Professional marketers aim to solve this problem on a daily basis.  Therefore, it’s not surprising when ordinary folks, like us, get a little confused when trying to discern it.

Before we dive in, it’s important we don’t leave out the final piece to this equation, “owned media.”  This includes our websites, blogs, and Facebook pages; stuff we “own” that gives us the platform to drive and engage traffic.  Everyone still on the same page?  Good : )

The art of driving and engaging traffic is what brings “paid” and “earned” media into the mix, and as the media industry continues to change, it becomes more challenging to understand their purpose and differences.  The team over at GroundFloorMedia in Denver did a great job of outlining some benefits and comparisons between the two:

Paid

I believe paid media is 100 percent necessary.  However, each market’s competitive landscape is unique. So offering up specific strategies would not be effective for such a widespread audience.