‘Pre-plan’ is a tautology, nothing more nothing less. ‘pre’ means before, ‘plan’ means to work out a course of action or have a scheme for doing something. You cannot, by definition, plan to do something after you’ve done it or even while you’re doing it. – said by someone on the internet.
Is that confusing or what?
Pre-planning or planning ahead for most things that you need to be organized for or spend money on is always a good idea. It leaves you feeling less anxious, with time to get all your questions answered – and less room for mistakes! It also allows you to run your business instead of scrambling last minute to advertise for an event or a sale.
I’m here to tell you why pre-planning your media is so important.
It doesn’t have to be confusing!
After you define your goals, pinpoint your ideal target audience, do your research in the market – it is time to plan your media. A media plan provides a strategic roadmap for you to follow. Of course, there may be some bumps in “said” road, but at least there is a plan mapped out ahead of time with the best combination of media to reach your marketing campaign goals.
What about planning a wedding?
You need a dress. You’re NOT going to buy one the day before.
Guest list. You have to think about who you want to invite, and give them a heads up, so they can plan to be there.
Food? Drinks? Entertainment? You have to plan this all out. What’s your budget? How many people do you need to feed?
People spend tons of time planning weddings or hire wedding planners to do it for them – because a lot of people spend A LOT of money on weddings. For all that money, there has to be a plan right? You may be thinking about or already do spend a significant amount of money on your advertising, so why wouldn’t you do the same?
Think about your media plan as your dream wedding. Or if you’re not into that kind of thing, think about it as a very important part of investing in your business.
The number one reason to pre-plan your media is it will SAVE you money.
You will get better rates. More time for negotiation. Premium placements will still be available. You will see better results.
The planning supports message dissemination and helps decipher when and where to use media to reach your target consumer. (How you spread out talking to people who you want to spend money with you most effectively).
I have no idea how to plan a wedding, but I do know how to plan some media! Let us help you make it less confusing and get ahead of your competitors so you have time to do what you need to do to run a successful business. And if you happen to be thinking about planning a wedding sometime soon, we may know a few people who know a thing or two about jewelry.