How do you improve your media skills?

1 Understand your objectives

Before you start planning and buying media, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your advertising campaign. What are your goals, target audience, budget, and metrics? How do you align your media strategy with your creative strategy and your overall marketing plan? By defining your objectives, you will be able to choose the most relevant and effective media options for your campaign.

2 Research your media options

Once you have your objectives, you need to research the available media options that can help you reach them. This involves gathering and analyzing data on the media landscape, the media consumption habits of your target audience, the media costs and rates, and the media performance and trends. You can use various sources of information, such as media kits, industry reports, surveys, and tools, to conduct your media research.

3 Plan your media mix

After you have researched your media options, you need to plan your media mix. This means deciding which media channels and platforms you will use, how much you will spend on each one, when and where you will run your ads, and how you will coordinate and integrate your media choices. You can use various methods and models, such as reach and frequency, GRPs, CPMs, and media allocation, to plan your media mix.

4 Negotiate your media deals

Once you have planned your media mix, you need to negotiate your media deals. This means contacting the media owners or representatives, discussing the terms and conditions of your media buy, and securing the best possible prices and placements for your ads. You can use various skills and tactics, such as bargaining, persuasion, relationship-building, and leverage, to negotiate your media deals.

5 Execute your media buy

After you have negotiated your media deals, you need to execute your media buy. This means placing your orders, delivering your materials, verifying your placements, and tracking your spending. You can use various systems and tools, such as media buying software, invoices, contracts, and affidavits, to execute your media buy.

6 Optimize your media performance

Once you have executed your media buy, you need to optimize your media performance. This means monitoring and measuring the results of your media campaign, comparing them with your objectives and benchmarks, and making adjustments and improvements as needed. You can use various techniques and tools, such as analytics, dashboards, reports, and testing, to optimize your media performance.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?