Digital media types - paid, owned, earned

Paid media - it's any form of digital promotion a brand pays to put online. Some examples of paid media include banner ads, video ads,social media ads, shopping ads, and pop ups.

The big advantage of paid ads is that they produce results quickly.

The downside is that those results go away instantly when you stop paying for them—

and paying for ads can get expensive over time.

Owned media refers to all the digital content a brand fully controls. Owned media content can be persuasive, but unlike paid media ads, it doesn't advertise or sell products directly.

Instead, it provides value by giving customers what they need in order to make informed decisions. If paid ads bring consumers to a company's website, owned content is what convinces them to stay. Owned media includes things like website content, blogs, eBooks, and social media content. Documents like whitepapers and case studies can also inspire confidence by explaining why brands make certain decisions and conveying the results through real-world examples.

The thing about owned media is that it can't do much on its own. No matter how great a company's website or case studies are, they can't educate customers who don't know they exist.

Earned media is any positive digital exposure generated through personal or public recommendations. Companies don't create or own earned media, and they can't pay for it directly. It's generated by customers in response to things like product quality and customer service, in addition to successful marketing campaigns.

If a brand starts a formal partnership with an influencer, that's paid advertising. But if a customer likes a product so much that they tell their friends about it for free, that's earned media.

Basically, it's the reputation a brand builds for being great at what they do. Earned media can take the form of social media mentions, blog posts, written or video reviews, or positive press coverage, like product profiles or best-of lists.

To be successful online, brands use a combination of paid, owned, and earned media. Paid media is advertising you pay for, like banner or video ads. Owned media is content a brand creates and controls, like website content, blogs, or case studies. Earned media is positive, customer- generated content that raises awareness and enhances a brand's reputation.