What points should be considered while media buying?
3 min read
In general, though, you’d want to consider the same types of things for each type of buy you’re doing in media buying:
- Firstly you’ll need to consider the media type you’re considering (TV, radio, digital, etc.) and understand what “currency” is used to buy that particular medium (e.g., rating points, impressions, views, clicks, spots, # of locations, etc. – each medium is different).
- What demo are you buying against? You’ll need to have a thorough understanding of your target audience first, in order to know whether they are likely to use that particular medium. Then, for the individual vehicles within each medium (e.g., if you know that they use the medium of magazines, then a vehicle might be People magazine, for example), you’ll need to know how that particular vehicle performs against your target in terms of reach (how many people within yuour exact target will be exposed to your ad by watching/reading/listening to that vehicle) and composition (what % of the vehicle’s total audience is composed of your exact target – this is a measure of efficiency, so you don’t end up paying too much to reach people that are not part of your target).
- Next up would be the costs – comparing each vehicle to every other vehicle on your plan in terms of their CPM (the cost to reach 1000 members of your target audience). This is a quick and easy comparative tool to use so you can judge one vehicle versus another, as well as one medium versus another, so identify cost efficiencies.
- You’ll also want to consider added value – what is the vehicle offering you as extra free/bonus things for making a buy with them (additional spots, a custom ad unit, more impressions, etc.).
- Depending on your total advertising budget, you might also want to take production costs into consideration (e.g., a cool execution with a lot of impact might be cost-prohibitive when you factor in the production costs). You’ll also want to think about being able to amortize the production costs across multiple units (e.g., a painted wall unit might provide a lot of impact but you’ll be paying a one-time production fee that you can’t then “re-use” for another location).
- Besides standard measurements like ratings, impressions, etc., another thing to consider is the environment (e.g., something like Reader’s Digest might have a large audience against your target, but the editorial relevance might not necessarily be applicable to your advertising message).
- Engagement and attention levels are other things you should consider for your buys. This is a bit more dificult to get true measurements on but there is some data available, depending on the medium.
Those are really just the basics – there’s a lot of different things to consider on a medium-by-medium basis. You’ll need access to data and research that ideally should come from a third party, not from the vendor, so you can ensure it’s impartial. And you’ll need a way to judge the performance of your buys to make sure that they are delivering what they promised.
Depending on your total budget and the number of media types you’re considering for media buying, you might want to considering utilizing a professional media person or agency. If you’re looking at a smaller buy, you might be able to do it yourself but you should try to see if you can find someone to give you a quick crash-course in buying for the medium you’re considering.
By carefully considering these factors, you can enhance the effectiveness of your media buying efforts and achieve better results for your advertising campaigns
Steps of Instagram advertising
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Advertising on Streaming Platforms
| Streaming Platform | Advertising Opportunities | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Original series promotions, integrated product placements | Broad demographic, binge-watchers |
| Hulu | Ad-supported streaming, targeted ad placements | Diverse viewership, TV show enthusiasts |
| Amazon Prime Video | Prime exclusive ads, integrated with Amazon services | Prime members, shoppers |
| Disney+ | Family-friendly content, sponsorship opportunities | Families, Disney enthusiasts |
| Spotify | Audio ads, podcast sponsorships | Music enthusiasts, podcast listeners |
