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Buying advertising, or media buying, as it is called in the business is a major expense for many small, medium and large companies – so how come so many owners and managers let their media buy them instead of the other way around?

The reasons owners and managers choose to pick their media partners (the radio, TV, billboard, or other medium/outlet they buy) are as varied as the colors at JTV’s Gem Store. But here are a few of the not-so-great reasons that some owners and managers buy where they do:

1. An attractive representative/salesperson
2. A “cheap” or “great” price
3. It’s my favorite station/channel
4. The number of spots I get for the money
5. My rep is so nice – they bring me donuts, calendars and treats!
6. This rep attends my church…
7. I see this rep every Friday at my favorite bar…

Any of these are great reasons to form a descent personal relationship with a person or a media outlet – but are ANY of them a great reason to form a BUSINESS relationship where thousands of dollars are spent each year?

Professional Media Buyers Focus on Much More…

The truth is that business owners or managers may know a WHOLE LOT about their business, but sometimes VERY LITTLE about media buying.

Good media buying relies on many factors in order to design the best campaign, such as:

  • Ratings (think about TV when everyone is going on about how many people are watching a given show)
  • Cost per eyeball, point, or thousand audience members (all potential measurements of how effectively you are spending your dollars)
  • Reach (the number or percent of the target or total market to be reached by the campaign)
  • Frequency (the calculated average number of times your ad will be seen or heard by the potential audience over a given time)

All of these factors should be taken into account, along with other intangible things like the quality of the program, the fit for your audience(s) and/or product, etc.

But if you haven’t even heard of most of these or aren’t accustomed to looking at them very closely, you probably need some help. That’s where we might come in.

Think you might need a little help? Just drop us a line. Promise we don’t bite!