Media Planning
Creating unique media plans that hit the mark
Every time we, as marketers, think we’ve seen it all, we see it again; something new, that is. Today, that something is the promise and complexity of digital marketing, which needs to be figured and woven into your offline, relationship-building marketing plans. Got your printed materials down pat. Great. Still valuable, but marginalized. Mastered the art of educational and social events. Congrats. Now figure out how to make them pertinent and resonant with netizens. Know how to reach your targets with advertising and direct campaigns. Nice. Now rethink that outreach with an audience that spends as many hours in a day online as off.
Today, the web drives everything. Haul in that old fishing line because the web’s sonar has taken over. Digital dominates, even transcends, other channels because the others seem more static, less energetic, less muscular than the web. We can learn virtually anything with just a few keystrokes—or so we have come to believe. Moreover, personally, we get to be “random” on the web; in other words, we can entertain passing fancies, passing thoughts without losing track of the main line of thought. The Internet has become—or will become soon enough—the perfect expression of the human mind. Chaotic, playful, sexy, serious, thoughtful, soulful and, mentally—well, there’s that word again, “muscular.” It’s a cool tool. No?
Most websites fail to understand that strong sonorous chord, that dominant future that is the web. They continue to be about brochures or store fronts or worse. Inactive, uninquisitive, unengaged, isolated. The best websites have figured out that they represent one point in a constellation of points that is web presence. Web presence finds its expression on Twitter, in Facebook, on LinkedIn and in a million other corners of the Internet and ultimately, yes, ultimately, in relationships! Isn’t that interesting? But tomorrow will find itself on cell phones, on iPads (maybe), on refrigerators and automobiles. Bottom line: We as marketers need to make the most of all things digital. If you’re up for it, it’s sure to be a fun ride. If you’re not, well, you might want to go back to the future. Right?
Problem: Fire. Aim. Ready.
“My budget isn’t huge. Am I spending it in the right places? Media representatives hound me but don’t help me. The Internet is a new horizon where I am even less certain about my buying decisions. When something goes wrong, I get ignored by the publication. Keeping track of insertions is overwhelming my small staff. Reporting to management only increases the hassle. And I have no clue about ROI. Remind me, why is this fun?”
Solution: Ready. Aim. Fire.
Greenfield/Belser brings experience, creativity and discipline to media planning, guided by a senior team of strategists. The result is media strategy that consistently delivers your message on target and reports its progress painlessly.
Left Brain: Find the target. Stop the guesswork.
The key to effective advertising is to develop a plan and stick with it. Media dollars evaporate without a plan. And plans go astray when professionals tug for charity dollars and media reps tug for their special interests. But if you’re not the buyer, you’re not the prey. Let us buy for you.
Evaluate the media
Everyone wants your dollar. But that doesn’t mean the publication is right for you. We look at audited circulation studies, number of unique visitors to a website, the quality of the publication or the technology of the website and more intangible issues like the quality of the editorial. We know what your clients find useful, which is more important than readership stats.
Plan the work
Our approach is balanced with a creative search for publications, websites and other venues that reach your target audience through outlets that have been missed by your competition. We go beyond conventional wisdom to find out what your target buyers are reading and what other media is catching their attention—it’s not always what or where you think.
Right Brain: Take this trouble off your plate. Put it on ours.
In professional services marketing, even the most generous budget is tight. You need a smart plan that you and management can defend with confidence—one that reaches the target audience and defines priorities. You’d expect our plans to be well-designed and readable. They are—and it makes a difference in management’s comprehension and acceptance of the plan.
Work the plan
Our media-buying service provides discipline that helps you stay on budget throughout the year. (Send the pesky media reps to us.) Our online tracking system assures on-time placement, relieving you of the hassle and cost of missed dates and play-or-pay penalties. Moreover, by taking advantage of volume long-term buying, we are favored with premium positions and are often called first with opportunities and upgrades by the publications.
Deliver value
Greenfield/Belser is the largest single buyer of space in legal trade publications and one of the largest buyers of media on behalf of professional service firms—including airports, Internet and other media. We understand the media—its priorities, its challenges and its changing formats. We are often able to exploit trends and opportunities before they are noticed elsewhere, providing added value and impact to your media budget.
