Insider Secrets to Buying Advertising

Buying advertising can feel like buying a used car. You know you’re probably being taken advantage of, you just don’t know by how much. Sales reps make their living on commissions, so it’s to their advantage not to tell you about special deals! This quick tutorial on media buying will help you get more bang for your buck and can save you 15% to 40% or more.

 

While newspaper readership is shrinking, it can still be a smart advertising choice in smaller markets. Network TV affiliates tend to focus on the city market, ignoring smaller outlying suburbs and rural areas, so people turn to newspapers for their local news. Most of these deals are not listed on rate cards, so you have to ask:

Since print media is rapidly being replaced by online readership, many newspapers (radio and TV too) are trying to sell banner ads on their website. Sales reps will try and sell you the ad cost based on “impressions”, which is how many people are exposed to your ad.

 

With on-line ads, it’s the click through rate that counts – how many visitors actually click on your ad and make it through to your website. Industry click though averages run at about .11%.  If the website promises 50,000 impressions, that’s equal to about 55 clicks. Ask to see click through reports for an advertiser similar to yourself. Video banner ads will double or triple your click through rate so you may want to invest in a short video ad.

 

Lifestyle magazines are hurting for advertisers, so don’t just accept the rate on the rate card. If you only plan to buy 6 ads, ask for them at the 12 time rate. If you want to buy all 12 issues, ask for 15-25% off the rate AND negotiate for a better position in the magazine. You want to be at the front of the book or immediately adjacent to an article that is relevant to your business. 

 

Most rate cards will state if the rates are commissionable for an agency, and will indicate if rates are net or gross. Once you negotiate your deal, tell the rep you want another 15% off since you are not going through an agency. Make sure this is all in writing on your contract!

 

Radio and TV are just as negotiable as any other media. The rate card is just a starting place. Tell them your budget is limited and you want to work with them, but they need to show you how interested they are in your business. And just like magazines, nearly every radio and tv station uses commissionable rates, so you can save yourself that extra 15% by asking for the net rate. 

 

One day sales are also popular around the end of the year – ask to be on the list when they announce the sale. You’ll get very little notice on these deals, but you can get a phenomenal deal on buying time. With any radio or TV buy, you should ask for 10-20% of the total buy in bonus spots. These spots are often ROS (run of station), which means the spot could run at any time. Bonus spots will help you achieve greater frequency if you have a limited budget.

 

Planning ahead has its advantages. If you have a good idea of your advertising budget for next year and know where you want to run, ask to sign your 2010 contract in the fall of 2009. You should be able to lock in this year’s rates before they take a jump in January. However, read your contract carefully to make sure the media can’t bump the rates on your business part way through the year.

 

Buying advertising space and time can be intimidating and expensive if you don’t know how the industry works. Hopefully, these insider tips will give you a little more confidence and a competitive edge when it’s time to buy. 

 
Xaña Winans is the owner and president of Golden Proportions Marketing (GPM), a thriving company that specializes in comprehensive, custom marketing and advertising strategies for the dental and medical fields.  The GPM website can be found at www.goldenproportions.com and Xaña can be reached at 866-590-4476 or xana@goldenproportions.com.