Tips for Managing Owned Media from the Head of Business Media Operations

Most companies of a certain size likely have their own website. Some actively publish not only PR releases but also diverse information, while others are highly active on social media. Many companies possess this "owned media" and use it to communicate with various stakeholders. Actively sharing financial information on owned media could be considered the bare minimum action to gain investor support.

On the other hand, many companies likely lack confidence in whether they are truly utilizing their owned media effectively. Many face challenges such as only accomplishing the bare minimum, or investing resources in various initiatives without seeing tangible results. Therefore, this article features an interview with Yuki Watanabe, Business Director of AMP (Amplify), a "business media platform for Gen Z and Millennials" that is supported by many young business professionals and exceeds 17 million monthly page views. From the perspective of a professional running a business media platform, we received various pieces of advice on how companies can effectively utilize their owned media.

Owned Media is a "Tool for Solving Your Own Company's Challenges"

Q. What exactly is "owned media"? While the term itself is widely recognized, could you share your perspective on it?

Watanabe: When people hear "owned media," they often think of a company's website or lead generation sites. However, fundamentally, it refers to "all media owned and controlled by the company." This includes not only the company's website, but also social media, brochures, and anything else the company operates and controls the content of. The purpose of operating it is "to solve the company's challenges." Specifically, these challenges can be "increasing awareness," "branding," "growing service users," "acquiring leads," "recruitment," and more – the roles are diverse.

We've entered an era where every company has its own website. Social media soon followed as a major platform, with companies also beginning to operate accounts. Unlike paid media (where companies pay advertising fees to place ads), owned media leverages internal resources. This means it offers high cost-effectiveness when successful and can become a long-term asset for the company. Consequently, "effectively managing owned media to expand the company's fan base" has been emphasized as crucial. However, many companies find it difficult to see tangible results when they actually try it, and there was a period when enthusiasm for owned media seemed to wane across the industry. As people's preferences diversify and both information and communities become more fragmented, acquiring users has become extremely challenging. While it's possible for a company's content to be picked up by curated media like Yahoo! News or SmartNews and go viral, this remains a rare occurrence. In recent years, the perspective that companies must consider how to effectively communicate their strengths and articulate their position and stance has gained renewed prominence. Within this trend, I sense a resurgence in interest toward owned media.

To succeed, it's crucial to "stay focused on your purpose." Make calm judgments from that perspective.

Q. What kind of goal setting is effective for successfully operating owned media?

Watanabe: I believe the purpose of operating owned media should be set according to each company's specific challenges. What's crucial—though it may sound obvious—is to operate without wavering from your purpose, using milestones broken down from a medium- to long-term perspective and meaningful KPIs. The fundamental approach is to clearly define your target audience, gain appropriate recognition from them, establish a clear path to leverage the know-how and value gained to appeal to new customers, and rigorously manage KPIs within that framework. However, when metrics like "content views aren't growing" or "conversions aren't happening" surface, it's common to lose patience and fixate on immediate numbers before results materialize. This often leads to a blurred target audience or content that deviates from the original purpose. Consequently, you end up expending significant, unnecessary effort and cost while failing to take the most direct path to success.

The purpose of owned media varies by company—be it "increasing awareness/branding," "lead generation," or "recruitment branding." Among those achieving results, many align their operations with their objectives by mastering two key elements: "problem definition through unique angles" and "contextual solutions." This involves sharply identifying readers' challenges (needs) and connecting them to the company's solutions as the answer. Of course, owned media must continuously provide value without boring readers, requiring consideration of every possible approach, including trends. However, if this strays from the core purpose, the results achieved will be unsatisfactory.

Q. Which departments typically manage owned media within companies?

Watanabe: Generally, it's often the department overseeing public relations. Consequently, we frequently see cases where there isn't sufficient expertise or resources for content creation and strategic planning for dissemination. This is precisely why it's easy to end up relying entirely on external production companies for everything from creation to operation. Instead, it's crucial for the company's own personnel to clearly define their desired vision and then build the necessary structure to achieve it. To do this, it's vital to form a team that breaks down the barriers between client and vendor and collaborates with partners. I'd like them to establish model cases, such as successful examples from other companies, clearly define KPIs for each initiative, and then implement the PDCA cycle.

As technology evolves, communication formats are changing. Video formats are becoming more diverse, and the use of VR and the metaverse will likely expand in the future. That said, the importance of text isn't likely to diminish anytime soon, so I believe there's still significant potential for creating value through text-based communication. It's crucial to constantly assess how information circulates from various angles, always consider the shortest route to achieve objectives, and aim to deliver the optimal content in the optimal place.

