home Magazine How to create a media plan for an advertising campaign. How to create a media plan: step-by-step instructions with examples

How to create a media plan for an advertising campaign. How to create a media plan: step-by-step instructions with examples

Development of a media plan

When developing a media plan, tasks aimed at achieving the set goals are solved. Media, place and time of advertising are selected that allow reaching the required number of target audiences a sufficient number of times within a certain budget.

The media can be both traditional media and advertising media such as transit advertising and the Internet.

Once the priority advertising medium has been determined, you need to decide which advertising placements are most profitable: within the program or in the advertising block between programs, if we're talking about on placement on television and radio; on a thematic or specific page, among editorial materials or in an advertising block, if this is advertising in the press.

The location, size, time, number of repetitions, and intensity of advertising publications are determined for each medium separately, since each information channel has its own specific impact on the audience. Based on the selected parameters, an advertising schedule is drawn up: indicate exact dates, and on television and radio also hours, minutes. Of course, a separate advertising schedule is built for each medium. In order to imagine the entire complex of planned solutions as clearly as possible, they are drawn up in the form of a block diagram.

The media plan may include several documents, for example:

Rationale for media strategy;

Block diagram.

In addition to the main media plan, alternative ones can be presented, designed to use other media, a different media strategy, or with a justified deviation from the budget to a smaller or larger extent.

From the book Anatomy of a Brand author Perzia Valentin

Concept development At this stage, each idea turns into an “almost finished product.” The main problem for developers here is to make products or services so that customers understand them. This means that we must create as close to the real thing as possible.

From the book Media Planning for 100 author Nazaikin Alexander

From the book Problem Solving by Keenan Keith

From the book Fundamentals of Project Management author Presnyakov Vasily Fedorovich

From the book Managing a Professional Services Firm by Meister David

From the book Add to cart. Key principles for increasing website conversion author Eisenberg Jeffrey

From the book Cloning a Business [Franchising and Other Rapid Growth Models] author Vatutin Sergey

Developing Options Developing options involves three processes: gathering information, generating ideas, and drafting

From book Personal brand. Creation and promotion author Ryabykh Andrey Vladislavovich

Development of project specifications Project goal To build a high-quality custom home in five months, not exceeding the cost of $150,000. Interim results of the work: Construction of a 2,200 square foot home with 2 bathrooms, three bedrooms. Construction separately

From the book Business Process Management. Practical guide By successful implementation projects by Jeston John

Development of SRRPE

From the book Advertising. Principles and Practice by William Wells

Developing a Questionnaire Some partners look at Exhibit 8-1 and say, “That's too much, too many questions.” Although this is just an attempt to avoid responsibility. World experience has shown that a questionnaire with a scale (from 1 to 5) of 25 questions does not take much time to complete.

Few owners make global plans for advertising: what they will place, where they will do it and how much all this pleasure will cost for the next 1-3-6 months.

Most marketers don’t have this either (sorry, colleagues, for showing your unsightly places).

And immediately an explanation. A media plan is not the same as a content plan, much less an editorial plan.

These are completely different things and each plan must be approached completely differently. We wrote about this in some detail in our article.

In this article we will look at what media planning is. advertising campaign, what advantages it gives and why you will be afraid of it like fire.

All plans

Almost any of our articles begins with the meaning “What is this?”, in order to remove the distorted idea that was formed by pseudo-experts.

This article will be no exception. It will also have a lot of explanations, unclear words, abbreviations (CPT, TRP, GRP) and other things in the same spirit. But let's do everything gradually.

Media plan- a document containing detailed information about future advertising.

Moreover, this document contains not just plans for advertising from the “That’s how I want it!” series; the components are much broader - the schedule of advertising displays, their release dates, the channels that will be used, necessary costs and even the expected result.

Media plan

Media planning- this is planning channels and methods of advertising to draw up a media plan based on forecasts and results obtained.

In addition, there is also such a thing as strategic media planning. Before I explain what it is, I’ll ask one question: “What is the most the main task advertising and advertisers?

This is planning measures so that all advertising creates a complex effect among themselves and brings potential clients before purchase.

If you read the books about media planning that I read, you would definitely understand that the concepts that I wrote above are simpler than a steamed turnip.

