The 3 types of social media
Social media is one of the most powerful tools for marketers. ‘sIt possible to share ideas with a broader audience, influence people, generate impact, and even boost your sales process. Social media goes beyond sales; it also supports the creation of brand advocates. In this post, you will learn about the 3 segments of social media and how marketers can benefit.
Social media is divided into 3 types:
- The media that you own
- The media you pay for
- The media you earn
The media you own
This media is regarding everything that the company owns, all personal channels that the company decides to spread ideas and position themselves. Examples of media that the company owns are Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other channel used for communication purely managed by the company. In this case, we are talking about the tracks; it does not matter who controls the transmission on that channel (internal team, marketing agency, freelancer…).
This media is the first step for you to work with any of the other following types. Without the owned media, nowadays, your company could be considered a ghost, and many people would question themselves if it is secure, reliable, and trustworthy. If these last 3 words are something you would like your audience to think about you, as at least a first impression, that’s a great start to consider and maintain good management of the media you own.
The media you pay for
This media is related to sponsored content to boost any specific product, service, or idea about your company. Any paid strategy does not matter the channel you use is considered media you pay for – Facebook Ads, Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, YouTube Ads… they are all strategies for you to increase the visibility of your content and target the specific audience you would like to.
Paid media is an excellent opportunity to reach more people but better than that, it is an opportunity to get the right people! When you sponsor content, you can determine the profile you want to have access to it. If your product is focused on females with an age range of 18 to 30 that is currently living in Florida, US, paid media can help you target this specific demographic instead of targeting man, 50 years old plus presently living in New York (which could come organically, based on the media that you own). Paid media is engaging because you indeed have to plan your budget, and a lot of people might say, “I don’t have money for it; that’s why I position my product service only with organic content”, but the investment in paid media can accelerate your results and save money because you are targeting the right people, with a higher chance to convert!
The media you earn
The last one, but not least for sure. Honestly, the media you earn is the type I am excited about the most. Why? Because this is the voice of your brand advocates! Everything that your customers, lovers, or even hater talk about you, without any payment or request from your side, is the media that you earn. I consider this the ultimate level of your success if the earned media is positive and an excellent opportunity to learn and evolve if the earned media is negative.
If you are at the level of earned media, at least the media you own might be going well, and at some point, you were able to impact your customer. If they are talking about you, it is because they felt something. These actions and results of generating a “feeling” in someone are significant, but for this type of media, marketers need to be innovative and act fast. If someone is complaining about your brand, it is crucial to have a plan to address the issue in the best way possible. If the feeling exposed is good, that’s an excellent opportunity to showcase your feedback and even earn free social proof content!
Social media is a buzz topic, and I believe it will continue to be for a long time; depending on how it is used, it can benefit but also harm any brand, and that’s the main reason for the need to understand and have a clear strategy of what to say, when to express, how to display, from whom and with how much. One of our society’s biggest challenges is effectively communicating and transmitting the correct message, reducing all possible frictions between the sender and receiver. Social media is an ally for this and, used correctly, can even save lives when used correctly!
As a marketer… what do you consider the main challenge while managing social media? Share your opinion in a comment below!