The internet and social networking sites have shuffled the deck of cards that are the media. As more options become available, the effectiveness and confusion increase. You can’t afford to overlook a medium that can expand your audience and boost your bottom line.
Here’s my recap of a recent blog by the marketing firm, Arment Dietrich, that covered the “Four Different Types of Media.” You’ll recognize some, others may be less familiar.
Paid Media = Advertising
If you’ve paid to circulate your company’s message in a printed publication, as an exhibit at a tradeshow, on radio or TV or as a banner on a website, your efforts fall into this category. Advertising is highly effective and requires expertise to identify where your efforts will be most successful. It’s expensive and difficult to measure your return on investment.
Earned Media = Publicity
Media accounts told from a third-party perspective are viewed as credible and trustworthy. A release about your company’s accomplishments circulated to the appropriate media can reap coverage that widely shares your brand. But results are not guaranteed, you’re at the mercy of other news, publication space and other factors. Professional publicity efforts are expensive and time intensive.
Owned Media = Online Presence
The content you create for your website, Facebook, Twitter and other online presences has become more important than ever. Your website should be dynamic, 
valuable and relevant to your target audience. It’s no longer about the greatness of your company and its products/services; it’s about giving away ideas and advice to benefit others. You can do this yourself inexpensively, the cost is your time and labor. Vehicles for effectively sharing include webinars, white papers, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, podcasts, videos, enewsletters and blogs.
Shared Media = Engagement
You can’t just create outstanding content and hope people find you. Search engines want to see that you’re creating new content consistently and how frequently others share it on their networks. Start by prominently placing “share” buttons for social media on your website to allow visitors to easily spread your content. Then spend some time carefully building your own networks. Industry studies show Facebook is more effective for B2C marketing, and LinkedIn is more successful for B2B efforts.
Your current marketing plan should move your company into the future today, not in two or three years. By embracing each of these media, you’ll position your firm for expansion to new audiences and future success.
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