1.
A Guide to Media
Planning +
Buying

2.
Hello!
We are Richardson
Media Group
A strategic media planning and buying agency, we
negotiate and manage advertising campaigns
across multiple delivery platforms. Learn more
about us at www.richardsonmediagroup.com.

3.
Media Planning & Buying
Let’s map out the steps that go into developing
and implementing your advertising campaign.

4.
1.
Asking
Questions
Every step in the
media planning
process is
informed by
carefully crafted
questions that
help us learn key
facts about your
brand and your
marketing goals.

5.
Asking Questions
Campaign Objectives
Are you looking to raise
awareness of your brand? Do
you want to generate leads?
Do you seek to increase
enrollment or membership?
Audience Profiles
Who are your target audiences?
Define the demographic,
psychographic and geographic
profiles for each audience
segment.
Brand Identity
How is your brand currently
perceived in the marketplace?
What characteristics
differentiate your brand from
the competition?
Communications Efforts
Describe how you currently
communicate with your
customers and prospects?
What has worked well? What
hasn’t been as effective?
Budget
Have you settled on your
media budget? Do you have a
timeline for the campaign?
Have you thought about a
separate budget for creative
and production?
Next Steps
With this information in hand,
it’s time to investigate the
options and come up with
media recommendations.

6.
2.
Evaluating
Media Tactics
Determining
the right
combination of
tactics requires
a clear
understanding
of how each
media vehicle
works.

7.
Evaluating Media Tactics
Reach
Certain media vehicles
naturally offer wider reach,
meaning they expose your
brand to a broader, less
targeted audience. Examples
of wide reach vehicles are:
Outdoor billboards or
Broadcast television. On the
opposite side of the spectrum,
we find narrow reach vehicles
such as live events or targeted
direct mailings.
Frequency
The number of times your
brand’s message is exposed to
your target audience is called
frequency. High frequency
delivery vehicles showcase
your brand to your target
audience many times during a
campaign. Examples of high
frequency vehicles are
impression-heavy digital or
paid social ads.
Ideal Media Mix
It’s all about finding the most
effective ratio of reach and
frequency to drive your
successful ad campaign.

8.
3.
Negotiating
the Buy
Making sure
you get the
best price and
the best
placement.

9.
Negotiating the Buy
Negotiate Pricing
We negotiate with the media
outlets on your behalf based
on several important criteria.
Our purchasing volume and
long-standing relationships
with media vendors gives us
leverage to ensure that our
clients never pay rate card.
Negotiate Placement
There’s significant value to
where ads are positioned as
well. We negotiate for the best
placement to make sure your
message reaches the right
audience at the right time and
in the right place.
Build Relationships
We know how important it is
to adhere to your budget
allocations. We’re always
striving to help you get the
most for every advertising
dollar.

10.
4.
Presenting the
Plan
Bringing the
media
recommendations
together.

11.
Presenting the Plan
Review Recommendations
Ideally, we’ll present your
media plan in person (or via
video conference call) giving
us a chance to share our
recommendations first-hand.
Questions + Concerns
Over the course of the media
presentation, we’re happy to
answer all of your questions
and address your concerns.
We’ll edit the plan as
necessary, taking into account
any budget-related or
campaign goal changes that
may arise.
Secure Final Approval
Once the media plan is
approved, we will ask you to
sign a media authorization
and services contract,
approving the plan and
authorizing Richardson Media
Group to act as your agent to
buy and traffic media
deliverables on your behalf.

12.
5.
Implementing
the Media Buy
Trafficking ad
creative and
launching the
campaign.

13.
Implementing the Media Buy
Reserve Space
Upon receipt of the media
authorization, we prepare
insertion orders to reserve
space with each of the
vendors.
Collaborate with Creative
We provide our creative
partners with ad specifications
and deadlines. We work
closely to support messaging
and visual appeal.
Traffic Creative Deliverables
Once the creative assets are
approved by the client, we
send the ads to the our
vendors and follow-up to
confirm receipt.
Monitor Start Dates
As each element of the media
plan goes live, we demand
proof of placement from the
vendors.
Report + Refine
We provide ongoing and
timely engagement reports
and recommend ways to
optimize the plan to secure
optimum results.
Reconciliation + Make Goods
As media vendor invoices are
submitted, we reconcile the
client account and make sure
our vendors have delivered on
their contracts.

14.
A little preparation before you begin will go a long
way towards ensuring the successful launch of your
advertising campaign.
Thinking Ahead

15.
Thinking Ahead
➔ Understand your brand’s market position
➔ Know what sets you apart from the rest
➔ Identify your marketing goals
➔ Invest in quality creative assets
➔ Refresh your website
➔ Set realistic performance expectations
➔ Allow for the luxury of time
➔ Bring your internal (sales) team into the loop
➔ Make a laundry list of your questions
And...

16.
Hire an Experienced Media Planner
When it’s time to launch your
advertising campaign, we hope
to hear from you! Let us guide
you through the process
step-by-step.
(978) 834-6885
info@richardsonmediagroup.com

17.
Thank you!
We’d love to hear from you!
Richardson Media Group, Inc.
21 Water Street, Suite 7
Amesbury, MA 01913
(978) 834-6885
info@richardsonmediagroup.com
www.richardsonmediagroup.com
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