Who is a media buyer?

A media buyer is a specialist in attracting traffic from various sources. This young profession raises a number of questions. Below we will tell you what a media buyer does, what his duties include, and how much he gets paid for his work.

What is media buying in simple words

The procedure of acquiring advertising space on different platforms for the purpose of further profitable realization is called media buying, its tasks - to present certain information to the target audience in the most competent and effective way. Media buying can be of several types: mass - advertising is purchased simultaneously on several online platforms and targeted, when advertising space is purchased only on one website or forum. The process involves:

• advertiser or media buyer is a person who rents advertising space, his tasks include studying the target audience and organizing negotiations with the owners of online resources;
• publisher - a traffic owner who provides online resources for advertising on certain conditions.

Media buying starts with media planning, which consists of several stages: defining clear goals and the sequence of the advertising campaign, analyzing platforms, studying the target audience.

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If every point of the media plan is clearly elaborated and there are no contradictions, then we can say that media planning is effective.

How media buyers work

Media buyer is not a simple buyer of advertising, his goal is to find such platforms where it is possible to place advertising content in the most favorable way. A traffic manager is in demand in Digital agencies, consulting companies, and startups. Professionals in the acquisition and placement of advertising can cooperate with online and offline platforms, work in social networks, with video platforms. The primary tasks of a media buyer are:

• analyzing existing advertising platforms, searching for the most profitable offers;
• organizing the negotiation process with publishers;
• mediation between the owners of online advertising platforms and advertisers;
• developing, launching, analyzing the effectiveness of the advertising campaign;
• financial reporting.

Also, additional duties of a media buyer can be: analyzing the market situation, finding intermediaries, developing terms of reference for creatives.

What should a media bayer be able to do?

Media bayer - a relatively young specialty, which was formed as a result of the merger of several professions. It is possible to become a good specialist only by having fundamental knowledge and skills in the field of Internet marketing. In the arsenal of a professional should be:

• solid knowledge of the theoretical foundations of marketing;
• skills of research organization;
• ability to conduct budget estimation taking into account KPIs;
• confident knowledge of online services that help to follow Internet trends;
• ability to use auxiliary software, create graphs, charts, customize filters, use formulas;
• negotiation skills, preparation of presentations;
• ability to quickly analyze data from different sources, understand the principles of search engines.

If we talk about the personal qualities without which it is impossible to become a good media buyer, it is important for a professional to have:

• disciplined - in digital marketing, as in business, results depend on effort, so a media bayer must be able to allocate his or her time wisely;
• communicative - able to quickly negotiate with clients, partners and publishers;
• trainability - media buying is one of the fastest growing fields, so specialists should be aware of all new trends, tools and strategies;
• creative thinking - a media buyer should approach many tasks in a non-standard way in order to be one step ahead of competitors;
• stress resistance - a specialist in advertising space procurement should be able to work in a team, not take offense at constructive criticism, and try to take into account all their mistakes and become even better.

The average salary of a beginner media bayer is from 1200$, a specialist can receive 2500$ and more, a professional earns from 3500$, but these data are relative and depend on a number of criteria, nevertheless, if you study the job exchange, media bayer is one of the highest paid professions.

For current vacancies in the field of affiliate marketing, see here.

Conclusions

Now it is more clear what a media bayer does, how much he earns, what personal qualities he should have. Remember, the key to success in this profession is analytical skills and creativity.