Many of us work in healthcare marketing and public relations. We’re asked to be a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. This seems to be particularly true when it comes to advertising and media buying. We may dip our toes in the water, but we aren’t expected to be experts in it.

So, we rely on others to teach us. (More on that in a minute.)

The list of advertising, marketing and PR channels keeps on growing. And we know audiences are inundated with media messages. How do we break through the clutter of social, digital and traditional messages? Is there a roadmap we should be following?

Think about all the different kinds of media there are today and consider the advantages and disadvantages of each…

Paid Content. It’s content we create and is distributed by a third party.

Offline: Includes traditional advertising in newspaper, magazines, TV, billboards, radio ads, sponsorships, direct mail

Online: Pay per click, paid content promotion, display banner ads, social media ads, search advertising, email blasts

Advantages: Reaches broad audience, builds awareness quickly, is flexible

Disadvantages: Costly, may need to outsource

Owned Content. We create this content and we distribute it.

Offline: Community newsletters, annual reports, brochures

Online: Company website, company blog, company social page

Advantage: Can be done in-house

Disadvantage: Hard to gauge ROI

Earned Content. We create and distribute through a third party. It cannot be bought or owned and is only gained organically.

Offline: Media pitches resulting in coverage

Online: Online reactions, comments, shares, and reviews

Advantage: Credibility, very low cost + big results

Disadvantage: Can’t be controlled

Where do you start? As a marketer, how do you prioritize? Is every action you’re taking reaching people in different ways to get the most longevity from the effort you are putting into a campaign? Are you working with influencers? Are you developing meaningful relationships? How do you use your budget? What’s the right media mix for you?

Learn more about integrating your communications. Join Emily Hartzog, Vice President of Chartwell Agency, for a July 26 webinar, “Are Your Communications Integrated? Creating a Mix of Owned, Earned and Paid Strategies for Maximum Reach.” Click here to register.

Mike Wiltse is the Associate Director of Communications for Journey Mental Health Center in Madison.