How To Use the 3 Types of Digital Media

Modern audiences primarily exist on screens. If your brand isn’t meeting them there, you’re effectively invisible to them. As the masses surf across streams of content while businesses barter for stakes in the attention economy, out of sight really does mean out of mind.

Digital media’s your ticket in. By creating and digitally disseminating a bunch of branded content, you can start generating more brand awareness and giving audiences a virtual high-five as they learn more about who you are.

Here are the 3 main types of digital media and how to leverage them to broaden your reach.

What Is Digital Media and Why Does It Matter?

At a high level, digital media refers to any form of content that can be consumed using a digital device designed for communication (basically anything that has a screen these days — smartphones, computers, iPads — excluding your microwave and Casio calculator). It exists in myriad formats and is found on just as many platforms. 

Formats include: 

• Text: eBooks, white papers, email, social media posts, articles (this blog, for instance).
• Images: Memes, GIFs, graphics, infographics, photographs.
• Video: Live-streams, product demos, short- and long-form video.
• Audio: Podcasts, music, audiobooks. 
• Interactive media: Virtual tours, video games, virtual reality.

Platforms where you’ll find digital media include:

• Websites and blogs.
• Google Ads and SEO.
• Social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube).
• Email marketing.
• Video advertising.
• Mobile apps.
• Streaming services.

At this point, you might be starting to get a sense that the three-ring circus showing up on your social media feeds and those unnervingly friendly emails you receive from some guy called Brad at SunshyneMarketing.com were put on this planet for a reason. You’d be right. That reason is content marketing — more on that in a sec.

What Isn’t Digital Media? 

Traditional media is not digital media (basically any media that existed before the Internet). This includes print media (magazines, flyers and newspapers), radio ads and pre-Interwebs television. These forms of media keep us connected, not hyperconnected, and they encourage one-way rather than two-way conversations. 

What Is Content Marketing?

In its purest form, content marketing is one example of digital marketing that emerged alongside the rapid development of information and communication tech. The Internet, smartphones, social media platforms and apps have vastly improved our ability to access and share information. 

When we have questions (or boredom), we increasingly look to these platforms for solutions. Cue the brand or content creator to post digital media that provides the information (or entertainment) we need, in hopes that we’ll trust and buy from them in the future. And from this concept, we’ve built a saturated attention economy.

Here’s how it works: You bring your digital media to market. Your digital marketing channel is the “marketplace” where people can see your content. If they’re interested, you get your returns in the form of engagement (likes, clicks and shares). Amazingly, these virtual returns pay dividends in the actual economy because when you gain consumers’ trust, 87% of them say they are willing to pay more for your products. That’s one good reason to start creating.

Digital Media 101: Where To Get Started

The market for content and information is drenched. Naturally, jumping in might feel like a prodigious feat. But there is good news: 92% of brands plan to increase investment in brand awareness, just like you. It shows most other brands haven’t figured it out yet, either. That’s because digital media platforms and strategies are constantly shifting, so you’ll ride the exact same waves as more established content marketers. Finally, you have plenty of resources at your fingertips to develop a fast and accurate strategy, which can actually work to your advantage. 

It all starts with deciding which of the 3 types of digital media to lean on.

3 Types of Digital Media

• Owned media: This content is what you create and control — your website, your emails, your house, your rules. This is typically where brands begin their digital media marketing strategy.
• Paid media: Here, you rent space to display digital advertising content, from display ads (on Google or social media platforms) to influencer partnerships. 
• Earned media: This type of media includes what others say about you without being asked (or paid). It’s all organic material, including shoutouts, reviews, mentions and shares.

Which Type of Digital Media Is Right for Your Business?

The type of digital media that works for your brand is unlikely to be identical to anyone else’s. It depends on your market, audience, budget and resources. For instance, 32% of Gen Z say that an influencer has increased their trust in a brand over the last year.

Here are some questions to ask yourself: 

What Are My Audience’s Digital Habits?

Where do your audiences spend their time online? How long do they spend each day? What format do they prefer, and which platforms are they using? Do they consume or create media? Are they seeking information or entertainment?

What Do I Want Digital Media To Achieve for My Brand?

Figure out your goals and KPIs for your digital media strategy, then track and refine them as you progress. Do you want your digital marketing strategy to inspire and inform? To engage and entertain? To drive traffic to your website, or to build relationships? This will help you understand which type of digital media to use.

What Resources Can I Access?

Do you have a team of 30 creatives, or are you tackling it alone? If you have a team, are they skilled and available? If you’re alone, what other priorities are you juggling? What tools can help you create and disseminate content? How could your strategy leverage earned media?

Tracking Your Digital Media Strategy Against Targets

Think back to the marketing targets you identified in the previous section. These are important to track so you can determine whether your digital media strategy is working effectively for your business. Depending on the digital platform you use, here are some metrics to track:

• Website: Organic traffic, bounce rates, conversion rates, time on page.
• Paid search: Cost-per-lead, cost-per-click, return on ad spend.
• Social media channels: Engagement (likes, clicks, shares), views, reach, brand sentiment, total watch time.
• Email: Open and click-through rates, conversion rate, unsubscribe rate, list-growth rate.
• General: Customer acquisition cost, lead time. 

You may find the metrics you’re tracking don’t produce the value you thought they would, and switch tactics with time. This doesn’t indicate you’re on the wrong path; it shows you’re getting closer to the right one. 

Digital Media Tech and Trends Worth Watching

While your digital media marketing strategy shouldn’t be founded upon trends, knowing what’s happening in the space informs a strategic approach. Focus on what helps you reach your goals.

• AI-powered content creation is still evolving: You can now use AI to transform copy into multimodal campaigns, such as product walkthroughs, podcasts and presentations. Less time, more content. 
• Short-form video (like Reels, TikTok and Shorts) is taking over: Quick videos snap attention like nothing else in digital media spheres. They’re a strong tactic, but they’re also competitive. 
• User-generated content (UGC) builds trust: Audiences tend to trust content created by other consumers more than content created by brands. UGC is like social proof, so consumers perceive your business as authentic and relatable.
• AI is impacting user experience and E-E-A-T: Google’s search generative experience is likely to become a competitor for many brands in the SERPs, meaning brands should focus their digital marketing writing toward genuine human experiences and E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) to stay competitive.
• There’s less third-party data available: With increasing digital security concerns, zero and first-party data (the information you collect directly from your audience) are becoming more prominent. Brands that build relationships now will likely be more influential in this space down the line. 

It’s Not About Being Everywhere

Content marketing and digital media continue to grow, and riding the wave can be an excellent way to tap into a wider audience, build engagement and fuel your brand. 

A final word of advice: You don’t need to be on every platform to succeed. Trying to be everywhere often spreads your efforts too thin. Pick the channels that resonate with your audience, then test, track and follow what works. Lastly, always keep a sprinkle of agility in your pocket — digital media trends and strategies are constantly evolving.