The Key Role of Media Reach
After Targeting and Messaging, the third major component of our Basic Marketing Formula considers media reach. In other words, once you know who you want to talk to, and what you want to say to them, now we need to answer the question, “Where, when, and how will we say it to them?”
In our Local Marketing Blog, we’ve previously discussed the Art & Science of Marketing. And we’ve established that while messaging strategy is really still very artistic in nature, targeting and reach have become much more scientific.
The Most Common Media Plan Mistake
Media is where you tend to encounter the most salespeople. There simply aren’t a lot of people out selling targeting or messaging on its own. So reach is the stage where the most selling happens.
But buying the reach first and only then figuring out if it’s a good fit for your best prospects and jamming together messaging is a ready, fire, aim approach. Don’t make this mistake.
Common Elements of a Digital Media Plan
The Bullseye Marketing Method we’ve developed over the last decade provides a structure for building your media plan, and then narrowing from a wider range of options down to what is working most effectively and efficiently for you.
It involves considering which of the following media reach options are plausible for your situation, and then developing initial tests of each vehicle:
- Search Engine Marketing
- Digital Display Advertising
- Digital Video Advertising
- Digital Audio Advertising
- Social Media Advertising
- Content Marketing
- Outbound Targeted E-Mail
This list is by no means exhaustive, but it provides a good illustration of the many choices available.
How Media Strategy Fits In With the Overall Marketing Formula
As you consider media strategy, realize it’s only 1 element in our basic marketing formula:
TARGETING + MESSAGING + REACH = RESULTS
Once you know who you want to talk to, what you want to say to them, and how, where and when to say it to them for best results – it’s time to think about establishing frequency through re-marketing to maximize the effectiveness of your media spend. We explore that further in this related post.
Here is a quick reference to all the posts in this Marketing Formula 101 series:
REACH (This Post)
RE-MARKETING (Next Post in This Series)
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If you’d like to talk more about our Basic Marketing Formula, we’re always happy to schedule a free initial marketing consultation. Or connect with us in whatever way works best for you.
