Against the Grain

As a rule, when I help clients create media plans, I always recommend they choose at least two types of media for their campaigns, which benefits reach and frequency. Radio and newspaper, broadcast and outdoor … the combinations differ depending on the audience and budget. But, these days, I rarely recommend plans that don’t include online ads. Almost all audiences are online for one reason or another — many while they’re doing something else like watching TV — and online offers great tools for tracking.

Whatever the budget, there are ways to get great leverage from online ads. For the smallest budgets, Facebook advertising can get a lot of bang for the buck. It can help generate new “Likes” for your Facebook page or increase traffic to your website. And, because you can target by geography, age, sex and interests, it can work really well for niche audiences.

For more elaborate campaigns, our media team utilizes networks, which offers a mix of national and/or local websites that they identify based on your audience’s specific habits and preferences. The tracking capabilities of these network vendors are outstanding, which is useful for organizations that want more metrics than can be obtained from traditional forms of media.

Many vendors can customize buttons on your ads, giving you something special to call out, like your Facebook or Twitter page. Often, they’re willing to give bonus impressions or other value ads in exchange for a monthly commitment.  

As with traditional media, a strong call to action is vital with online ads. Make sure the design is engaging, yet simple and concise. Give audiences a reason to interact with the ad. And, of course, make sure the ad complements the other ads or materials in your campaign. Finally, keep in mind that click-through rates aren’t the end all of measurement. Just like with TV, radio or outdoor, online viewers may see the ad but not immediately take action. It might take a couple times seeing the message before they act.

If you want to learn more about how to add online to your marketing mix, contact me. 

In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, Trilix offers the following advertising tips from Abe Goldstien, our resident jazz advocate.

Surprise Your Audience — Jazz critic Whitney Balliett once described jazz as the “sound of surprise.” Surprise is often what separates effective from ineffective advertising. Surprise your audience with a way to think about your product/service in a way they never considered before. Discover ways to use existing media in a surprising way or develop a surprising new media of your own. Whether it’s playing a solo or crafting an advertising campaign, surprise makes things swing.

Learn to Dance — Trumpeter Bobby Bradford describes the art of jazz as the ability to “tap dance on a slippery floor.” That’s also the key to success for marketers. The marketplace is dynamic. The competition is always changing. Consumer tastes and trends come and go. Strong market performances can only be achieved when you constantly adjust and adapt to these slippery floors.

Just Do It — What made Charlie Parker one of the greatest saxophonists in jazz history? As he explained it, there were three steps to success. One, learn all about music. Two, learn all about your instrument. And three, forget all that and start playing. As marketers, you have to learn all about the rhythms of your marketplace and consumers. Then learn all about your instruments — traditional media, social media, web and design. But the magic comes when you forget all that and just do it, and it usually comes naturally and easily once you’ve done the homework.

One final word of advice from bassist Charles Mingus, “Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple.” 

In the height of March Madness, collegiate powerhouses are facing off, each searching for the glory of a championship. But for some smaller, lesser-known schools, just making it into the NCAA tournament will go down in the record book as a win. Take, for instance, Liberty University, which sent both its men’s and women’s basketball teams to the playoffs. Even though they didn't advance, the school will enjoy more national name recognition than it likely has in years. And, for all organizations, that’s where success in marketing begins.

Of course a company must sell its products or services to survive and thrive. But, depending on your market position, rushing to “slam dunk” a sale might not be where your efforts are best spent. Rather, start with getting your name in front of the right audience. People need to be aware of you before they can buy from you. Maybe that means a sponsorship at an event you know your target customers attend. Or perhaps you should engage in media relations to try earn your business news coverage. Or how about a Facebook ad that links to your company’s Facebook page so consumers can get a feel for your products and company culture.

There are many effective, affordable ways to simply get your name out there, which for most businesses is often the first step down the court.

For ideas or to learn more, contact me or visit www.trilixgroup.com.

Words like “engagement” and “join the conversation” are buzzing around marketing strategies today as new vehicles for communication emerge all the time. Thanks to inventions like mobile devices, in-house editing programs and social media, there are more avenues than ever to connect and make our brands more personal, responsive and timely.

A snack food’s simple, well-timed ad makes an opportune moment out of a nationally televised mishap, and a cell phone company’s ability to air ads in real-time during the Olympics are just a few examples of how brands are striving to make their presence known when and where their target audience is already tuned in. We often have a crisis management plan in place to react to negative circumstances, but why not have an opportunity management plan ready to take advantage of local news and events, political seasons, pop culture or national headlines?

One step toward this strategy is to put a team in place that can regularly research and prepare content and manage an efficient approval process while topics are hot. Social media is certainly one tool that can be used in this way, but with each component of an advertising campaign, you can bring this conversation to the table and create a plan that utilizes these tools and topics for compelling, relevant advertising.  

As one of my mentors used to say, media isn’t black and white, it’s grey. Still, when it comes to planning and buying media, there are some things we can say with certainty. Here are a few common media misperceptions debunked:

• There is no such thing as a common or standard size between print publications. Though you might be buying half-page ads in several pubs, their specs and prices will vary, especially among trade media. That’s why it’s so important that you ask for specific specs for every ad you do. Don’t assume you can use the same file for a half-page ad in one pub and a half-page in another pub.
• There is no such thing as a common rate card. They differ widely, from how they’re organized to their content. Ask every publication for a rate card. And when you’re estimating a buy across several different print pubs, don’t use one rate card as an average. Chances are, other publications could charge much more or less for the same size ad. 
• All radio spots are not the same. Prices swing between stations, programming and dayparts, so again, don’t check rates on just one station and assume the other stations will charge similar prices when it’s time to put your budget together. The same can be said for TV.
• You don’t have to settle for the first quote offered. In general, media is negotiable, and reps are willing to work with you to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. So, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. If possible, plan further ahead to get better deals.  
• Value adds are not automatic. If you want added value, ask for it, or better yet, get creative and come up with some ideas of your own to present to your media rep.
• A huge buy on one medium isn’t always the answer. The golden rule in media is to never run just one type of media at a time, so consider pairing newspaper with radio, outdoor with TV or another combination to be sure you’re getting the impressions and frequency you need.

For more insight and ideas on media planning and buying, check out our Media section on this website or contact me.