How to get in front of the right people is a big question all companies ask of their marketing teams, who in turn ask the same question of their agency. 

Given that paid media can give you a quick short term vanity spike it's no wonder lots of companies still opt for 'paid' media advertising, but in a world where the traditional media landscape for marketeers is shrinking daily and ad fraud takes 50%+ as an ad tax is it sustainable?

With huge Yoy increases in the adoption of Ad Blocking, and a forecast of $100 billion+ in Ad Fraud by 2023 brands need to find new ways to compete in what is now a very busy digital universe. 

Once your ads are live and the money is paid to Google and other ad exchange platforms, that budget is gone. Here's the catch. You will need the same budget next month to attract more customers. The value that you get from this expense is limited.

However, if you would have invested that same amount of money in search engine optimization and content marketing, you would have earned something extremely valuable and powerful. You may have optimised the category pages, created quality content for the target audience, and attracted quality back-links from genuine influential bloggers relevant to your niche.  

'Earned' media is just that, you've invested time and effort in building a relationship with your tribe by providing what they perceive as valuable content.

For many you've also given them the opportunity to get involved with a conversation with you as a result of that content, as such you have started to 'earn' that relationship with them, which requires you to continue to nurture and build, not recruit and forget. 

All of which shows that your a listening brand, and not just interested in a quick buck from me.

Maybe, just maybe, 'Content Discovery' via Social Media is the Superpower you and your company have been looking for all along?