You know all those great ads (and those not-so-great ads) you see on social media, news websites, or wherever you go online? They didn’t just appear there randomly — or magically. You’re seeing them because a media buyer wanted to reach you. Yes, you, specifically.
That’s a media buyer’s role. They’re crucial for helping companies purchase ad space with the goal of promoting a message to the right audience across all kinds of digital platforms.
But “purchasing ad space” isn’t as easy as it sounds. A lot goes into being a media buyer. Whether you work directly with a programmatic media buyer and you want to gain a better understanding of their role or you want to learn how to become a media buyer, this guide is designed for you.
Table Of Contents
4 Stages of Media Buying
What does a media buyer do? In a nutshell, they’re responsible for purchasing advertising space. Before the Internet, they were responsible for newspaper, magazine, out-of-home, and broadcast placement. Digital media buyers are focused on purchasing online media. And a lot goes into it.
Stage #1: Planning
This stage involves research and strategy. A media buyer needs to understand what the brand goals are, who the brand is targeting, and how much money is available to spend. With these factors in mind, the media buyer gets to work, identifying the right ad platforms to use and exactly which formats to incorporate. They then create a plan to get the ball rolling.
Stage #2: Pre-Launch
With planning out of the way, it’s time to get ready to launch the ad campaigns. A lot goes into this stage, including creating the ads, setting up the ad cabinet, and getting ready to track everything for optimal performance.
Stage #3: Purchasing & Tracking
Next, the ads are purchased and go live. But there’s no sitting back and kicking your feet up here. Media buyers are busy staying on top of every bit of data, tracking things like clicks, impressions, and conversions so they can understand what’s working and what isn’t — and ultimately adjust along the way if required.
Stage #4: Analyzing & Optimizing
When the campaign period is over, there’s lots of work to do. Media buyers take time to review the results, understand how each ad performed, and figure out what worked well and what needs improvement. Understanding all the data will help optimize future campaigns so that they engage and convert better.
The Role of a Programmatic Media Buyer
Now that you understand what is a media buyer, it’s time to look at the role of a programmatic media buyer. A traditional digital media buyer negotiates deals with publishers and manually buys ads. A programmatic media buyer employs automated software and relies on advanced algorithms to purchase ads. Traditional media buyers rely on a more manual process. Programmatic media buyers lean on automation.
5 Advantages of Programmatic Media Buying
It’s more efficient
Programmatic media buying automates the ad buying process, so things move faster and are more efficient than old-school methods.
You get more precise targeting
With programmatic media buying, you can precision-target your audience based on real-time actions. It’s not just about their past behaviors, it’s about what they’re doing right now.
It’s very cost effective
If you want a better return on investment, programmatic buying is a great option. By optimizing the bidding process, you can make sure your ads reach more people at a reduced rate.
You can make real-time adjustments
Programmatic media buying lets you track the performance of your ads on the fly and make instant performance improvements for better results.
It’s easier to reach more people
If you want to run ads on a variety of websites and platforms, programmatic media buying can help you reach a larger, equally relevant audience without extra manual labor on your end.
How to Become a Media Buyer
Media buying is an excellent career — and becoming a digital media buyer can be extremely fulfilling. If you’re interested in a new career, you’ll need to learn the skills. If you have a degree or diploma in Marketing, Advertising, or Digital Media, you’re on your way.
But that’s not the only way in. There are all kinds of bootcamps you can take if you want to learn how to become a media buyer. Completing a reputable one can help you gain an entry-level role, hone your skills, gain experience, and level up your employment.
Tools and Platforms Used by Media Buyers
Google Ads If you’re wondering what is media buying in digital advertising, Google Ads is a great place to start to find the answer. Arguably the most popular digital ad platforms, Google Ads isn’t just sponsored posts that appear at the top of a user’s search request. The Google Ads network is vast, spanning search, video, mobile advertising, and so much more. Media buyers can target specific users based on keywords, unique interests, and demographics.
If you’re wondering what is media buying in digital advertising, Google Ads is a great place to start to find the answer. Arguably the most popular digital ad platforms, Google Ads isn’t just sponsored posts that appear at the top of a user’s search request. The Google Ads network is vast, spanning search, video, mobile advertising, and so much more. Media buyers can target specific users based on keywords, unique interests, and demographics.
Facebook Ads
Facebook has gone from a place where college students can connect to a giant community for billions of people around the world. Whether you scroll Facebook daily or you pop in every few months, there’s a good chance you’ve been bombarded by ads. In fact, Facebook’s social media feed has gone from mostly posts from friends and groups to predominantly ads. These are sometimes obvious (like sponsored posts) and sometimes not as obvious (like videos from influencers you might be interested in).
Facebook Ads is the platform that pulls it all together and lets a digital media buyer target users based on all kinds of factors, including demographics, interests, behaviors, and more. Facebook Ads also accommodates for all kinds of ad formats, including image-based ads, carousel ads, video ads, and more.
And it’s not just Facebook that Facebook Ads support. The platform lets media buyers target Instagram and WhatsApp too.
X Business (Formerly Twitter Ads)
We’ll just say it. X (formerly Twitter) is a cesspool of insanity. But the truth is it boasts over 500 million monthly active users, making it extremely attractive. If you’re a digital media buyer, you’d be foolish to ignore this platform, especially since the platform is really tailored for both brand awareness and engagement.
Amazon Advertising
Amazon offers Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display categories to help digital media buyers target users based on several factors, including their search history, product interests, and past shopping patterns.
LinkedIn Advertising
If you’re a business professional, you probably have a LinkedIn profile. And you already know how powerful it can be to help build out your network of like-minded professionals. But did you know it’s also a great platform for advertisers? On LinkedIn, you can create display ads as well as specific dynamic ads to reach certain people based on things like their job title, company, and industry. LinkedIn also lets advertisers create sponsored InMail for super-targeted advertising.
The Future of Media Buying
If you traveled back to 2001 and told a typical media buyer that they’d be able to reach their audience while they’re at home, in bed, staring at a screen, they’d call you a liar. But here we are in a world where everyone has an iPhone or Android — and they’re always connected to a world of advertising opportunities.
The last few decades of advertising have changed the media buying landscape. Here’s a look at what we can expect in the next few years.
AI and Machine Learning
Everyone’s talking about AI, but the digital media buyer has been leveraging AI for quite some time. Programmatic media buying involves algorithms to help reach more people, and we’re likely going to see more AI advances to help with efficiency and return on investment.
Privacy-friendly advertising
Everyone is concerned about data privacy. And we’re going to see more emphasis on making sure that advertising meets privacy regulations around the world. If you’re a digital media buyer, it’s important to be aware of the everchanging landscape.
Interactive advertising formats
With advancements in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, expect to see new and innovative ways to reach your audience. The Apple Vision Pro is only getting started, and Meta’s Orion augmented reality glasses (though in its infancy) are destined to shake up the landscape.
Benefits of Working With BizzOffers
At BizzOffers, we’re here to help media buyers reach their goals and achieve the return on investment they’re hoping for. Our account managers have a long history of creating tailored plans for media buyers looking to reach new audiences.
Whether you have a media buyer on your team or you’re a solo entrepreneur going it alone, we’re excited to partner with you to help you excel.
Final Thoughts About Media Buying
Advertising without a media buyer in your corner is like hosting a party without having a guest list. Your theme might be great. Your decor and food? Spot on. But if no one shows up, you wasted your time and money.
For more information on using a programmatic media buyer, get in touch with BizzOffers. We’re happy to help you with anything related to media buying, advertising, affiliate marketing, and everything in between.