I don’t know why, but no one conveys this information clearly. And I will try to do this and write these concepts even simpler. Besides, repetition is the mother of learning.

Media planning- the process of selecting channels and advertising methods for their further placement in the media plan.
Strategic media planning- the process of combining all advertising messages and platforms into a single mechanism.
Media plan- the result of the two listed actions above, in the form of a table that lists all the information related to your advertising activities.

It is on the basis of these three concepts that the entire principle of constructing a media plan in advertising activities.

For me, this is a very cool and useful thing. It’s not for nothing that the preparation of media plans began back in 1964.

It was then that the American (sorry not Russian) advertiser Roger Barton tracked the increase in the effectiveness of advertising campaigns based on a clearly defined plan compared to advertising that was done chaotically.

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Everything is in your mind

Looking ahead a little, I’ll add a fly in the ointment and say that it won’t be possible to get a media plan quickly, since it’s quite a long and painstaking job.

On average, it takes us a couple of days to complete this task, provided that more than one person is involved. After all, its creation consists of 10 stages and one preparatory stage, which we will now deal with.

The first step is to write down all possible channels and methods of advertising for your company.

We write out only those that are exactly suitable. This document will be your second diary. You will constantly refer to it, both when creating a media plan and during the work process.

Possible channels and methods of advertising

This is a shortened example. You must have at least 100 such positions! Each column has its own meaning and is necessary for you to make a rational decision when choosing an advertising channel.

So that you are not left alone with your questions, I will briefly describe the main indicators of media planning.

Advertising channels - the name of the specific sites where yours is located;
Format - an option for advertising on the selected advertising platform;
Reach - the number of audiences that will see/hear your advertising message for a certain budget;
CPT (cost per thousand) - cost of contact with 1000 people;
Frequency - the number of contacts your advertisement has with a person throughout the campaign;
Cost - the amount of money for the selected coverage and advertising format;
Priority - a mark on the potential of the channel for your company.

You can add more required fields optional. For example, we sometimes add the percentage of our target audience, program rating, duration of contact, quality of contact, and so on.

The more information you collect, the better, since all this will help you when drawing up a media plan.

Shall we plan?

If I post a sample media plan, you will not be able to use it. You can see how it is designed, but you won’t be able to use it.

Because all businesses and their situations are different, and an advertising channel that is well suited for services in one may not only not be suitable, but also harm the same company, but in another city.

Besides, I proceed from the principle that it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him one he has caught.

I hope you are not offended by me?! In addition, I have prepared a gift for you at the end. Now let’s move on to how to create a media plan for an advertising campaign.

Stage 1. Present situation

Before we start creating, you need to think carefully to the side.

You need to understand what is currently missing and what, on the contrary, is what the supply is oversaturated with. That is, we must not only understand what our client needs, we must first understand what others are already offering.

Whether you like it or not, you are fighting with competitors for one piece of the pie. And if your approach is worse, then you have lost.

This doesn't mean I lost!

To do this, you need to know your direct competitors and understand where the market is moving and what the current trends are.

In theory, you should know this anyway. But as practice shows, owners are reluctant to approach such an analysis, because they consider it less important than attracting customers.

But since you decided to write a media plan, then this is an excellent reason to analyze what is happening right now.

Also at this stage you need to understand your company and your product. For the company's management, the company itself and the product are, by default, the best in the galaxy.

Stage 2. Goal setting

Fortunately, many companies are beginning to realize this and periodically launch advertising campaigns with the goal of bringing back those who have left.

But look deeper. Even customer retention has several different subgoals.

For example, we can attract customers to a new loyalty program, or we can immediately sell a subscription to our product to retain them.

All this is thought out at the very beginning, and in the future the entire preparation of the media plan revolves around this idea. And this idea is part of a big marketing strategy companies.

Well, there's no way to get rid of it

In order for goal setting to be as effective as possible, you need to make it measurable.

You set yourself the task of not just attracting clients, but set a measurable result - 5,000 new clients.

This required condition. Because if you don’t know where you’re going, you don’t know what to do and how to evaluate.

Stage 3. Target audience

Yes Yes. I know that we are one and one. And I also know that you definitely don’t have this, because “well, why bother with it.”

However, it is necessary. Any marketing agency before creating an advertisement and launching an advertising campaign, it will ask you target audience.

