3 THINGS TO EVALUATE BEFORE YOUR MEDIA BUY

There are many marketing options out there, and it can be overwhelming to sift through the information and determine the best fit for your company. There are several key factors to consider that will help you compare apples to apples and identify the most appropriate and effective marketing vehicle for your company and the outcome you are looking to achieve.

1) Define Your Goal
Are you looking to generate brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, gain “likes” on Facebook, promote a new product, maximize your trade show investment—or all of the above? Who is your target market? Are you looking to target specific business types or geographic areas? Outlining short- and long-term initiatives will help set the scope for your marketing plan and allow you to evaluate options more effectively. ​

2) Evaluate The Target Data and List Integrity
​It’s important that your media partner is able to prove that your message is reaching the intended audience. To ensure you’re connecting with your best prospects, you must evaluate the integrity of the audience you are paying to reach. Some important questions to ask:

• What is the exact breakout of your print circulation and when was the last time it was updated?
• Do your magazine subscribers request to receive your publication or are they auto-subscribed?
• How many visitors and/or page views does a website receive?
• ​How many monthly impressions are your ads guaranteed?
• How many qualified industry professionals are on an email list?
• How are those lists cultivated and managed?
• Have recipients opted in to receive the emails?
• What open rate can you expect to receive?

Athletic business ​Print Audience

Athletic Business Digital Audience

3) Seek Proven Statistics
One of the wonderful things about digital advertising is that it is trackable. By asking the questions outlined above, you will have a good idea what to expect going into a campaign. If a media partner is unable to provide you with proven average statistics over a period of time, that should be a red flag. A reputable media partner will often partner with a third party to track the analytics of your campaign and should provide a stat report on a regular basis.

Want to learn more about how Athletic Business can help with your marketing needs? Contact:

DIANE EBNER

WESTERN SALES

(608) 729-4189

EMAIL DIANE

CHARLI MUCHOW

EASTERN SALES

(608) 729-4216

EMAIL CHARLI