Perfectly strategized commercials shouldn’t stay hidden on the sidelines. Advertisers intend for the targeted audience to see and experience the impact of the campaigns. One way for direct-response advertising campaigns to generate desirable results is by leveraging the influence of media buyers.
In this article, we will discuss the importance of effective media buying and how the whole process works.
What Is Media Buying?
Media buying involves purchasing media options where advertising campaigns are more likely to perform better. The process can be applied to various advertising mediums, such as getting a primetime slot on TV, a spot in front of the magazine, or an ad space on a website’s bulletin.
In a more understandable sense, media buying is like subscribing to sponsored ads. The advertising company shall place the advertisement where targeted customers can see it and access the campaign’s desired action.
However, in the TV industry, certain aspects make the process unique for media buyers.
How Does Media Buying Work?
The media buying process has three basic elements: media trends, network, and pricing. Media buyers are expected to make each of these elements work for the benefit of the client advertiser.
Media Trends
Competitors will always stay on top of the game when it comes to looking for mediums where they can advertise campaigns. If there are new platforms available for advertisers, they are usually accessible for experienced media buyers. These latest trends of profitable avenues allow advertisers to target their audiences efficiently, which should greatly benefit the campaign.
Network
In advertising, networking is a requirement for media buyers. If translated to layman’s terms, one should know a lot of people within their scope interests. When applied on TV, effective media buying shall be accomplished by identifying relevant channels for advertising from the network of connections media buyers already have.
Pricing
In media buying, advertisers should be able to get the right price for the preferred media slot, pace, etc. Negotiation is an essential part of the process, just like closing any other business deal. As a part of the media planning, media buyers allot the ideal rate for the appropriate advertising space.
What Are The Specific Roles of Media Buyers?
Direct-response media buyers (DRMB) know where to place specific ads to generate quantifiable responses for higher profitability. They’re responsible for ensuring the following goals:
Create A Strategic Media Planning
The media plan is a projection of the client advertiser’s targeted outcome. It should contain the media options of the ideal ad placements. Media buyers should handle the delivery of the agreed results of the advertising campaign from top to bottom.
There are six steps to efficient media planning:
- Identify the target audience
- Analyze audience interests
- Determine the receptive points of the audience
- Approve creatives for the ad
- Run the initial ad placement
- Improve the ad placement according to performance
Establish The Right Pricing
Media buyers know the ins and outs of the industry, meaning they have information on the right pricing for various ad placements, including the specifics of the media inventory, such as the time, day, size, and lengths of the advertisement.
Negotiate with Media Channels
Media buyers perform the negotiations on behalf of the client advertiser. They are experts in finding ways to get the best value for media purchases. This role is crucial for any advertising campaign, which is why it’s imperative to find the best media buying agency in the industry.
Manage The Ad Performance
Clients will have to monitor the performance of the ad placements. Media buyers should be able to manage the tracking of the campaign to nail down the targeted goals. If the ad placements need to be repositioned mid-game, it is within the power of the media buyer to manage the ad placement on a more profitable angle.
Media Buying Agencies vs. General Advertising Agencies
It’s a common question for client advertisers regarding what media buying agencies do compared to general marketing agencies.
Media Buying Agency
A media buying agency has a network of companies as partnered advertising agencies. This provides wide access to information about what the industry has to offer. They focus on the best strategies in identifying appropriate media options to create an efficient media planning.
Media planning involves extensive research that will help meet the client’s needs and fundamental goals, which is probably a distinct factor that separates media buying agencies from general advertising agencies.
Aside from media planning, media buyers also include providing standard requirements for the creative content that should contain the ad. Media buying agencies know the right content approach that will generate leads and achieve targeted results. They provide data that can determine if the creative is effective or not.
Lastly, media buying agencies specialize in outlining the project and give insight on how to add value to advertising campaigns in a given time frame.
General Advertising Agency
A general advertising agency can establish a set of objectives for achieving the client’s goals regarding the success of the campaign. They can provide suggestions on various marketing strategies available for the client’s brand, product, or service.
Ad agencies also include the content creatives in their strategic planning. They focus more on the message of the content and how it’s delivered, and they include creative building on their services.
Overall, general advertising agencies build and manage campaigns for clients on different platforms.
Conclusion: Why Use The Services of A Media Buying Agency
Advertising is an essential tool for the success of any brand or company. Without it, sustenance and growth could be hard to achieve. The thing is, what makes media buying more advantageous compared to other marketing methods?
Let’s look at the most highlighted benefit of media buying to understand how you can leverage it for your next advertising campaign. Media buying provides exclusivity for paid media that highlights the perfect angle of the advertising campaign. And, the ideal ad space is determined through extensive research and strategic planning.
Conclusively, direct response media buying proposes a cost-effective method to position your brand, product, or service in front of numerous potential customers.
Today, ad placements produced by media buyers are made visible not only on TV but across all advertising platforms, such as on social media, radio shows or slots, newsprint, and websites. Contact us for more info!
