The definition of the media plan is based on the implementation of the marketing strategy and the elaboration of the communication plan. You will have to go through several steps before you get a media schedule that will perfectly meet your expectations.

Market research

The actions carried out during this process are: the study of market trends and the definition of potential customers.

Keeping abreast of the latest trends will help you know what the next campaign should be and how to carry it out.

Once the project is defined, you will be able to define the personality of your consumers. What will their age range be? Their gender? Their geographical location? Their standard of living? Etc. All of these criteria will help guide the next steps.

Definition of objectives

Knowing what the purpose of the media plan will be helps to better prepare the communication strategy and establish the release schedule. Your objective must respect the SMART method: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-based. Some examples of possible objectives are as follows:

Improvement of brand awareness.
Development of media presence.
Multiplication of visitors to the website.
Promotion of a product.
Presentation of a new product.
Community development.
Exchange between members of the community.
Lead acquisition.

The objectives of a media plan are therefore not necessarily of a marketing nature. They can be playful, participative, etc.

Thinking about the message to be conveyed

This step is only possible once the target and objectives have been defined. This is the time to propose texts or stagings of the message you wish to convey. Several proposals will be needed, so that the project manager can make the best choices.

Choice of media and supports

Decision-making will depend on the criteria identified during the definition of the target and the message to be conveyed.

Choice of media

Radio

It is the ideal medium for short marketing messages. The information will be issued through classified ads or flashes between broadcasts. By broadcasting on the radio, you will reach a wide audience and target mostly middle-class people. You also have the possibility to broadcast several different messages at different times. The radio allows for long range broadcasting at an interesting cost.

Television

A television campaign is likely to be broadcast to a very large audience. Television is ideal if you want to arouse emotion in your clients because you will use visual and auditory content. Of all media, TV is still the most convenient for conveying a message, as it is accessible to most households. It is also effective because it allows the broadcasting of mixed messages of a certain duration at different times of your choice.

Display

Relatively few companies opt for OOH because of the limited possibilities it offers. For the message on the sign to be properly conveyed, it must be in a location that can be easily seen by potential customers. The display has limited space for the message. It should therefore be clear and concise, but punchy. This medium also remains less appreciated, as it only targets people who can read and understand the language of the message, whereas the cost of broadcasting is quite expensive.

Press

The press is a powerful medium for communication in the business world. Getting your message in the newspaper or a magazine means giving the maximum amount of information to the public. Indeed, the press makes it possible to write very detailed messages. The small problem with this medium is that it requires public literacy.

Choice of media

The media is the tool/means that will be used to contain the message to be conveyed. Here again, several criteria must be taken into account when choosing the most suitable medium for communication.

Sound

More specifically, this is audio recording. The sound is intended for radio broadcasting.

Images and photos

A message with a visual medium is more impactful than a message without. Customers are indeed more responsive to the visual than to the textual. Images and photos are ideal for social media and displays.

Videos

This may be a filmed interview or a video conference. Just like images, video helps you achieve your goal because it makes customers more responsive. Compared to other media, video is the most expensive. But in view of the possible results, it's worth it.

Podcasts

If you search in a Larousse encyclopedia, you will find the following definition of a podcast: "A radio or television program that an Internet user can download and transfer to a digital music player; corresponding file".

In reality, the podcast is much more than that. Not necessarily a TV or radio show, it's a video or audio recording that you can download at any time and watch or listen to when you're free. You will find many podcasts to download on Google.

Performance measurement

Once your media plan has been implemented, you need to evaluate the results. Was your media plan effective? Did you reach your goal or not? What was the result? Did you encounter any problems during the implementation of the media plan? The answers to these questions will enable you to modify your next media plan if the one you have already made has not produced convincing results; or, on the contrary, to maintain the plan already established or to improve its criteria.

What is media buying?

Media broadcasting has a cost. In other words, you have to pay the media to get your message out. It's called a media buy.

This action is useful to be able to meet and exceed the objectives. You can buy both traditional and web media. The campaign is disseminated via videos and posters on traditional media. As for web media, there are specific platforms for the stages of marketing campaigns, such as Google Adwords, Google My Business or Google Analytics for Google and Facebook Ads for Facebook.

Negotiating the purchase of media space well

Before negotiating with the media of your choice, your communication planning must have been fine-tuned in every detail and your objectives well defined. It is the marketing campaign manager who negotiates with the media.

It will be necessary to identify the media corresponding to your target audience and your objectives. The manager will contact the selected media and proceed with the quote and negotiation of the cost of broadcasting. Exchanges will need to be archived, in case you need them in the future. This will save you time for future media purchases. To close a good deal, keep the budget in mind and have your media plan nearby so you don't forget any details. As dates will be discussed during the exchange, also have a small calendar handy.

The price of the media varies according to the channel and medium of communication. Social networks, radio, press and magazines are the media that offer the best value for money. The cost of broadcasting on television and printing on displays is quite expensive.

Tip: when you are bargaining, ask what is the small additional action, such as a bonus, that the media is able to offer you if you entrust your campaign to them.

Check media purchases

Once the manager has signed an agreement, make sure that the media buy is in line with the planned media plan. You must therefore check that the message is actually broadcast or published at the agreed time. Also monitor the evolution of your media planning: is the marketing strategy effective? Are the objectives being met? Are there any adjustments to be made in the plans? Etc. This will allow the media plan to be modified if necessary.

If you plan to purchase media space for your campaign, Sortlist works with the best media agencies around the world. Just visit our platform to see your future partner.

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