Creating an Effective Media Buying Strategy

Media buying is part of advertising management. Media buyers negotiate, purchase and monitor advertising space and airtime on behalf of their clients. We aim to reach the highest number of people in the target audience at the lowest possible cost. A great media buyer pays attention to detail, spends time researching and can negotiate like a pro. As digital technologies and media consumption habits change, so do advertising opportunities, creating a minefield of interactive marketing complexities. We keep up to date with industry research figures, including distribution figures (newspapers and magazines) and audience figures (television and radio). We build and maintain excellent relationships with clients and media sales companies.

There are 3 keys to a successful advertising campaign:

CREATIVE

Your message must be creative and stand out from the pack.

PLACEMENT

You must place your message where the largest TARGET audience can see it.

FREQUENCY

Your message must run often enough so people see if a minimum of 3 times before they begin to react.

You can have the best product or service, but if your potential customers don’t see it, they won’t know about your business.

Questions we may ask you:
• Are there specific outlets you are interested in?
• What's your budget?
• What objective do you hope to achieve? (Examples: Create awareness, promote a special event)

Questions we ask ourselves:
• Who is our target market?
• Where can we allocate your budget to achieve your objectives?
• Where will we buy media?
• What components should your media strategy contain?
• What publications or media outlets are best for your budget and objective?
• How much will we spend with each outlet and why?

The first step is identifying the target audience for your particular media campaign and deciding the best way to communicate to that audience. Then we define and plan out the strategy. As your media buys are executed, we keep track of the results and evaluate how your plan and strategy is working for you. If we find that it’s not achieving the desired outcome, we adjust the plan as necessary. It’s very important to ensure the advertisements run accurately so the desired media message is seen and heard by consumers. Negotiating with media sales companies to obtain the best rates and most appropriate media spaces in online, broadcast and print advertising is a high priority. Client reporting and budget management, including preparing costings for clients and producing spending updates throughout the campaign lets you know we are getting the job done. For a successful campaign and achieving the best Return On Investment, the Mullikin Agency is the best choice!

Call the Mullikin Advertising Agency Today at 479.750.0871

Written by Julie Magnuson,
Vice President and Media Buyer of The Mullikin Advertising Agency

The Top Ten Ways to Advertise Your Business Successfully

 

Advertising is the best way to get your company name, product or service in front of the public today to increase sales. Most companies need to advertise to just to maintain their current sales, but advertising is definitely needed if you want to grow your business. If done correctly, you will not know how your business survived without it. Here a ten tips to advertise with great success:

 

#10  TARGET THE RIGHT AUDIENCE

ALWAYS identify your target audience, especially before you start thinking about where to spend money. If you’re not reaching the right people, you are wasting your advertising dollars. Today we can target specifically who you want to reach with traditional and/or digital advertising.
 

#9  USE AN EXPERT

Hire professionals to assist you with your advertising needs. Experts like The Mullikin Agency have excellent insight on how to communicate your message more effectively. We have research available right at our fingertips to help you better reach your target audience, get the best prices on advertising placement and come up with the most effective creative message. Plus we can provide monitoring and monthly analysis. Providing successful advertising campaigns is one of our specialties.
 

#8  PLAN AHEAD

Every successful advertising campaign begins with a well-conceived plan. Coming up with a realistic strategy and implementing that strategy is the key.
 

#7  FREQUENCY

You must place your message as frequently as you can. How often you run your ad makes a huge difference in the outcome or success of any campaign.
 

#6  BE CONSISTENT

You must create and maintain a consistent message, look and feel to your brand. You want to make a lasting impression with current and future customers. Branding your image lets consumers recognize your company right away.
 

#5  DEVELOP A SIMPLE MESSAGE

It is better to focus on one message rather than trying to create multiple messages that confuse the end user. A quick, clear message that is easily identifiable will get you the increased response you are looking for. Your website is a better place to educate and inform the public about more complex issues, while your advertising should be more singular in focus. Less is more when it comes to effective advertising.
 

#4. BUDGET YOUR DOLLARS

Establish a budget and stick to it. This way you’ll know exactly what you can afford, how often you can advertise and in which mediums.
 

#3  BELIEVE IN A MEDIA MIX

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Look at all forms of advertising and decide what works best for your particular needs. You should include a mix of both traditional and digital advertising if your budget allows. Online advertising is extremely cost effective.
 

#2  KNOW YOUR COMPETITION

Know who your competition is and what you do better than they do. Highlight that competitive advantage to add value to your potential customers. We have ways of advertising today that is under the radar screen of your competitors. Just ask us about that and we will be happy to tell you how to do it.
 

#1  ADVERTISE!

It is one of the most beneficial ways to inform the public of your company’s products or services, and if done correctly will not be an expense but will add greatly to your return on investment. There is a cost to advertising, but it will result in added sales and that is the key to any successful advertising campaign. Advertising works and it works well if you know what your doing.

 

Call the Mullikin Advertising Agency Today at 479.750.0871

Written by Randy Mullikin,
 Founder and President of The Mullikin Advertising Agency