Different types of Digital Media can help brands reach more people and spread the word about companies in the right channels.
Earned, Owned, or Paid, each one of them represents different brand popularization, advertising, and opportunities to interact with the target audience.
Creating content, strengthening a brand, and generating engagement are some of the main objectives of Digital Marketing.
To achieve all of this, you need to make your brand be everywhere. In this process, knowing the types of Digital Media is crucial.
When having this knowledge, brands are much more likely to communicate better with their audience. More than that, those companies expand their operations, reaching more people through different channels.
In all three types of Digital Media, there are good strategies to activate, bringing the expected results in brand awareness, engagement, and conversions.
In this post, we’ll talk more about how to run a campaign in these media. The content will cover the following topics:
1. Earned Media
Earned Media is all the media a company gets through what we call “word of mouth” but in the online environment.
Any and every action of the company generates comments about those strategies. That is free media conquered because of these actions.
Among the three types of Digital Media, perhaps Earned Media is one in which there is no direct investment in its acquisition. Of course, all the work on channels, such as social media, has resulted in it, but indirectly.
The truth is that Earned Media is the most important since it’s more organic. When web users talk about a company, there’s a spontaneous activity, without being a bigger movement to make it happen.
On the other hand, some efforts lead to these achievements. The main one, without a doubt, is the SEO standard adjustments required by Google.
The work is long and needs to be committed since that will result in brands capable of appearing on the first page of Google’s results.
Thus, when well ranked, it’s easier to be visible to users, thanks to the improvements made in blog posts and on the brand’s website.
Good practices are the basis of Earned Media
When a company exploits the channels it has access to, it’s natural to engaje the audience. Thus, spontaneous media is generated with users talking about the brand, interacting on social media, and creating content.
To make this positive environment, companies need to implement good practices in brand management.
Although that work isn’t related to direct investment of money, there are significant efforts that make a difference.
Among the main ones we can list:
- continued implementation of SEO techniques;
- active participation in social media;
- stimulation of interaction on social media;
- a solid Content Marketing strategy.
Earned Media is about people’s opinions about your brand. They will be positive when the work is well-done, which generates an organic movement in favor of the company.
2. Owned Media
Among the three types of Digital Media, Owned Media is that which the company owns permanently.
It’s the channels that the brand keeps and, through them, generates direct content about its products and services.
These channels also serve for engagement and lead education, as well as being informative from an institutional perspective.
We’re talking about websites, blogs, YouTube channels, social media pages, and what else the company controls with its name.
If the brand owns this media, naturally, it invests in something that is its own, without paying for other companies to promote the business.
That’s the main reason why this category is called Owned Media.
No promoted links or posts
One of the main doubts that arise in the concept of Owned Media is about links and promoted posts.
The answer is no; they aren’t considered Owned Media, even though the company pages in social media generate them.
The fact that brands have to pay to promote these contents is what makes that category uncharacteristic. In Owned Media, the focus is on generating content from what a company keeps as its channels.
Besides not having to invest, the Owned Media still has the benefit of continuity. The brand will always have that channel and may disclose its activities and products at any time.
Strategy’s success, however, depends on the measurement of results and quality content.
3. Paid Media
Among the three types of Digital Media, Paid Media is the most popular.
It’s simply all media in which you pay to have the spread. Every direct investment that the brand makes enters this category, and the direction is for disclosure channels.
The goal behind Paid Media is to reach more audiences, making a high number of people know about your brand.
To accomplish that, you invest in media with the potential to bring more awareness to the company, its campaigns, and its products/services.
Among the main types of Paid Media, we can mention:
- AdWords (Google);
- links driven to social media;
- ads in portals of related segments.
Pros and cons of Paid Media
On the positive side, we can undoubtedly highlight the broad scope of the activities carried out.
The combination of awareness and segmentation is the key to a good Paid Media strategy.
On the other hand, it’s essential to know how to use Paid Media. The main risk is to exaggerate this disclosure, making your brand just about everywhere.
To your target audience, this excessive approach can be uncomfortable, causing the loss of value in campaigns.
It’s all about being on time and accurate. Good campaigns on the right channels can bring outstanding results. Without excesses, Paid Media is one of the most effective ways to promote your brand on the web.
The different types of Digital Media show how companies can have an excellent reach to their target audience on the web nowadays. Knowing how to allocate the actions well, the results achieved are positive, and the presence in different channels is managed with competence.
If you want to keep learning, check the top 6 Digital Marketing examples to inspire your strategy!