Tips & Tactics
Guides and reference materials for media planners - whether or not you use MLS
What’s New in OTT and Streaming?
It’s no secret that Netflix has had its share of financial woes in recent months. They were the first and biggest streamer to hit the market and were dominant for many years. Yet, as other streamers such as Hulu, HBO Max, and Disney+ have come to market, Netflix has been losing subscribers. So, they’re looking…
Read More
Take Back Your Time with MLS Formulas
“Time Is Money.” We’ve all heard this phrase written by Benjamin Franklin when he first coined the aphorism in his essay “Advice to a Young Tradesman.” It’s a truth that still rings true today, and one we often forget. Many of us try to do too many things. Sure, if you have a mechanical aptitude,…
Read More
Diversity of Media Buying
Since Media Link Software® entered the market in 2011, we have encountered a wide variety of different ways people plan their media buys. So, in this blog, we would like to outline some of the basics about the different media buying philosophies. Programmatic Media Buying Programmatic advertising uses an element of automation to decide where…
Read More
How to Compare Advertising Across Different Types of Media
What is more valuable: 10,000 individuals exposed to an ad three times, 100 clicks on an ad or 5 acquisitions? How do you reflect the value of these different metrics of advertising and compare them with each other? Evaluating Media by CPM (and explain what CPM is) Comparing media proposals by CPM or Cost Per…
Read More
Gross Vs Net
Most agencies offering media buying services are paid on a percentage basis. This means their customer pays the agency for the advertising schedule purchased and then the agency pays the advertising vendor the net cost of that schedule. The amount that the agency keeps is many times referred to as a commission or fee and…
Read More
How to Define Your Target Market
Without a properly defined target audience any attempt to effectively spend and evaluate an advertising budget becomes more of a guessing game than a strategy, which is why Media Link Software® is utilized by advertising professionals to get the most bang for the buck. The first questions you should be asking include; Who are my…
Read More
3 Reasons to Use CPM When Buying Ad Space
CPM, or cost-per-thousand, is the price you pay for 1,000 impressions on a given platform. M is the Roman numeral for 1,000. CPM is one of the most common ways of buying media digitally, but it can also be used to buy from other channels or compare the cost of a campaign on an equal…
Read More
Agency Discount Rates
Amongst Media Link Software’s® more recent updates was a remodeling of how the system handles agency commission/discount rates. Most media buyers that operate out of agencies are paid based upon the volume of the buys being placed rather than an hour fee. In turn, many vendors selling advertising space provide equivalent discounts to the agency.…
Read More
Transparency and Documentation
Transparency and documentation in the advertising and communications industry has never been as important as today. Many campaigns start with an organization and its advertising agency defining a budget and media mix. The agency then contacts vendors, negotiates pricing and other terms, and presents proposals to the client. The outcomes of this process are the…
Read More