Media buying

“Media buying” can be a rather loaded term, as it encompasses so much these days. A well-rounded media buying strategy can include anything from TV commercials, print ads, sponsored social media posts, (digital) out of home advertising, radio, and much more. So, how do you even begin to find a strategy that works for you, without the expensive learning curve so many companies go through by being inundated with costly and ineffective choices?

Media buying is essentially the same as acquiring real estate (or inventory) where advertisements may be placed. When buying airtime on television, a variety of factors has to be considered, such as time slot, space, rates, lead demand and more. The price of a television media buy will depend on the specifics of the advertising campaign, such as whether it will appear in a single city, regionally or nationwide.

On a website, the price would be determined by factors such as where the ad will be placed on the page, how many pages of the website the ad will appear on, how large the ad will be, how many days the ad will run for, how much traffic the website receives and the website’s user demographics. The more exposure the advertiser is expected to receive, the more expensive the media buy will usually be. A media buy is different from “earned media” and “owned media” in that it it is purchased