Media placement is very difficult, especially when you are relying on media reps to lead you to the best place to spend your marketing dollars. Here are a few helpful hints when planning your media placement.
Forget your favorites
First, take your personal preferences out of the equation. Too often, people want to hear their own commercial on their favorite radio station or see it in their “can’t miss” TV program. While it is pretty cool to see your own ad, remember you are not a potential consumer.
Don’t believe everything you hear
Don’t rely on the sales rep to give you the most accurate information. For those of you that have met with multiple Television and Radio stations, it’s striking to find out that EVERYONE has the #1 station in town. Sales reps have to sell their station, if they don’t, they don’t get paid. Remember, your business is just like the sales reps you meet with, you have to sell your product or you don’t survive.
Give it time
When you do make a decision, stick with it. Slow and steady wins the race. Jumping around from network to network or radio station to radio station is only going to fragment your audience and deliver you little to no results. People have to be constantly reminded who you are and “what’s in it for them” before they respond to an advertisement.
Trust the numbers
Lastly, don’t expect a lot of feedback. Remember, no one was ever caught saying, “I just heard your ad, give me a Big Mac”. You have to watch your customer base. Are there new people walking through the door? Are sales up? Are people buying that new product?
Learning the ins and outs of media placement takes strategic thinking, time and experience. At Transformation Marketing in Lincoln, Nebraska, we have the skills to get your marketing dollars working for you in media placement faster. With our collective 50 plus years of marketing experience, we can help you hit the mark – without luck.