To the uninitiated, media buying can be a fairly complicated
topic. A media buyer is someone who negotiates and purchases advertising space.
A media buyer is someone who is required to wear a lot of different hats on the
job. They are responsible for deciding which types of media are best for your
company, the do research to purchase the most cost-effective media placements,
and they track the performance of each placement.
Deciding which Channels to Use
For many companies, when they are first getting started
designing their marketing platform they tend to take an experimental approach
to advertising. There seems to be a prevailing attitude that starting with
radio advertising first will always be the most cost-effective means to promote
your business. However, time and again, this has proven to be false for many
businesses.
Consider for instance, the variety of radio stations vs the
variety of TV channels. Aside from satellite radio, there are rarely more than
twenty radio stations in a given geographic area. However, a cable provider in
the same area can offer several hundred channels, each one targeted to a set of
very unique consumers.
This offers advertisers the opportunity to spend their ad
dollars in the most cost-effective way possible. Do you sell fishing and
outdoor gear? National Geographic and the Outdoor Life Network are likely to
generate far better results than advertising on Lifetime.
Doing the Due Diligence
This requires the media buyer to understand how to analyze
data from TV networks to find out where his ads will reach the greatest number
of people who are likely to purchase his companies products or services.
Luckily, TV networks and cable companies make this information incredibly easy
to find. Their research can tell a buyer exactly what his tarket market’s
favorite channel and show are, and when they are most likely to tune in.
For instance: Advertising to wealthy moms? Your best
channels are Bravo and Home and Garden TV.