Q. What changes have you observed in owned media recently? And how do you envision its future?

Watanabe: Honestly, I don't feel there are any "trends specific to owned media" at this point. It's more that various digital marketing trends exist, and within that flow, the reach methods for owned media are changing. Recently, there's been increased focus on UGC (User-Generated Content) and influencer marketing. However, these are also just applications of broader marketing trends. Unless technologies like the metaverse or Web3.0 undergo significant evolution, I don't foresee owned media itself undergoing dramatic changes. However, I do foresee an increase in "people behind owned media" actively stepping out to become influencers themselves. Furthermore, with the current emphasis on sustainability, the perspective of how to effectively brand one's company is likely to become increasingly important.

Regarding social media, many companies may struggle with how to effectively utilize it. Often, they get stuck merely "distributing created content" and fail to generate synergy. When revisiting the original purpose, it's essential to determine whether expanding to social media is truly necessary. If proceeding, careful judgment is needed on which platforms to use and why. Rather than trying everything just because more platforms exist, strategic subtraction is necessary to maximize productivity within limited resources.

The key point in owned media management is whether you can build an organization tailored to your objectives.

Q. What do you consider most important for effectively managing owned media?

Watanabe: I believe this applies to corporate management as well. The most crucial factor for achieving good results is "building a structure with aligned perspectives." To consistently produce high-quality content, you must establish a production system that includes external resources. However, simply outsourcing everything to a production company because your internal structure is insufficient won't work. You need to identify what personnel, skills, and know-how are lacking in your operations and take the initiative to direct the process. Outsourcing owned media operations—relying on production companies or editorial agencies—is likely the first idea that comes to mind. However, with diverse work styles now commonplace, we should actively build partnerships with freelancers or side-hustlers who possess the right capabilities for our company. On that basis, if the team—including partners—can align their vision around a shared goal of "this is where we're aiming," I believe we can drive things forward effectively.

Next, ensure content effectively reaches the intended target audience. Methodologically, if optimal platforms exist, social media expansion is necessary, and integration with platforms like note could be an option. Additionally, we recommend leveraging advertising effectively. While some may view advertising as "buying page views with money," if the information is genuinely useful to users, whether it comes via ads or not becomes irrelevant. Furthermore, ad delivery results can help gauge an article's value. Even if costs are low, practice "reaching the target audience effectively and refining content based on numerical analysis."

Only after establishing a solid production system and consistently reaching a certain number of targets can you enter the stage of discussing "results." A common pitfall at this point is evaluating solely based on traffic numbers. However, today's era prioritizes whether you are effectively delivering content to your target audience as intended.

I also run AMP, a business web media outlet, and building the infrastructure was the most challenging part. First and foremost, we had to secure the volume of articles expected of a media outlet. Naturally, we also had to produce high-quality articles on top of that. It was extremely difficult until we solidified the structure capable of generating that volume.

Watanabe: Since AMP is a "media business," revenue is crucial. However, for many companies, owned media isn't a business but a "tool." Most companies already have their own websites, so when considering web branding or lead generation, owned media has become an "initiative they must incorporate." And likely, its importance as a means to communicate their own information and stance will only grow in the future.

Personally, I predict we might see a trend of "corporate collaboration" emerge within owned media. This would involve multiple companies coming together to create owned media targeting a specific audience and addressing their needs. Relying solely on a company's own products or services inevitably limits touchpoints with the target audience. However, by collaborating, multiple companies can achieve a state where they "approach the target audience collectively and continuously," expanding marketing opportunities. I believe the spread of such new possibilities, like "joint owned media," could be one future scenario.

The suggestion that "system building" is key to owned media success might seem somewhat obvious. Yet, this is fundamental advice. Many companies find their core business functions distant from information dissemination. Relying solely on internal resources often proves insufficient for media operation, while outsourcing everything externally rarely works well either.

Particularly in recent years, amid trends like strengthened corporate governance, increased investor presence, efforts toward a decarbonized society, and human capital management, I feel there's a growing tendency for corporate functions—those supporting the very foundation of a company's existence—to become major factors influencing corporate value. To enhance corporate value, while elevating the value of the business itself is essential, examining the company through the lens of how well it embodies its "ideal corporate identity" may reveal growth opportunities and solutions.

※1 UGC: Abbreviation for User Generated Content. User-generated content: A general term for content created or generated by users.