Marketing in the Digital Age can seem like a daunting task, but a fresh perspective can go a long way in turning a chore into an opportunity. Online marketing offers a whole new venue for businesses to reach and interact with their customers – a venue that barely existed only ten years ago. Understanding the four main types of online marketing media can make your advertising campaign a successful and thriving one.
Owned Media
Every piece of original content on your website, blog, newsletters, or in emails you send is owned media. You own every right to this content, and it is a vital element when building your brand. Informative, interesting, and authentic content is what gets your search engine ranking pushed to the first page, and it is where many of your clients will get their first impression of your brand. Your print advertising can also be considered owned media, and companies like StinkyInk are still in a highly competitive industry because print marketing is still extremely effective.
While owned media is a powerful force for creating your brand voice and turning prospective customers into loyal clients, it lacks in some areas. The content on your website generally reaches a limited audience, so taking advantage of social media, third party media, and curated media is essential to reaching more potential customers. And with the constantly changing Google algorithms becoming smarter all the time, even the highest quality content is not quite enough to earn you a first page ranking any more.
Social Media
One of the biggest advantages of social media to a business is the ability it gives you to see in real time what your customers like and don’t like. If they respond well to a Facebook post, a particular Tweet sparks a flurry of conversations, or a video you link to goes viral, you can start to get a good idea of what works and what doesn’t in a short amount of time.
There are other, more subtle advantages to using social media as well. When your clients can see what you support or how you feel on a certain issue, your branding becomes just a little more human. You can use social media to reach customers on a personal level, something you can never do with a well-written web page. Without social media, your marketing efforts will remain stationary at best.
Third Party Media
Third party media can be a valuable resource for both your search engine page ranking and in broadening your audience. Guest posting on third party sites can give you the opportunity to create links pointing back to your website, while paying a small amount for ad space or for affiliate links will more than pay for itself in new customers. Make sure to use third party sites that pertain to your brand, or the product or service that you are marketing.
Curated Media
Content curation is quickly becoming an important part of content marketing. Rather than generating new content, content curators scour the web for existing content that they can link to on their sites. The “Around the Web” links that you see at the bottom of many web pages are curated. As with social media, this gives you the chance to show your customers what you support, and helps more clearly define your brand in your customers’ eyes. Without all four of these types of media, your online marketing strategy is doomed to mediocrity.
John Sollars always has one eye on the printing industry. When he finds something interesting, he likes to share it by posting online. Look for his informative articles on a variety of websites and blogs.
