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Thursday, January 15, 2009

Blending of Media Buying and Search Engine Marketing

I don't know how many people, at least in Boise, are both a Media Buyer (TV, Radio, Print, Outdoor, Banner ads, etc...) and a search engine marketer but I am one of the few, at least according to some sources.

When I started working with both of these at the same time I noticed that it is possible to take what I know from both worlds and combine them to make both of them better.

This blog post is strictly off the cuff, as most of mine are, but it lays out some of the basic thoughts I have on this topic. They are much more in depth than what is written here (think of an onion) but it is a start.

Search Marketing Tactics used in Media Buying:

If we start to think of TV watchers as Search Engine users there are characteristics that I think both use when deciding what "information" they wish to receive. For instance, on TV if a watcher notices that both his/her favorite shows are on at the same time, will they switch back and forth, probably...unless they have a DVR. Now if there is only one source of "information" they will not switch back and forth they will more than likely stay on that source for the entire duration. So as we are buying media we need to look at what other "information" sources are conflicting with other sources. There are also other factors that obviously play into these as well, social life of the target audience as well as other media sources.

Media Buying strategies used in Search Marketing:

The Search Engine marketplace is becoming a hotbed of activity especially in a down economy. Companies are searching for ways to attract top level leads that can quickly and easily convert into sales for very little cost. Now apply that same need to what a good media buyer does. They look for the best way to reach the most people who fit the target audience for the least amount of money. So when looking at Search Engine Optimization and Pay-per-click we need to follow the demographic trail and target the words (keywords and keyword phrases) that the demographic uses to find the client's product. Just as a certain demographic is more likely to watch a certain show; I think there are some cases where a certain demographic uses a keyword or phrase to find a product or goes through a search process to find that product.
Now getting to the money part of the Media Buying process as Search Marketers we should also analyze the cost to benefit ratio. Does it really make sense to optimize the site or does it make more sense to advertise on social media where people are making their final buying decision based off of user input. Or is doing both the best thing? They are questions that need to be answered and can be answered by looking at the possible ROI of each. In Media Buying one way that is referred to is cost-per-point (CPP), in internet advertising cost-per-thousand (CPM).


I think these media are inter-related and, at least from my perspective, can work together to come up with a great strategy looking both at online and traditional media.

Give me your feedback, tell me I am full of it. I would love to start some critical thinking on this.

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