What is a media plan and how to build one.

A media plan is a document in which we determine how and the necessary resources that will be used in an advertising campaign to reach the target audience. A media plan is extremely important for effective and efficient use of the budget and achieving the desired marketing goals. In this article, we will discuss what exactly a media plan is and how to build one step by step.

What is a media plan?

The media plan details the marketing strategy for the entire company or, for example, for a specific product or service. It lists the various media as well as the ad broadcast schedule, budget allocation, target audience and campaign objectives. The goal of the media plan is to maximize the effectiveness of the campaign by delivering the right marketing messages to the right audience at the optimal time and place.

How to build a media plan?

1. Define the goals of the campaign. The first step is to determine the goals of the advertising campaign. Do you want to increase brand awareness, reach a new target audience, increase sales or promote a new product? In each of these cases, the form of advertising, its frequency, the way it is executed and the time it runs will differ significantly. Therefore, clearly formulated goals will help to further plan advertising activities and monitor results.
2. Next, carefully define the target audience to which the campaign is directed. Identify demographics, interests, lifestyles, buying behavior and other factors that will help you tailor your advertising message to your audience’s expectations. Careful analysis of the audience allows for more efficient use of the advertising budget by avoiding activities that will not be effective in this situation. It is extremely important to analyze potential customers on an ongoing basis and adapt to changes that occur.
3. Based on an analysis of your target audience and budget, choose the appropriate media that will be most effective in reaching your target audience. Consider whether it’s better to bet on social media or perhaps traditional TV advertising. Perhaps a good decision would be to advertise on a billboard? Match your communication channels to your product, target audience, and financial capabilities….
4. Determine the advertising budget. At this stage, determine the available advertising budget and divide it among the previously selected communication channels. Pay attention to the cost of media, popularity of advertising channels and expected results. Remember to take into account the cost of production of advertising materials when planning the budget.
5. Create a schedule for airing ads. The next step is to create an advertising schedule. Determine when and how often the ads will be aired in each media. It is worth taking into account seasonality, important events or trends that can support the activities of the marketing campaign.

Not only for large companies.

The above explanations may give the impression that writing media plans is for big brands and huge budgets. Nothing could be further from the truth! Of course, a professionally written media plan is a very valuable resource and helps lay out a strategy. However, if you do not have the spare funds to hire a professional, then try to put together such a plan yourself. This will give you more control over your marketing strategy spending, while forcing you to think carefully about advertising. This will simultaneously give you better success than loading money into marketing without any order.