How Media Buying Platforms Drive The Incredible Campaign Results [+10 Media Buying Tools Inside]

What's the most challenging part of advertising? Most likely, it's reaching the right audience. You may have a compelling message and great creatives, but the campaign's performance will disappoint if you fail to show your ads to proper customer segments. To avoid such a scenario, you need to understand the concepts of media planning and buying and their key differences. A little spoiler: you don't have to choose between them; instead, put them to work in the correct order.

In this article, we'll explore both terms, learn their importance for reaching marketing goals, and discuss their role in the modern digital advertising ecosystem. We'll also list the best programmatic media buying platforms and their strengths.

By the end of the article, you'll be prepared to plan and execute media strategy efficiently and cost-effectively. Moreover, you'll know how to utilize the power of the media buying tools. Buckle your seatbelt; we're off to the new and exciting media buying and planning world!

What Is Media Buying?

Media buying implies purchasing ad space and time across different media channels to show your ad campaign to the audience. The term existed before the digital era, so advertisers chose traditional channels like TV or radio ads, ads in print newspapers and magazines, billboards, etc.

Today, companies often invest in these types of digital ads:

• Display ads (also known as banners)
• Mobile ads
• Social media ads
• Video ads
• DOOH (Digital Out of Home) ads

Media buying platforms allow you to buy various types of digital ads, which helps execute a comprehensive marketing strategy. However, it’s essential to understand that buying ad space doesn’t guarantee achieving the desired outcomes. Even the best media buying platforms are just tools. They automate the negotiation process with publishers, but they can’t decide for you. To use them correctly, you need to know your goal precisely.

What Could Be a Goal For Media Buying?

Often, the desired outcome is linked to the marketing funnel stage. For example, in the early stages, marketers are primarily interested in impressions, and later, with “warmer” audiences, they aspire for quality leads and conversions. Here are some examples of goals a company may set and relevant media buying tactics:

1. Building brand awareness. Marketers may decide to buy display ads on high-traffic websites, video ads on popular YouTube channels, or DOOH ads in high-traffic city areas.

2. Generating leads. Marketers can choose targeted social media buying (on Facebook, Instagram, etc.) or sponsored content to attract new customers.

3. Stimulating immediate action (for instance, sign-up). In this case, customized ads or personalized offers in several digital channels may be the best solution.

4. Keeping customers from leaving. To avoid client drain, it makes sense to use retargeting, e.i., to reach customers already familiar with your brand across other channels and make them attractive offers.

No matter what your goal is, digital media buying has many tactics to offer. Let’s explore its benefits in detail.

Why You May Need Media Buying

Modern media buying tools can bring countless advantages to a marketer. Here are some of them:

• Reaching the audience effectively due to the advanced targeting capabilities. Usually, programmatic media buying platforms are built on data-driven algorithms. They can create user profiles and target customers based on various criteria (both demographic and behavioral). As a result, you can be sure your ad will reach the right audience.
• Optimizing marketing budget. Digital media buying allows you to allocate more money to the best-performing ads, so you spend your budget efficiently.
• Optimizing performance. With programmatic media buying, you can analyze key campaign metrics, such as the number of clicks, impressions, conversions, etc., and make changes. For example, you can try other ad versions or different placement options.
• Variety of ad inventory. Advertisers can choose among many options, including premium ad placement, which helps improve ad visibility and strengthen brand reputation.
• Easy and convenient campaign management. With media buying tools, you can monitor the performance metrics and, if necessary, make real-time adjustments. You don’t need to wait for the campaign to end to evaluate it – you can do it on the go.
• Scaling the campaign. If you see the ad performing well, you can scale it across different channels in almost no time. Also, you can easily extend the campaign.

Summing up, media buying platforms save marketers time and money, automate many routine tasks, and allow them to focus on ideas and strategy rather than plain execution.

How Media Buying Works

The traditional approach to media buying required direct negotiations between publishers and advertisers. Every aspect of the ad placement had to be discussed, from the inventory to the price. Nowadays, programmatic media buying platforms allow you to do it all automatically. But you need to understand how it works to achieve the best results.

Typically, there are at least three parts of the programmatic ecosystem involved:

• A demand-side platform (DSP) is a gateway for advertisers. Here, they set up campaigns, bid on ad inventory, and can optimize campaigns in real-time.
• A supply-side platform (SSP) allows publishers to manage their ad inventory.
• An ad exchange is a place where publishers and advertisers meet. It aggregates the inventory publishers offer and allows advertisers to bid on it.
• Thanks to real-time bidding (RTB) technology, this process is highly automated and takes milliseconds.

So, now you know the technical aspect of media buying. But what about the broader process?

