Content falls into a few broad categories and a content marketing plan should include all of them, with budgets and resources in mind. The high-level goals should be:

1. Spread the word about the company’s key messages
2. Broaden awareness of the company and what it does
3. Encourage and inspire advocates to share positive content about the company with their networks.

Here are those content categories and planned initiatives for POET:

Owned Media: Content created by the company for publication on its own platforms, such as articles that appear on the company blog, YouTube videos, own social media channels, press releases, etc. 

Advantages: Control of message, maintenance of news flow, low cost 

Disadvantages: Lack of objectivity limits media coverage, organic growth is limited 

Earned Media: This is the most coveted form of media. When a publication or network features a company based on the newsworthiness of its story or pitch, then the company is said to have a “share of voice” in the media outlet. Share of voice is among the metrics used to determine the value of the editorial placement and also the cost of advertising. An earned media article inside of a popular magazine can have a value of over $100,000. A full-page ad in the same publication can therefore also cost $100,000, depending on size, placement and other factors. Having a journalist feature your company is typically “earned” through PR efforts and awareness-building campaigns. A journalist at a major outlet will easily receive 50-100 pitches per day from companies seeking to be featured. 

Advantages: Validation, broad awareness

Disadvantages: High cost, lack of control of the message, unpredictable timing 

Sponsored Content: Sponsored content has grown rapidly in the past 15 years because of the rise of digital media and the need for media companies to find other revenue sources. Sponsored content means a company has paid to have articles and/or visuals published within a desired media outlet. Depending on the content package, the media outlet could create the content itself on behalf of the client or the client can create it and have it vetted by the editorial team before publication. (This is similar to advertorial but also differs in that the media outlet will maintain some editorial oversight of sponsored content.)

A couple of you recently sent me this link to a PIC Magazine with a lengthy article by LWLG:

https://data.angel.digital/pdf/PIC%20Magazine%20Issue%203%202021-2.pdf

That’s more of an advertorial and a pricey one. I expect that would have cost $25,000.

I’m typically not in favour of sponsored content, because I’ve worked for large media outlets and have helped to develop some sponsored content programs. Their cost can be easily inflated and performance imprecise to evaluate. 

Advantages: Broad awareness, strong control of message, opportunities to leverage that media outlet’s share of voice 

Disadvantages: High cost, lack of earned media’s true validation  

Social Media and Influencer Marketing: Using the share of voice of social media platforms to spread awareness. Amplifying this tactic through well-known influencers who can engage with a company’s target audience. 

Advantages: Validation, excellent engagement, broad and targeted awareness 

Disadvantages: Time commitment, institutional investors tend not to be persuaded by social media, increasing need for advertising spend to be effective. 

That brings me to the Forbes Technology Council. This is a quasi-sponsored content program and I applaud it because it allows Forbes to maintain editorial direction while enlisting the top executives of leading-edge companies to produce content in their area of expertise. Forbes is creating a portal for tech knowledge with content for a mass audience that also elevates the visibility of its enlisted contributors. 

Suresh’s articles will not be promoting POET’s technology. That would violate Forbes’ editorial policy. What his articles will do is provide thought leadership on topics related to photonics, semiconductors and optoelectronics. As his collection of content builds, POET’s own name grows as does the value of the linkbacks from Forbes to the POET website. There are other opportunities for content with this program too that POET may or may not engage in. The cost of the Forbes Tech Council membership is just $2,550/year. Forbes will take 4-6 weeks to publish an article once it’s submitted. The first POET article is about to be submitted. It is an excellent way to get POET's name in front of a large, mostly American and mostly business-focused audience. 

I’ve started a Medium.com account for the company as well ($50 set-up fee) and the first article will be published there in a few weeks. Those will be more promotional. Medium is not nearly as effective as other sites but it’s low-hanging fruit to get some content out beyond the POET echo chamber. 

Each piece of content builds toward a large and hopefully widely spread catalogue of content that can help lead to earned media and influencer opportunities. 

If anyone here has questions or comments, you can email me at adrian.brijbassi@poet-technologies.com