Media Buy Added Value
Posted by in Marketing Tips Monday, 8 February 2010 21:55
No matter how small the media buy, never fail to ask for added value or additional exposure above and beyond the paid schedule. The simple truth is it never hurts to ask, and you will be pleasantly surprised how many times just the sheer act of asking can result in a “yes”. Now depending on how compelling the argument is for this request, the additional exposure may not be much, but it would be more than if no request had been made at all. And, if you negotiate added value with each media in your campaign this additional exposure can add up.
Added value can assume many forms and can be a mutually beneficial opportunity for both parties. Be creative and thoughtful when you are negotiating. If you notice that a newspaper has an opening in a premium position, state you are willing to sign a contract for multiple ads if this premium position is thrown in. Or ask for an ad size increase at no additional cost in exchange for a free gift certificate from your business. The newspaper can use the gift certificate for in-house or client incentives and your larger ad size will likely have little if any cost implications for the newspaper itself. Radio stations are added value bastions in that they are always looking for contest giveaways, incentives and the like. Use this to your advantage and always negotiate both your paid schedule and your added value schedule simultaneously to ensure that the greatest leverage possible is employed for both.
One final note on taking full advantage of added value is brevity of message. Added exposure or added value often assumes a highly abridged form of your regular advertising message. For example a radio or TV station may offer “broadcast billboards” as no charge additional exposure to accompany your paid schedule. A broadcast billboard is typically 5 to 10 seconds in length and states “This is brought to you by Business X”. Consequently the quicker you can communicate your business and what it does the more effective an added-value schedule will be in promoting your business. This is where a high profile, intuitive vanity phone number can be extremely beneficial. Consider a medical practice with 4 doctors and all of them included in their business’ name. By the time the practice’s name is communicated there is no time left to say what kind of medicine they practice, much less a phone number to call. However employing vanity number in all your advertising can quickly communicate your business and your contact information in 5 to 10 seconds, i.e. 1-800-EARDOCS or 1-800-HEARING. Beyond taking full advantage of added value, brevity of message in this digital age will continue to be an important brand asset and one where vanity phone number(s) could provide a your business with a significant edge.
