Align your external communications using the PESO model

In external communications when starting small, many teams start with shooting blanks. Using a few channels to disperse a lot (or little) of information. Though this can help build some reach, it is a short term strategy that requires a more thoughtful approach
We recommend a more integrated approach:

By using the PESO model to communications strategy development, you are setting yourself and your team up for a communications strategy that is set for sustainable growth. By integrating all elements of the PESO model, both communications, sales and marketing have the opportunity to align on interests and use communications effectively.

The PESO model is ideal to map out where you will divide your content into. It allows you to make a strategy that encompasses multiple channels.

Before we dive in to the PESO model, let’s set a starting point.

When are you ready to start exploring the PESO Model?

I recommend that you don’t integrate the PESO model before you have clearly mapped out your target audience. You don’t need a full overview of your competition as this might make you more narrow in adopting the PESO model, but you need to be very clear who the target audience for your B2B/B2C product or service is.

What is the PESO Model?

After you’ve figured out who your target audience is, the PESO model is a great tool to integrate the channels where you can reach them.
The PESO model is a framework that integrates media channels under one holistic strategy.
PESO stands for Paid, Earned, Shared & Owned media.

Paid Media.

Paid media is media you pay to distribute your content or ads. This includes advertisements, paid media partnerships, social media advertising, and sponsored content.

Examples:
The Coca Cola brand is advertised through various paid media outlets. For example advertisements on bus stops, billboards & tv commercials.
Investment companies like Moonfare use LinkedIn and SEA advertising to advertise their product to potential investment clients.

Earned media.

Earned media are the channels that require relationships with the gatekeepers of the media; for example, journalists writing about you, influencers writing about you, or publicity stunts.

Examples:
The most classic example is a press release, where a company writes a note on a new product/service/hire or anything that is deemed newsworthy and sends it to a journalist. You have then earned a place in the media outlet that they own.

Shared media. 

Shared media is the amplified content of the audience you have built. For example, people tweeting about you, events where you are a guest speaker, and the network you have cultivated over the years.

Examples:
Shared media is when people share your content on their owned platforms. For example somebody sharing your instagram post about your product on their personal story.

Owned media. 

The (inbound) channels that you own and where the audience can find your content. For example, your newsroom, content marketing, thought leadership, podcasts, and brand journalism. This is content owned by you and located on your own domain.

Example:
This newsletter is owned by me and I use it to disperse my knowledge with you.

How PESO helps teams in your organization

Why mapping out PESO helps your communications/brand team

Communications and Brand teams need to know where the brand is being communicated and what is required for effective communication on the channels.
If you decide that you want to start using a PR partner in the strategy, the communications team needs to make sure that the right information lands in the journalists inbox. For example in the boilerplate of the press release.

If sales wants to start using LinkedIn Sales Navigator as an outreach channel for finding new business clients, the LinkedIn page of the company must match what the sales teams are delivering to clients and vice versa.

A large part of effective communications is built around consistent messaging. Your communications teams will be happy when they know where the message is going so they can adapt to the local market you are trying to reach.

Why mapping out PESO helps your marketing and sales teams

Marketing and sales have a toxic relationship. Often misaligned but with the same goal; furthering the success of the business. Where marketing focusses on various funnel stages of the target audience, sales looks for personal touchpoints and ultimately closing.

What businesses often overlook is the quality of the message and the power of repetition. If your Marketing team is able to target messages like social media posts or paid advertisements in locations where your sales team is also reaching out to the target audience; the chances of your target seeing the message twice (or more often) increases.

This is important because:

Why PESO helps your HR/Employer Brand team

Communications/Marketing teams are often asked to help on identifying where HR teams can build employer branding efforts. Often these are first integrated on owned media like websites and social media sites, yet HR teams can be tremendously helped when aware of the channels used by Comms teams, marketing and sales teams. This can help them identify whether/which job postings can be advertised on industry websites and whether potential candidates spend time on these various outlets.

Keep in Mind

• It should be noted that each of these platforms do have some overlap with the other channels of PESO framework!
  
  Example:
  A journalist can write about your business (earned) which can then be shared by an influencer to their network (shared). Simultaneously you can pay the media outlet that the journalist works for to sponsor the article that they wrote and amplify the reach on their channel (paid). Moreover you can choose to re-share their article on your owned media like LinkedIn or website (owned).

• Earned media and shared media are PESO elements that can exponentially grow and drive traffic over time. In the beginning more traffic will generally come from owned and paid media as you start communicating your message.

• Paid media requires budget, owned, earned and shared media require time and consistent effort.

• Don’t build your PESO channel list and never look at it again. PESO is the start of an effective strategy, not the end.
  It is important to go back to your PESO model regularly to update on effectivity and efficiency metrics. Try to find which elements help build success quickly and which elements you want to keep investing in to build success over time.

• Each element of PESO requires extensive research in your competitive environment and the behavior of your target audience.

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