For such a promotion, the form of communication typically involves direct interactions, messages, and discussions. They include sharing recommendations for specific brands, products, and services. They can be shared as public posts among communities but more commonly, they include private conversations or messages. | The type of communication seen in the case of earned media is inclusive of publicly available or visible content. It can comprise blogs, customer reviews, podcasts, or short videos like reels. |
| WOM can reach a smaller community since it is shared between limited people who are closely bonded. The word of mouth shared circulates among personal connections but it is considered highly trusted and credible. | This media is associated with a broader audience in comparison. Even one single post can reach hundreds and sometimes thousands of people. Depending on who shares it, it has the potential to reach millions of online users too. |
| The influence fostered through this kind of marketing is high even if it reaches a limited number of people. This is because when the content is personally shared, it can negatively or positively influence others, giving less control to brands. | Earned media can create a direct or indirect influence on the audience. Through the experiences of customers, recommendations by social media figures, and PRs by other companies, the narratives shared can yield positive/negative perceptions. Also, brands can gain some level of control over these. |
Why Do Brands Mix up Earned Media and Word of Mouth?
Brands may mix up earned media and digital word of mouth marketing as they comprise conversations from third parties. Both of these involve people who are not always directly linked to a business but they express their views about its offerings. Hence, such confusion can arise.
Functioning as Organic Promotion
WOM and earned media are functional through organic brand promotions. As opposed to paid marketing, they take place more naturally. Also, typically, no payments are directly made by a venture in either case. Concerning their nature, they may appear similar but are vastly varied in terms of their impact.
Facilitating the Occurrence of Another
Businesses may sometimes mix up word of mouth and earned media as one makes way for the other. At times, when word of mouth spreads, whether positive or negative, it leads to the occurrence of earned media promotion.
- When word of mouth is highly influential, it can lead to the generation of customer reviews.
- Gradually, it can give rise to mentions across social media.
- At times, owing to its influence, it can be featured in the press as well.
- Thus, WOM can then lead to earned media, making the clear difference between them less visible.
In Summary
Word of mouth and earned media are different kinds of organic promotion. While WOM is the exchange of opinions and experiences within a closed community, the other is one of the types of media in digital marketing that is shared among the masses. Though they are distinct, they can appear to be similar in practice or nature, leading brands to mix them up.
