In the beginning, you have some idea of who your audience is and where they might be. Over the years, you may have conducted surveys and did additional research to acquire insights about your audience. That information is useful and should be used to shape the persona of your ideal customer, but you should remain open-minded about what platforms will work well for your market. If you’re baking a cake for the first time, you may have an idea of what goes inside. Flour, butter, milk, eggs- but you don’t know what will work best for your palette until you really get into the kitchen and start baking. You should have the same approach when purchasing media. 

 You may assume that an older audience may not use streaming services or social media, but studies have shown otherwise. According to Statista, 58% of adults between the ages of 45-64 were subscribed to a streaming service. A study conducted by The Pew Research Center found that 62% of internet users 65 and older were Facebook users. When purchasing media, you should remain open-minded about the different avenues available.

 Audiences are always changing and that’s why it’s so important to incorporate new platforms to your media mix. When deciding what platforms to use, you should consider a variety of factors before getting started. You should look into market research, your goals, budget, and platform performance before deciding. Just like with a recipe, experimenting can go a long way as well. When you sink your teeth into the first bite of a new recipe, you can’t be sure what to expect. The first bite can also tell you a lot about what you need to do to improve on for the next attempt. Maybe the first go around you added too much flour and the cake was really dense. With media buying, it may take a couple of attempts to find the right mix too. It won’t be as simple as removing a cup of flour from the recipe, but over time you’ll learn what adjustments you need to make to help increase website traffic, boost conversions, or improve whatever goal you have intended for purchasing ad space. 

 Like baking, starting to purchase media may feel like a daunting task, but you’re not alone. The BrandBlaster team is readily available to help optimize your media buying or answer any questions you may have along the way. We’re ready to help you get cooking!