However, in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the job may be done by the same person or team.
Types of Media Buying
Media buying falls into two broad categories: direct and programmatic. I’ll explain them below.
Direct Buying
In this case, ad space is purchased directly from a publisher. It involves direct negotiations and relationships rather than using automation or intermediaries.
The benefits of this type of buying are that you can guarantee ad placement in a specific location (say, a newspaper that your target audience reads), customize agreements, and foster ongoing relationships.
Best for: Direct buying works best when you’re trying to build trust with local or niche communities and small markets.
Programmatic Buying
This type of buying entered the sphere with digital media and it automates the buying and selling process. Using algorithms to place ads, exchanges happen in real-time.
The benefits of programmatic buying are that it allows precision targeting, makes it possible to participate in many exchanges at once, and can lower the cost of placing ads.
Best for: With the ability to micro-focus the target audience, this type works well for limited budgets who want to reduce ad spending.
The types of media buying have to do with how you go about purchasing ad space. But a related concept is channels.
There are also two channel types: digital (online), which can include websites, social media, and search engines, e.g., and traditional (offline), which may be TV, print, radio, billboards, etc.
