Media planning is a business model that’s been proven to be successful. Major media agencies, like Omnicom, Carat, and Group M, develop comprehensive strategies that yield hundreds of billions of dollars worth of revenue for the world’s best-known brands. If this business model can work for the Budweisers and Nissans of the world, there’s no reason it shouldn’t work for a dental practice in South Jersey or a divorce attorney in Long Island or a restaurant in Hoboken. But because local and regional businesses have much smaller advertising budgets than their national or global counterparts, many of them believe that it’s more cost-effective to handle their ad placements internally.
What if small businesses knew of a solution that gives them access to the same media expertise that major corporations have for a very small fraction of the cost? After studying advertising at Syracuse University and working professionally with all types of media for over six years, I recently decided to use my media knowledge to create this solution. The solution is JS Media, an integrated media agency that works with local and regional advertisers to ensure that their message reaches the right audience. An agency like JS Media is right for your business if:
1. You’ve advertised in the past and aren’t satisfied with the results:
When frustrated with the results, too many advertisers believe that the issue is advertising as a whole. It’s not. Advertising can work for any type business. It’s just that different types of businesses require different strategies. For example, a nightclub can benefit from radio advertising while a real estate broker would benefit more from out-of-home. So if your previous advertising efforts have not yielded the results you’re looking for, your strategy may need to be reworked. Maybe you’ve been advertising with channels intended to reach a mass audience while your business caters to a niche demographic. Maybe you’ve only been advertising in the town where you operate your business while you need to generate awareness among consumers in neighboring towns. Maybe you’re not aware that some lesser-known advertising opportunities, like addressable cable or health club advertising, can be very beneficial to your business. Whatever the case may be, an agency like JS Media can help you understand why you haven’t been achieving the results you’re looking for and can work with you to improve your strategy.
2. You’ve been placing your ads internally:
I won’t pretend to know what goes on inside your business but if you’re placing ads in-house, the process is probably something like this: You look into vendors that seem like they could be a good fit for your business, call up the reps, and ask them how much it will cost to advertise. But how comprehensive is this process? Do you calculate the overall CPM, reach, and frequency numbers for each vendor? Do you calculate the CPM, reach, and frequency numbers within your target demographic for each vendor? Do you analyze the demographic data of different zip codes to determine the best geographies to advertise in? Do you look at psychographics as well as demographics (i.e. the percentage of a magazine’s readers that make the financial decisions for their household)? Do you look at qualitative factors like when consumers will be most receptive to your ad (for example, an ad for a smoothie joint will resonate more with consumers while they are walking to the gym than it will when they are coming home from work)? Media planning is a science and media agencies like JS Media consist of experienced professionals who truly understand this science.
If you’ve read up to this point, you may be wondering how much it would cost to outsource your media efforts to an agency like JS Media. The answer depends on your budget and goals but I can guarantee that it will be only a fraction of what you’re already looking to spend on advertising and that it will be a small price to pay for the results you will see.
