The period is approaching when most companies start working on their business and marketing plans for the following year. We design sales and analyze trends to define what we will do to improve ourselves in the next period, but, do we really think in a Strategy? Do we analyze in a correct way what are the success factors that our new battle will have? Strategy of sale, of prices, of stock, of delivery, service, marketing and publicity, but often depending on the long-awaited result and not according to a real strategy.
The strategy alone must reflect results, try to predict results is to play and in many cases we are more focused on the number than on the attitudes and projects necessary to fulfill it. To do so,we must coldly analyze each of the points that affect the final result, one of them in particular is the Positioning of our brand, company or product. Hence, many of the business opportunities are derived, the higher our position, the greater will be Our portion of demand reactivates. There are two concepts involved in the positioning, the Image and Prestige of the brand or product, and the Promotion of this through the media or what we call Media Planning.
Media Planning is the broad strategy that we will use during a given period to elevate the positioning of our brand, company or product in order to achieve the short, medium and long term commercial and financial results so desired by the good Media Planning, should focus on increasing the positioning in the market segments defined with the concepts defined for what is intended to position. You can not talk about objectives of the medium plan, as this is unique for all the cases, Grow. But who should recognize us? And how should they remind us? In summary, Media Planning responds to these two questions and aims to establish the Strategy based on them.
Research and Analysis First of all, an investigation of the objective segment, strategies of competitors, not to imitate but to see in the way that they arrive to preserve the identity and way of acting of our company. After the investigation, deeply analyze the means, the messages , and key factors perceived by the desired audience to design an effective strategy. Choice of Media and Media The choice of media is given by the audience and message to be conveyed rather than by the available budget, although costs may represent a barrier for certain companies, in general they are more related to the market that is intended arrive, and they are part of the very strategic conception of the company.
Production of Supports Once the media has been chosen, the stage of planning the production of the advertising messages begins. This is where the creative area comes in to interpret the messages that are to be transmitted and how to attract the attention of the audience in a world so full of stimuli. as it is the current one. The design and production of the different formats is a crucial and very important stage, but we should never lose sight of the previous research carried out, since in Media Planning, the Manager is not the one who is right, but what is the market, the trends and what can call the attention of our client what should predominate. Many companies give their general or commercial management the approval of the communication towards the clients,when they should ask for results but let the experts and creatives capture the attention of the clients, since this work is precisely the artistic facet of Marketing, and art is like magic.
Planning and Timming After the manufacture of the different supports, it is necessary to define the exposure times of these, dates and times in each of the selected media. There, establish a clear planning of how the different formats in each medium will be linked. This navigation chart is what many companies commonly call Media Planning or Media Plan, but the concept involves a much greater task than a Gantt chart with dates and means. Another element that many companies do not consider is the Press Management that should be perform in parallel and reinforcing the positioning of the image and concepts. The insertion of the brand, product or company in the content of the objective media is key and fundamental in most industries.
Therefore, once the Gantt chart is established with the means and dates, a content strategy must be designed that will accompany those advertising messages, with greater depth, greater precision. And also reaffirming the conviction that our product, service, brand or company is necessary. In the mind of the audience of each medium. An advertising message is captured and perceived better if the viewer is aware that this issue is important and of first necessity to him. And that is achieved through the management of the content of the media in which it is published. An advertising message is captured and perceived better if the person who sees it is aware that this issue is important and of first necessity to him. And that is achieved through the management of the content of the media in which it is published. An advertising message is captured and perceived better if the person who sees it is aware that this issue is important and of first necessity to him. And that is achieved through the management of the content of the media in which it is published.
AP / IP Monitoring Once this is finished, the work does not end but the monitoring phase has just begun, both for the company and for the competition to measure and introduce improvements throughout the campaign or plan. Content generation must be monitored to know its effect and positioning in the media.
Rethinking and Improvement After a certain period, the Strategy must be rethought and its performance evaluated through monitoring, so reorient and improve continuously to obtain the expected results. There is no real success in a Media Plan if this is not measured and evolutionary during its implementation. In summary a Media Planning, contemplates 6 phases
- Research and Analysis
- Choice of Media and Supports
- Production of Supports
- Planning and Timming
- AP / IP monitoring
- Rethinking and Improvement
Now it’s up to you to work to provide the Media Planning that gives you the best possible positioning and thus facilitate the spontaneous generation of demand for your company or product, the rest is the task of responding as it corresponds to those orders.