You Say You Want a (Media) Revolution

So far there have been several themes to 2009 in marketing circles: the wide adoption of social media, development of the lifecycle marketing programs, and the noted transition of traditional media dollars to online advertising. Meanwhile, newspapers are going through layoffs, furlough schedules and some newspaper goliaths are falling flat on their backs. Expectations from marketers indicate an even bigger swing to online advertising as the year goes on. A recent eMarketer study shows that CMOs expect their online marketing budgets to increase while their traditional advertising spending will drop in the coming year. Anecdotally, we at Off Madison Ave/ Mighty Interactive have had several clients approach us about increasing their online media spend.

Caveat: It should be noted that even though more and more marketers are finally singing the praises of online media and internet advertising, the "traditional" tactics should not be abandoned. We are firm believers that individual customers respond to specific messaging and media types in different ways. Print, broadcast, outdoor, etc. should all be considered when developing a sound media mix. Traditional media can play nice with online and symbiotic relationships can be developed between the two media types if budget allows. Enhanced tracking and measurement methods allow for greater visibility to the success of traditional media placements.

Before plunging head first into banner ad buys, email sponsorships or large ad network contracts, please take the time to read on. Are you or your marketing staff considering dedicating more budget to online advertising? If so, keep these tips in mind:

A. Have a plan. Have you quantified objectives for your online media campaigns? Do you know the critical messages that enable you to differentiate your business from your competitors? Are there specific messaging or creative platforms that you should be testing? (hint: the answer to all these questions should be a resounding, "Yes!") Planning exercises and clarification of core marketing goals are crucial if you hope to generate a successful campaign.

B. Know the tools at your disposal. Recent advancements in targeting capabilities are downright spooky. Marketers can now monitor the behavior of potential customers on their site or within an ad network and deliver meaningful messages based on those actions. Retargeting programs from companies like Fetchback adopt the "Cheers" philosophy - you want to go to the potential customers who already know your name. Some creative placements allow for information capture within the ad. Plus, a well-trained media buyer can negotiate contracts to secure value add or just simply get more eye balls for your marketing dollar.

C. Embrace the notion of using an ad server. What is an ad server? This is a tool that allows you to have greater control over your online advertising campaign. As opposed to providing publishers with your online creative, you provide a connection to your ad server where you manage creative and have the ability to track impressions and clicks on your own. Core benefits include:

1. Enable tracking of all impressions so you can ensure you get what you purchased.
2. Track activity (i.e. clicks) on specific ad creative and placements to provide a true ROI measurement beyond CPM costs.
3. Allow flexibility in making changes to creative on the fly to avoid waiting for your ad reps to make changes for you, which can take days in some cases.

As a responsible marketing professional it behooves you to conduct your due diligence and ensure proper tools are in place to measure effectively.

More than anything, be willing to do what the dinosaurs, the dodo bird and The Cincinnati Post failed to do - Adapt.

About the Author: Chris Sietsema

As Director of Interactive Marketing, Chris oversees day-to-day digital marketing responsibilities including search engine optimization, paid search advertising, social media, email marketing and media buying.

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