Getting the most out of your media plan

Published: June 06 2017

“Doing business without advertising is like winking at someone in the dark. You know what you are doing but nobody else does.” -Steuart Henderson Britt

A great deal of work goes into building your brand. Everything you do – from every aspect of client interaction to media communication – has an influence on the brand. At the same time, you don’t own the brand. The brand exists in the minds of the consumer, website community and public. They’re influenced by more than just your messaging. The brand they know will be shaped by their experience, interactions, media and their peers. This is why planning is key in ensuring all creative has proper execution. It’s not enough to just create “pretty” ads – they need to get results.

Placing a strong media buy is similar to an investment strategy. Akin to trusting an experienced financial advisor, businesses need to develop strategic media buys to maximize their advertising.

A good marketing strategy should draw on market research and focus on the right media mix. With the ever changing media landscape and consumer trends, your strategy will need to have a balance of well-aged ideas and execution. In today’s media market, the options are endless - how do you know which one works best for you.  Should you buy radio? If yes, which radio station? How many spots? What time of the day? What about content? How do you know if it’s the right message? You get the idea. Success is more than just picking a medium and walking away.

Success = The Right Message + The Right Consumers + The Right Medium.

Find your target market and then find out how they consume media. With a clearly defined target audience, it is much easier to determine where and how to market your company. And unless you have a budget the size of Coca-Cola’s, you can’t be everything to everyone. Staying focused is key.

For example, an interior design company could choose to market to homeowners between the ages of 35 and 65 with household incomes of $120,000-plus. To define the market even further, the company could choose to target only those interested in kitchen and bath remodelling and traditional styles. This market could be broken down into two niches: parents on the go and retiring baby boomers.

And yes, s#*t happens so it’s always good to have a contingency plan – be ready to go left when everyone is going right.

 

As independent media buyers, we are NOT incentivized or otherwise paid by media. We are driven to achieve success for our clients and earn repeat business. We work for our clients.

We understand all media plans are unique. Some audiences may be best reached through traditional media while others respond best to targeted social or digital display ads. Our greatest strength is the flexibility to build “a la carte” media plan that fit your individual business goals. How do we do it? Here’s a glimpse into our process.

1. Identify where to tell your story

Which media aligns best with your demographic? What type of advertising will produce the greatest ROI?

2. Leverage collective ad spend

We have a relationship with all media. Let us negotiate the most efficient and effective advertising buy possible for you. We get better rates, more added value and fantastic results.

3. Negotiate advertising investments

Buying advertising every single day keeps our negotiation skills razor sharp. Knowing the competitive media landscape inside and out allows us to scrutinize every proposal with greater clarity

4. Monitor effectiveness

CTR, CPM. CPC, Nielsen Ratings, Arbitron, these are just a few ways to monitor ad campaigns. But do rating points = revenue? We work with our clients to ensure they are seeing tangible results. Rating points don’t buy products and services, people do.

5. Hold media companies accountable

Impressions, rating points, guaranteed clicks, posts and engagement. We are on it so you don’t have to be

6. Reconcile invoices and provide single point billing

Placing multiple media buys? How nice would it be to get one single advertising invoice each month? Hands down, this is what our clients love most about working with us. Take their word for it – they say it's “amazing – and saves valuable hours every month” letting the experts decipher and cross-examine individual spends with each media – enabling them to focus their energy back on the business.

The options are plentiful but budgets are not. Proper advertising and a targeted media plan will ensure you don’t overspend. Ad hoc spending on media is foolish and expensive. So before you completely swear off advertising do yourself a favour and get a plan together. As Henry Ford said, “A person who stops advertising to save money is like a person who stops a clock to save time”.