What is Media?

As of June 2017, there are nearly 3.8 billion internet users worldwide. That is 52% of the world’s population of 7.5 billion people. And since the year 2000, internet users have had a growth rate of over 900%. On top of that, there are now 5.3 billion unique mobile subscribers and 3.9 billion smartphone subscriptions. So, you can say with a high level of confidence that the world is more connected today than it has ever been in the history of the planet.

How are people communicating and being communicated with in the modern world? Well, much of that communication is through the use of "media". What is media? Media used to refer to the mass communication of a message through non-face to face channels (radio, print, television, outdoor advertising). Messaging was pushed one-way to individuals from advertisers and the same message was sent broadly to everyone. The internet is so pervasive around the globe, that the standard sources of media have expanded. Websites, videos, images, search results, social posts, Tweets, Snaps, Pins, etc… all of that is media. Today, the standard sources of media have changed from the traditional sources to these new sources. Media communications can also be sent directly to your hand, with very targeted, timely, and personalized messages. It is no longer the “wide net” of a mass message that gets the massive return.

And lastly, media connections are much more intertwined, where people talk to other people and directly communicate with brands. Customer or user-generated media is often as valuable to brands as the content they themselves produce.

What are the different types of media / categories?

Paid Media

Just like it sounds, this is media or messaging that you pay for in various channels. Paid media is often the best option to get a message in front of new audiences quickly. With over 2 trillion searches in Google per year (over 50% of those searches are via mobile) the competition is fierce and fast. In order for our brand message to be found and rise above the noise, we must be willing to invest in paid advertising. Paid media also helps us determine the right keywords and better understand the search habits of our customers.

Examples of paid media are:

Text ads in search engines like Google, Bing, Yandex, Baidu etc.
Display ads which are visually rich image or animation ads (also called "banner” ads )
Social media ads or boosting/promoted content
Emails

Earned Media

This is messaging where the communication is coming from our customers or others who mention our brand. This kind of media can be especially valuable because it is not coming from us. It can be seen as more genuine and reliable due to its independence from a brand.

Examples of earned media are:

Links from other content publishers to our site
Local media spots or Public Relations
Blogger reviews or mentions
Published customer reviews in social media

Owned Media

Content to promote product launches, social media content, editorial lifestyle content, etc. are pieces that we invest in and produce ourselves. It is media that we own. This is often the realm of content marketing. This media is for long term nurturing and continued engagement with the customer base.

Examples of owned media are:

Social media posts
White papers
Website content - blogs - articles
Training videos
Customer stories / testimonials

Shared Media

This is one of the newest categories as it is influenced primarily by social media activity. It is very desirable thing to have the social community engage with and redistribute content for you. The multiplication effect of that kind of message can be massive (some would use the word "viral"). This is especially true when the community creates its own content on your behalf.