And if he doesn’t ask, then this is a wake-up call for you that you need to turn on the “suspect dog” mode.

Suspicious...

You understand perfectly well that if you don’t know who, then you don’t know what, where and when. For especially busy (lazy) people, we recommend using the “Ideal Client” technique.

You do not identify all possible groups of clients, but concentrate only on the most profitable for you (buy often and for a large amount).

For those who want to suffer and examine their clients through a microscope, I recommend reading two of our articles

But I warn you, after the analysis done, you will no longer be able to work as before 😉

Stage 4. Advertising budget

That is why, first of all, we compiled a list of all possible sites with their characteristics and costs.

Thanks to this list, you can really estimate how much money you need to achieve your goal.

They will help you with this special services, which analyze the costs of your competitors. AdSpoiler, for example, is one of them.

Budget

If the approach is absolutely correct, then the calculation should be done through decomposition. You take the result and then arrange it in reverse order.

For example (very roughly), to get 10 clients, we need 100 leads. And to get 100 leads, you need advertising reaching 10,000 people.

Result: you need a channel with a minimum reach of 10,000 people. Read the article for more details.

Stage 5. Sales territory

Enough important point. At a minimum, because for a large sales area the budget will have to be increased, and this is a sore subject for many businesses.

But also because different parts of our Russian land have different consumer demand, and this is also determined by your channels and action strategy:

Defensive approach. We promote our company in the territory that already “belongs” to us.
Offensive approach. We are taking our brand to a new territory, where other players are leading and we have not been there yet.

The more relevant approach for most businesses is defensive. And this is logical.

Why go to new territory until you have squeezed all the juice out of the old one. Moreover, when I talk about territory, these are not necessarily regions or new cities.

This can also be regarded as city districts or even specific streets if you have a very local business.

Stage 6. Methods of influence

You need to decide how exactly you will influence the audience. For the uninitiated, this sounds stupid.

Constant impact strategy. Advertising of constant intensity over a long period of time (quarter/six months/year) without any jumps or changes.
Pulsating strategy. Advertising is ongoing, but its intensity periodically decreases or increases (pronounced in seasonal business).
Focal impact strategy. Advertising is shown periodically, then it suddenly appears, then it quickly disappears from people’s sight.

Since it is difficult for companies to look at their activities further than one month.

Haha...result, yes

Stage 7. Timing

But for the first time, making it up for a year from the series “I’ll suffer once” is also not an option.

Drawing up a media plan for 3-6 months - best option, during this time you will get the expected result and will not make any mistakes.

In addition, if you are “suicidal” and decide to launch, then you don’t have to wait for a big explosion of sales right away, since it has a cumulative effect, and here launching for one month will only make things worse for you.

There are also different strategies for the duration of contact with the client. In order to determine optimal time contact with the audience, you need to be equal to yours.

For example, if you just need to flash, then contact for up to 10 seconds is sufficient.

And if you need to formulate a problem and then convey it, then you need sources with a contact duration of at least 20 seconds (preferably more).

Stage 10. Launch and optimization

You strictly act according to the plan, since for you it is de facto. But! There is another side of the coin, you need to have clear eyes to see the real situation and, if necessary, adjust it, because no one has canceled the optimization of the media plan.

Fortunately, now there are such things as and, which are very helpful in assessing the effectiveness of advertising.

Here, either urgently change the offer, or change the advertising channel (by changing the magazine to its electronic version on the Internet), or refuse completely.

The situation is twofold. The media plan must be strictly adhered to, but do not forget to adjust it based on the facts. Marketing and advertising are about numbers. Don't believe me? Then read our article.

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Company media plan: example for a real estate agency

The plan was drawn up for a small agency; average prices are given for the work of specialists, for the preparation and printing of printed products. Banners and streamers, stands, posters are not provided in the office, since the example was taken of an organization already operating on the market. Free sources for advertising (online bulletin boards) are also not included in the list.