8 Steps to Media Buying

1. Set campaign goals. They should be aligned with the marketing strategy and be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound).

2. Define your target audience based on demographics and behavior. Create detailed profiles of your customers.

3. Research channels. Before buying ad placements, you should identify the best channels for your goal. Conduct media research, identify possible candidates, and collect data about their engagement rates and other performance metrics.

4. Create a media strategy. It should include an objective and a combination of chosen channels.

5. Develop a media plan. Its parts are timing, ad placements, and budgets for all channels.

6. Start media buying. At this point, you can finally proceed to execute the strategy. Use media buying platforms and set up your campaigns.

7. Monitor performance after the launch. If necessary, optimize your ads in real time. For example, if one channel is doing much better than others, you may want to reallocate the budget to it.

8. Analyze the data, create reports, and make conclusions. At the end of the campaign, compare the objectives with actual results. You'll most likely have valuable insights that will save you time and money in future campaigns.

Clearly, the media buying process requires advertisers to have diverse skills. Choosing the proper channels, finding the best media buying platforms, and drawing insights from the data are essential to making your campaigns work.

What Is Media Planning?

The term “media planning” is widespread, and you may wonder if it means the same as media buying. The answer is clear: no, media buying and planning aren’t synonyms. Let’s find out more!

Media planning is focused on finding the most efficient and cost-effective way to deliver your message to the right audience. It’s deeply connected to the marketing strategy and aspires to maximize its results while optimizing the budget.

Usually, media planning includes:

• Audience analysis
• Choosing the channels to reach the identified audience
• Allocating the budget to place ads in specified channels
• Scheduling the ad placements
• Defining key performance metrics to track

Now, you can see that media planning is a significant part of the process described in the previous section. It follows the creation of the strategy and precedes media buying. Simply put, media planning is about the strategic view of advertising, while media buying is more about the correct execution of the strategy.

The Differences Between Media Buying and Media Planning

Being two parts of one process, media planning and buying have different functions and purposes.

Focus

Media planning is built around the advertising strategy and choosing suitable media channels.

On the other hand, media buying focuses on executing the strategy, e.g., choosing the media buying platforms and purchasing ad placements.

Timing

Usually, media planning is conducted first, along with creating the campaign strategy.

Media buying is the following step. If it comes before media planning, the company will likely experience problems, such as the budget not being spent wisely.

Skillset

Media planning requires analytical thinking skills, an understanding of the basics of market research, and analytical skills.

At the same time, media buying requires knowledge of media buying tools and tactics, pricing models, etc.

Point of View

For media planning, it’s broader, more strategic. The media plan should consider marketing strategy and campaign goals.

Media buying is often more focused, although it still must be aligned with the campaign strategy and ensure the key performance metrics are within the desirable range.

Indicators

While media planning typically includes metrics like audience reach and the general effectiveness of the campaign, media buying is focused on indicators like ROI (return on investment), CPC (cost per click), CPM (cost per mille), etc.

Although media buying and planning are often performed by the same professionals, especially if the company is small- or medium-sized, it’s important to distinguish them. You don’t want to start executing the raw or even absent strategy. The programmatic advertising market offers many opportunities to implement creative campaigns and achieve great results. Still, you need a thorough plan before diving into buying ad inventory.

Top 10 Media Buying Tools

Luckily for advertisers, the market offers a variety of options when it comes to programmatic media buying platforms. We’ve collected the most popular ones:

1. Display & Video 360 (DV360)

Google developed this self-service platform for ad agencies and independent advertisers. It lets users plan and execute media strategies and track key campaign metrics. DV360 contains five modules: Campaigns, Audiences, Creatives, Inventory, and Insights. They help keep the whole process under control.

One of the benefits of this platform is seamless integration with other Google products, like Google Analytics and Google Ads, so you can fully understand your campaigns’ results.

2. Xandr

This programmatic system belongs to Microsoft, which speaks for itself. It contains the platform for the targeted buying and selling of ad inventory called Community. The significant advantage of this option is its scalability. It can serve businesses of all sizes across many channels. Plus, it’s known for its comprehensive analytical capabilities.

Xandr offers convenient tools for advertisers and publishers. For instance, the latter can optimize the experience of their visitors.

3. SmartyAds

This platform aggregates and offers advertisers various ad formats: display, video, audio, DOOH, in-app, etc. It’s famous for its safety, as SmartyAds works with security providers, such as Pixalate.

Also, the system allows marketers to optimize campaigns in real time, increasing their chances for success. And, thanks to advanced targeting options, reaching the right audience becomes easier.

This platform offers a self-service mode and paid services.

