Media Buying
Armed with extensive media data and research on local television, radio and print markets nationwide, Network Affiliates' media buying experts ensure your medical marketing message reaches your target audience with the greatest efficiency and effectiveness.
With more than $20 million in air time placed per year, we offer the doctors, dentists and surgeons we work with, buying power when negotiating media rates and securing added value opportunities.
Each media offers its own advantage and serves a very specific role in an overall strategic marketing plan. Our media experts will guide you through the right media mix for your practice, target market, region and desired outcomes. However, we also like to educate our clients about the differing roles of each media sector, so here's a brief overview:
Television: No other media has the power, impact and reach of television as a branding vehicle. We utilize Nielsen ratings for accurate, up-to-date data on your local markets, and translate this data using our industry insights to: 1) identify your target audience --age, lifestyle, gender, viewing habit, motivations, etc., 2) leverage specific programs, formats and times of the day to generate the highest quality and most-converting leads for your practice, 3) negotiate the most effective buys on your behalf, 4) make sure the stations deliver 5) carefully work with your practice to track results.
Radio: Radio is a great media for reaching today's busy working professionals. The biggest mistake clients make is planning radio buys around what they listen to, rather than what patients listen to. By using our access to demographics and Arbitron rating data, we can help guide you in choosing the most effective choices and schedules to reach your target market. Radio listeners are loyal to formats and personalities. Our media buyers know which format or combination of formats make the most sense for your target audience, how many different stations you should buy and how frequently your message needs to run on each.
Print: The key to success with this medium is to understand the strength and limitations of print media in this day and age. Due to print's rather limited market reach (especially in light of Internet and online news sources) and minimal frequency, print usually plays more of a supporting role in a media campaign. Print advertising should be closely coordinated with your other media efforts.
Direct Mail: The key to direct mail is being able to zone in on your target audience (age, gender, household income, lifestyle habits, geography of practice, etc). The success of direct mail is driven by special offers and consistency. Don't expect to send out one direct mail piece and pack your appointment calendar the next day. Effective design, messaging, audience targeting, frequency, and coordination with other marketing efforts, play a significant role in the response you can expect to receive from your direct mail campaigns.
Internet Marketing Strategies: Never underestimate the power of the Internet. Patients are online and searching for healthcare providers and for information on specific procedures every minute of every day. Creating your web site is only the first step in an online marketing campaign. Don't leave your web site floating in an ocean of web surfers, hoping an occasional prospect stumbles by; leverage your web site to your highest advantage by utilizing appropriate online advertising and search engine marketing techniques (e.g., exposure on media web sites, search engine optimization, link building, pay-per-click, online directories) and coordinating all your advertising strategies so they direct consumers to your impressive web site.
For more information on our media buying services or to request a Media Market Analysis to please contact or call Network Affiliates' medical marketing specialists today.