Media planning is the strategic phase, consisting of conducting market research, setting clear goals (such as increasing brand recognition or sales) and selecting suitable places for advertising based on those results. A media planner might recommend placing advertisements on platforms like Instagram and TikTok where many young adults (millennials and Gen Zers alike) spend most of their time.
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Media buying is the last stage in carrying out your media plan. Once the plan has been developed, media buyers take over. They negotiate, purchase and place ads within your budget at desired websites and spaces - from discounted lifestyle blogs to highly visible banner ads on news websites - making sure everything comes together smoothly! Together media planning and buying complete a process which transforms ideas into real advertising campaigns.

Media Buyers Rely Mostly on Two Main Strategies for Advertising Purchase

Direct Buying: Direct buying allows advertisers to purchase advertising space directly from website or platform owners; for example, approaching popular tech blogs to purchase banner ads directly can give guaranteed ad spots; it works particularly well when targeting specific groups or campaigns - however manual negotiations require more time and energy than automated options.

‍Programmatic Buying
‍Programmatic buying is the future of media buying, using AI (Artificial Intelligence) and algorithms to automatically purchase ads through auctions in real time and quickly. It works faster, is better, and allows more specific targeting - for instance a travel agency in Singapore could use this form of buying to show ads targeted toward users searching "best holiday destinations in Bali." It analyzes what users do online to show ads to the appropriate target audiences within milliseconds!

‍Why Media Buying Is Essential
‍Media buying allows your ads to only reach people most likely to make a purchase, eliminating wasteful expenditure on those not interested. For instance, a luxury watch brand in Singapore might use media buying to target high-income professionals on LinkedIn instead of spending their budget showing advertisements to an indifferent crowd of individuals. By targeting specific groups or interests through media buying you maximize return on investment (ROI); your message reaches more potential purchasers resulting in more sales opportunities.
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‍What Does Media Buying Look Like? 
‍While media buying may appear complex, its core principle remains straightforward. We will break it down into five steps to demonstrate its operation and demonstrate why this works so smoothly.

‍Set Goals
‍In order to get the most from media buying, setting clear goals should be your starting point. Goals should guide all decisions regarding media buying - do you want more people to recognize your brand, generate leads for sales teams or increase foot traffic through limited-time offers in Singapore cafes while B2B software companies focus more on lead generation for sales. Setting clear goals early helps assess how closely media buying plans align with business goals as well as show if your strategy has succeeded or failed.

‍Determine Target Audience
‍Once you know who it is that you want to reach, the next step should be targeting their audience. By studying factors like age, interests and online habits of potential targets you can pinpoint those most likely to enjoy what your offering. For instance, fitness apps might target young adults in Singapore who follow health influencers on Instagram and search YouTube videos for workout routines - the more specific your targeting efforts, the higher the probability that people care about what it provides!

‍Select Platforms
‍Every platform works differently, so your selection should depend on where and what kind of content your target audience prefers most. As an overview:

Google Ads are ideal for reaching people actively searching for something. When someone types in "best CRM software", for instance, an effective Google ad can immediately showcase your product to them.

Facebook/Instagram: These platforms provide great ways to share stories through pictures and videos while simultaneously promoting your brand or business. Fashion labels might use Instagram as an additional showcase platform, using photos or videos of their latest collection for promotion purposes.

LinkedIn: This platform can provide SaaS providers an effective means of reaching decision-makers across industries.

TikTok: TikTok provides an ideal means of reaching young audiences (Gen Z). A snack brand may create challenges that go viral to engage younger consumers, reaching those most important to them with your ads. By selecting an effective platform, your ads can reach those they matter most too.

‍Negotiate and Purchase
‍Negotiating and purchasing is at the core of media buying, where media buyers engage publishers directly or utilize tools like AdExchange in an attempt to find optimal ad spots at discounted rates - be that banner ads on popular blogs, or automatically placing ads for your ideal audience - both of these ways of media buying are designed to maximize budget efficiency while placing brand messages strategically throughout their target markets.
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‍Monitor and Optimize
‍Media buying doesn't stop once ads go live - quite the contrary! Constant monitoring and optimizing are vitally important in order to get maximum results from any media campaign. Checking and improving regularly ensure that each ad works as planned (for instance if not many people click), changing targeting or creative as necessary or shifting budget towards platforms where results have shown more promise (TikiTok ads may perform better for instance), thus guaranteeing you see maximum returns! With these ongoing processes in place your media buying campaign stays on course and gives maximum returns!

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