Paid media is used as a key marketing channel by many companies who understand the huge ROI it can provide (when done correctly, of course!) There are so many benefits of media from the opportunity to target the right audience at the right time in the right place to the endless ways to deliver your key marketing messages. We appreciate that clients have and can go direct and straight to the suppliers to manage their media buying in-house – and the questions we often get asked from new clients are about the benefits of using a media agency like Tonic. Hopefully, this blog will explain to clients new (and maybe remind the existing ones) a few of the reasons why it pays off to use a media buying agency or consultant.

Some of the common reasons that companies are reluctant at the start are usually down to the following:

  • The belief is that by controlling things in-house – campaigns will be more streamlined.
  • The belief is that they will get a better deal going directly to the source rather than use a media buying agency/consultant. 
  • They are not really sure what a media planner & buyer actually does and how they can help.

The honest truth is there are huge benefits to working with a media buying agency & consultancy like Tonic. You may be thinking, well of course we would say that – but keep reading to really understand why. 

We deal with all media relations on your behalf

This alone can save you hours! How many calls/emails a day do you get from sales staff/suppliers wanting your whole budget, trying to sell you something that may actually not fit with your overall marketing plan and strategy and only covers one area of the media mix? Admittedly, some of the direct sales staff are great salespeople – and the deals they have can seem enticing.  But it’s worth remembering that all direct salespeople have targets to hit each month. At Tonic we are not governed by targets or sales figures, we work with what works for our clients to achieve the right results. We provide an honest and independent approach to not only one part of your marketing – but the whole mix. . As a business owner, shareholder, or marketing lead you have far more important things to do during your day than to deal with media sales calls, negotiation, media/market research, planning, buying, as well as measuring effectiveness and reporting. Working with us will free up your time so you can focus on the high priority tasks, allowing you to see the bigger picture, scale your business and increase your revenue.

No direct cost to you for using our services

This is something most people are shocked by! We are compensated directly by the media suppliers we work with. We do not charge service or retainer fees for our media buying or tie our clients into long term contracts. We regularly work on a project by project basis as we are confident that you will be happy with our services and want to use us again – after all, we are only as good as our last campaign. We are here to make life easier, save money, provide unbiased advice and provide greater ROI for our clients.

Negotiation skills

As a media buying agency we deal with media sales representatives daily and for numerous clients, so we generally have greater buying power and discounts only available to us that your company won’t be able to benefit from by going direct. As an agency, we can leverage the collective budgets of all of our clients to benefit each individual client. This buying power can help your campaigns have better cost and ad positioning. Any savings we make, we can pass on to our clients.

Experience 

We have established long-standing relationships with different media suppliers and can work this influence on your behalf. As professional media planners and buyers, we understand the market, pricing, and cost per impression. We can recognise what is ‘really a great deal and what is actually just ‘overpriced’. We can also monitor voidage deals or keep an eye on the market for some last-minute bargains. We have worked on the supplier and client-side so know a thing or two about how to buy smarter. 

We understand how to track our campaigns

Many mediums offer a guaranteed cost per thousand impressions, reach or impacts. We know how to track these and further negotiate additional ads or added value benefits through filler spots, additional impressions and also overshow where possible. We work and speak with suppliers on a daily basis and love a spreadsheet as well as quantifying your campaign through post-campaign analysis. 

Unbiased Perspective

We can offer a fresh and unbiased perspective for your marketing objectives. We have absolutely no bias towards one medium or another, which allows us to offer advice based solely on your marketing objectives and what is truly best for your business. Being constantly in the market and being updated across all supplier products and services means a greater understanding of the media landscape.

We have access to specialist tools and data and we love to crunch the numbers 

One of the biggest weaknesses with in-house media buying is usually on the planning side. In-house buyers can lack the tools necessary to identify and engage key audiences at scale. 

Working with us will allow you to leverage our advanced tools and systems. Meaning your media buys will be methodically and insightfully planned to help you reduce ad wastage and improve response.

So why is Tonic different from any other media buying agency/Consultancy? 

We work across all areas of Marketing 

We pride ourselves on working with the best team and being able to offer you online and offline solutions. We bring in the right partners to deliver across the full media mix and can integrate and speak to/work with your existing agencies/teams to ensure that all channels speak to each other and maximise any revenue spent. 

Our overheads are low

Our business model is a slightly different approach – we are a collaborative of media experts. Most of our team work remotely meaning that we don’t have massive overheads or offices filled with beanbags, pool tables and bars! It simply means that you get our experience and time and don’t have to pay a fee on top to compensate for our expenses. 

We are passionate and provide the best customer experience 

We literally love what we do and our clients describe us as ‘an extension of their team’. We always go the extra mile and our USP is the service that we provide. 

If we can help you with any of your media buying or planning, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We would love to help, and of course, show the value in using our expert services. If you have any questions when it comes to partnering with a media agency like Tonic, we would love to hear from you!