4. Amazon DSP

Initially, it was a convenient tool for companies selling their products on Amazon, but now, the platform is beyond this limitation. Today, advertisers can buy audio, video, or display ad placement via this DSP, not just on Amazon’s websites and devices, like Kindle, but also on external resources. This happens with the help of Amazon’s ad network.

Amazon’s strong side is collecting data on customers’ shopping behavior and demographics. Hence, its programmatic system is good in targeting various audience segments.

5. Epom White-Label DSP

This platform supports multiple ad formats, including interstitials, videos, popunders, and native banners. It also offers different types of analytics: video and mobile-specific, collected in real time. Moreover, Epom WL DSP has an auto-optimization feature, so you don't need extra effort; underperforming traffic is automatically eliminated. In addition, this tool tracks conversions and allows advertisers to re-engage visitors who didn't convert.

And since this platform is a white-label solution, you can customize the DSP interface to match your brand.

6. The Trade Desk

This platform, like some other media buying tools, grants access to various ad exchanges and offers advanced targeting. With its help, you can buy ad placements across many digital media channels and manage your campaigns. Channels options include DOOH, in-game, mobile, audio, video, display, and CTV.

The platform is self-served but relatively straightforward, so it’s not hard to use it, even for small businesses.

7. Adobe Advertising Cloud

Like Google, Adobe created its DSP, which seamlessly integrates Adobe Audience Manager and Adobe Analytics. This platform allows advertisers to manage their ad campaigns across multiple channels. Also, it includes media planning tools and makes it easier to optimize campaigns.

8. Simpli.fi

This hybrid platform combines the functionality of the data management platform and the demand-side media buying platform, which makes it a universal tool for companies of all sizes and campaigns of all budgets.

At the same time, its specialty is localized programmatic advertising. It offers detailed targeting, geofencing, and contextual advertising features.

9. BidTheatre

This platform offers a full range of functionality, from creating ads to analyzing campaign performance metrics. It supports various types of advertising, including native, display, and video.

With BidTheatre, advertisers can set up their own targeting criteria, which helps in achieving campaign goals.

10. Adform

This platform’s strength is its use of various data, such as browsing history and social media behavior. As a result, advertisers can better target their audience.

Adform includes the data management platform and ad server in addition to DSP. So, advertisers can conveniently buy ad placements and manage their campaigns across many channels.

How to Choose the Best Platform?

Each of these programmatic media buying platforms has its strong sides and unique features, making each a great choice. Still, to find the best media buying platform, you must consider your specific requirements. In particular, you can ask yourself:

• What are the typical goals of your campaigns?
• What platform features are the most essential for you?
• How proficient are you with media buying tools?
• What is your budget?

Answering these questions will help you get started with choosing the best option for your needs.

Conclusion

Media buying is an essential element of every modern advertising strategy, just like media planning. As we’ve discovered throughout this article, it’s highly beneficial for businesses of any size. Advanced targeting options, campaign performance optimization, budget reallocation, detailed reporting, and customer insights are just a few advantages of programmatic media buying platforms.

Obviously, to make the most of your campaign, you need a powerful tool. We’ve reviewed the best media buying platforms and discussed their strengths so that every advertiser and publisher can see how broad the spectrum is. The market is extensive, and every company can find the platform that suits its needs the most.

One of the strongest options is Epom White-Label DSP. This platform allows advertisers to launch and manage campaigns quickly and cost-effectively. Moreover, you can try WL DSP for free and see if you fall in love with it as we do.

FAQ

• What is media buying?

  Media buying involves purchasing ad space and time across different media channels to show your marketing campaign to the audience.

• What are the benefits of media buying?

  Some of them are effectively reaching the target audience, optimizing the marketing budget and campaign performance, accessing various ad inventory, and easy and convenient campaign management.

• How does media buying work?

  The traditional approach to media buying required direct negotiations between publishers and advertisers. Today, programmatic media buying platforms allow you to do it all automatically. Advertisers set up campaigns on a demand-side platform (DSP), bid on ad inventory, and optimize campaigns in real time. On a supply-side platform (SSP), publishers manage their ad inventory. An ad exchange is a place where publishers and advertisers meet.

• What is media planning?

  Media planning is focused on finding the most efficient and cost-effective way to deliver your message to the right audience. It’s deeply connected to the marketing strategy and aspires to maximize its results while optimizing the budget.

• What is the difference between media buying and media planning?

  Media planning and buying have different functions and purposes. For instance, media planning is built around the advertising strategy and choosing suitable media channels. Media buying focuses on executing the strategy, e.g., choosing the media buying platforms and purchasing ad placements.

• What are the best media buying platforms?

  Some of them are Display & Video 360, Xandr, SmartyAds, Amazon DSP, and Epom Ad Server. Each of these programmatic media buying platforms has its strong sides and unique features, making it a great choice.