Media Buying Agency – 5 Reasons You Should Hire An Agent To Buy Your Ad Space

Interested in buying media “direct from the source” – such as a television station, radio station, billboard company, newspaper, or magazine company? At first glance, circumventing a media buying agent and buying direct seems like a good decision. After all, you are saving yourself the 15% commission that the agent/middle man would be receiving if you chose to go through them, right?

Well, the reality of the situation is that you are probably losing money if you buy direct.

Experienced CMOs, marketing directors and in-house advertising specialists understand the value that a media buying agency adds to the equation: tangible, monetary value that far outweights the 15% commission the agents earn.

Here are 5 reasons you should hire a media buying agency rather than going direct to the media source:

1. Smarter media outlet selection: a good media buyer conducts research that aligns the type of product or service you offer with the right buyers – and with the right media outlet. They have in front of them a menu of multiple stations/newspapers/billboards to choose from. Compare this to going direct, whereby you may likely go with whichever station you personally prefer or otherwise think is popular: not a good move if you want to hit your target audience with your message. At the end of the day, it is the effectiveness of your campaign that will drive your ROI, not saving a few dollars up front by going direct.

2. Negotiating power: media buying agencies know how to ask the right questions and get the deals that can save you money on your total bill. Media outlets recognize the agency’s experience and are more likely to be flexible with pricing or to clue them in on deals.

3. Understanding the lingo: points, dayparts, PVT/PUT, O&O station, break position: there is a lot of specialized terminology in the media buying world! Leave it to an agent to cut through it all to get you the best deal possible.

4. Not all times of day are created equal: if you go direct, your advertisement will likely be relegated to less attractive times of day to run your message. Why? There are 24 hours in a day, and stations need ad inventory for every hour. Who knows where – or when – your ad will actually play. Meanwhile, a savvy media buying agent will aggressively fight to get your ads placed in the most advantageous dayparts.

5. Convenience: when you buy direct, you open yourself up to a slew of incoming calls from other stations soliciting your business. Once the word is out that you are in the market to buy media, the sharks will start circling. Instead, allow your agent to field incoming calls, negotiate, and schedule deals so that you can focus on running your business.

Want to buy smart? Call an experienced, research-focused media buying agent to handle your media buys moving forward and get a better return on investment for your campaigns.