If a tree falls in the woods…
You’ve put a lot of time and money into your creative. Now your marketing has to go out into the real world and do it’s job. To do that your media department has to be just as insightful, forward-thinking and innovative as your creative department. You have to know who your customer is. You have to know where they are and when they’ll be there. And you have to know just what to say to them at the right moment. If not, all that money you’re spending makes for great wallpaper inside your office.
The best scenario is to have an experienced media planner that not only knows her craft, but also knows the industry. Someone who plays well together with your designers and innovators. It’s not always the case, but it’s best to have a plan up front, before the creative even gets going. A strong media guru will help everyone take a better look at the options. She will take you on a journey and show you what your customer is into. And when you know that going into it, it only makes your message and your design and your tone stronger.
Strategic Planning, Buying and Reporting
Digital, Social, Search, Television, Radio, Print, Out-of-home
We start with the customer journey. We walk 5280 feet in their shoes. From this angle we can identify opportunities beyond the traditional. Strategic planning, from a media perspective, is not just about knowing where to place your ads. Understanding the impact of that placement will help tailor each piece of media properly so that customers not only hear, but listen and absorb what you’re trying to tell them. A plan has to be agile and adaptable. And to do that it requires constant data and reporting. More so, it requires knowing how to react to those reports and respond appropriately.
Customer Journey
Your customer is not looking for your message. Chances are their trying to avoid it. They fast-forward through commercials. They change stations at the mere site of an ad. They unsubscribe. They post negative reviews far more often than positive. It’s not that they hate advertising. They know it pays the bills and their happy to find a way to ignore it. The customer journey is an attempt to see things as they see it. It’s an honest look at what they like and vs. what they tolerate. From waking up in the morning, to the morning commute, to work or school, to meeting with friends, to doing the chores, everyone is trying to get where they want to go and not get swindled along the way. By taking a deeper look into what each customer segment is doing in a given day, we can find new and engaging ways to talk with them.
Customer Pact
If you want to really engage your customers, you need to operate within the code. This code is ever-changing and evolving so it’s not a one-time thing. It requires listening and dialog. You can’t just shout out from the rooftops, “come shop with us” any longer. You have to make them a part of what’s going on. Get Satisfaction does a pretty good job of providing their own Customer – Company Pact (https://getsatisfaction.com/corp/customer-pact/). They define it like this:
[one_half_first]
Company
- Be Human
- Be Personal
- Be Accountable
- Be Ready
- Be Earnest
[/one_half_first]
Customer
- Be Understanding
- Be Yourself
- Be Helpful
- Be Fair
- Be Open
[one_half_last]
[/one_half_last]
When you develop your creative and your media plan, you need to strike a deal with your customers. Understanding them can help you put the agreement together. And having that pact can help open their mind to listen to what you have to say.
Negotiation and Market Knowledge
Negotiation skills and market knowledge maximize the efficiencies to stretch your marketing dollars.
Reporting and Analysis
Accountability for audience delivery is integral; reports are provided regularly so our clients can see their dollars at work. Creativity helps blend the science of the numbers with the qualitative choices so you will reach your target audience in the best, most efficient way possible.