Campaign name	Events	Quantity and cost
Posting	1 sticker per 1 sector (distance, for example, from the office - 5 m around)	In Week: 1000 “Buy” leaflets; 1000 “I’m changing”; 1000 “For sale”; 1000 is a universal option. Total: 16,800 rub.
		600 rubles for 1 per week. Total: 2400 rub.
	Paid in the form of advertisements in private sections in city newspapers	2000 rub. - 1 time.
	In the form of a specialized magazine	8000 rub. per month.
Flyers to mailboxes	As a rule, in houses in the city center (or district)	For 1 house - 144 leaflets. On average, 7 houses are taken per month. 1000 leaflets for 1500 rub. + work of a paster. Total: 2000 rub.
Participation in exhibitions	Preparation of brochures, business cards, posters	On average, about 1000 rubles. and the work of agency specialists.
Distribution of leaflets (with a calendar, taxi numbers, list of holidays, service numbers, etc. on the back)		500 pieces per month - 1000 rub. (together with the work of the promoter)
Telephone invitation to free consultations with specialists, cold calls		Payment for the work of a sales manager: 1 hour - 75 rubles. (no interest on the transaction). Takes 1-2 days a week. Total: 4800 per month
	Banners in search engines	1500 thousand per month.
Working with partners	Exchange of business cards for placement in the offices of construction, insurance companies, banking offices	Payment 1 hour per week - 50 rubles. The business cards themselves: 300 rub. Total: 350 rub.
Working with partners	Creation of joint brochures	The cost of brochures is divided equally: 1000 rubles. for 1000 brochures (if 3 of your partners participate).
Newspaper release		300 rub. - 1 copy, 50 pieces can be distributed per month. Work as a courier, journalist (2000 rub.), layout designer (500 rub.) Total: 17,500 rub.

An example of media plans is needed in relation to your city; it will indicate specific advertising sources. And yet you should constantly monitor its effectiveness: register responses, look for the most successful sources.

Promotion of a newspaper or magazine

	Periodicity	Price
	Once a week	Work as an office manager with a salary or as a remote manager - 50 rubles. at one o'clock.
Telephone offers	Two weeks before release, within 4 days	Work as a sales manager (for 3% of the attracted client).
Posting advertisements on city entrances and boards		Paper, printout (cartridge) - 700 rub. 1 rub. per piece Number of copies - 2000. Total: 2700 rub.
Radio notification to city residents	60 exits per day, every day for a month	One-time - 1000 rub. for production. 900 rub. per month for outings.
Press releases on the Internet	Place it once on free portals, then update it once every three months, add new ones about promotions and interesting offers	Only for the work of an office manager or media manager (hour of work - 100 rubles). The text itself or through specialists - 100 rubles. Total: 500 rub.
Adding to media directories	Search for sites and placement	Only for work: 50 rub. in an hour. Total: 200 rub.
		5000 rub. - newspaper, next month - 8000 rub. In the magazine.
Distribution of issues to high-traffic locations (shopping centers, supermarkets, offices of partners and advertisers)	Once a month	Courier work - 50 rub. at one o'clock. Takes 1 business day. Total: 400 rub.
	In the center there are 2 pieces. for 1 month	15 thousand rubles each. Total: 30,000 rub.

How to create a media plan

An example is, of course, good. But every business has its own characteristics. Therefore, it is important to know the basics of media planning.

Properly selected advertising sources (according to your specialization, designed for the target audience), forms of advertising, places for its placement and the number of publications per month - this is the information that should be reflected in the plan, and not only. A clear placement schedule is welcome, which shows the alternation of specific advertising events. This makes it easier to track the effectiveness of a particular form of activity.

The media plans presented in this document are not clear and specific and require detailed refinement in relation to a specific city and specific advertising sources. For example: newspaper "Flowers in the Garden" - banner 200 x 300, placement - 1 page, number of publications - 2 times a month.

Advertising budget

The focus on savings is encouraged. In those sources where advertising is worthwhile, you can order it at the lowest price six months in advance.

Priorities

In addition, each example of media plans reflects strategic goals and areas of activity of the customer. That is, it corresponds to the priorities of the company. In the case of a newspaper, this is a striking appearance, a statement to the population and potential advertisers about its existence. In the case of a real estate agency, the campaign is to obtain an increase in the already existing stable income.

Thus, you cannot simply take an example of media plans and use it without reworking it for yourself: without adding as much specificity as possible, without considering the possibility of saving budget funds on advertising, and especially without evaluating main goal plan, its compliance with the priority development of the company.