Advertising is full of media buying terms that only industry insiders fully understand. However, as businesses, nonprofits and other organizations vie for attention, some newer media buying terms have entered the advertising lexicon.
Media buying terms like ratings, readership, circulation and demographics have been around for generations. However, technology and innovation have introduced new terminology like UTM (Urchin Tracking Module), which is a parameter added to URLs to help brands track campaigns that drive online traffic to websites.
Priority Marketing’s Media Buying Team includes experienced advertising professionals who research, negotiate, plan and place advertising across all mediums. This includes television, newspapers, magazines, radio, online and social media. They also handle outdoor advertising, which includes billboards, buses, benches and more. No matter where brands advertise, Priority Marketing always focuses on the return on investment – ROI.
READ MORE: How media buyers help businesses maximize the advertising budget
What is media buying
Paid advertising is a powerful catalyst that allows organizations to achieve maximum exposure. The best advertising campaigns are not necessarily the ones with the biggest spends. Rather, it’s about being strategic. Amazon Ads notes that vital component in its definition of media buying:
“Media buying is an important step in the advertising process. It involves securing ideal locations, placements and times to run ads to maximize their effectiveness with specific audiences. The goal is to purchase placements on channels that are most relevant to a brand’s audience at a time when the largest portion of the audience may see the ad, to achieve the lowest cost per action.”
Media buying terms to know
Professionals working outside of advertising do not need to know all media buying terms. However, knowing some key terms – much like knowing a few words in a foreign language when traveling to different countries – is increasingly valuable.
Advertising professionals use hundreds of terms during their daily conversations. Below are a few lesser-known media buying terms that apply to all industries:
(1) Added-Value: Benefits or services offered to the customer or advertiser as a bonus. This is often provided at no additional cost, making a deal more attractive.
(2) Audience: The group of people who consume a media product by watching, reading or listening.
(3) DMA (Designated Market Area): A geographic area used to define television and radio markets.
(4) Frequency: The total number of times an individual is exposed to a specific advertisement within a given timeframe.
(5) Lead Generation: The process of attracting potential customers and converting them into leads.
(6) Makegood: A free or equivalent-value ad placement offered as compensation for an error or missed placement.
(7) Sponsored Content: Advertiser-paid content that integrates seamlessly with other editorial and media materials while promoting a brand, product or service.
The term “media” references all platforms, but each division within media has distinct media buying terms. Below is a breakdown of terms that need to be in your vocabulary to sound smarter during watercooler conversations as well as business meetings.
Print media
(8) Advertorial: An advertisement designed to look like an editorial or news article. Advertorials typically note that they are paid opportunities.
(9) Insert: An additional printed material inserted inside a magazine, newspaper or other publication for promotional use.
(10) Niche Media: Media outlets focused on specific topics, interests or demographics created for specialized audiences. Examples include architecture, cuisine and interior design.
Television media
(11) Avails (Availability): Commercial airtime available for purchase from broadcast media.
(12) Broadcast Calendar: An industry-standard broadcast advertising calendar that organizes four to five-week rating periods (called sweeps) and non-rating periods used to plan, buy and sell television and radio ads.
(13) Over-the-Top (OTT): Internet-delivered media content that bypasses traditional TV or cable platforms. Examples include Netflix and YouTube.
Radio media
(14) Jingle: A short, memorable song or melody featured in advertisements to promote a brand.
(15) Podcast: A digital audio or video series, available for download or streaming, that is centered on a specific theme or topic.
(16) Radio Remote: A live broadcast from a location outside the radio station, often used for local outreach or events. Businesses often use radio remotes to promote grand openings and special sales.
Online/Digital media
(17) Banner Ad: A form of online advertising, usually in the form of graphics or animation shown on websites.
(18) Click-Through Rate (CTR): A key digital marketing metric that represents the percentage of viewers who click on an ad or link after viewing.
(19) CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions): A metric representing the cost of 1,000 ad impressions. This is frequently used in online advertising pricing models.
(20) PPC (Pay Per Click): A digital ad model where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their ad. It’s often used in search engine marketing, like Google Ads.
(21) Impressions: The total number of times an ad, post or media content is displayed, whether it was clicked or not.
(22) Keyword: A significant word or phrase used in digital content used to help improve SEO or categorize content.
Social media
(23) Algorithm: A set of rules or procedures that computers follow to perform tasks that determine content visibility on social media and search engines. Video, for instance, ranks high in social media algorithms, so marketing experts recommend more videos on certain platforms.
(24) Clickbait: Content designed to attract clicks by using exaggerated or deceptive headlines and images.
(25) Engagement Rate: A metric used to measure the level of interaction (likes, shares, comments, etc.) on a piece of content, relative to its audience size.
Priority Marketing’s media buying services
Priority Marketing’s media buying team plans annual budgets, researches media opportunities for target markets, negotiates and places media buys, coordinates media sponsorships, manages media deadlines, reconciles invoices, audits media and maintains media records.
The firm offers media buying services to clients across a broad spectrum of industries, including hospitality and tourism, retail, health care, senior living, construction, legal, finance and banking, government, education, aviation, recreation, entertainment, technology, retail, manufacturing, commerce and more. Additionally, the firm partners with dozens of nonprofit and not-for-profit organizations.
Media buying is one of nine core professional services that Priority Marketing offers, along with public relations, brand development, web services, social media, creative services, video production, digital marketing and event planning.
LEARN MORE: Media Buying Services
Connect with Priority Marketing
Do you need a media buying professional to help maximize your advertising budget? Please give us a call today at 239-267-2638 or send an email to LetsTalk@PriorityMarketing.com.
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