Media Buying
Media buying is the process of purchasing advertising traffic and placing ads across various platforms to attract an audience and generate conversions.
Simply put:
It’s buying impressions, clicks, or traffic to promote a product.
What media buying includes
- Choosing advertising platforms (websites, social networks, apps)
- Setting up ad campaigns
- Managing budgets
- Testing creatives
- Optimizing ads to improve performance
Main channels of media buying
- Social networks
- Search advertising
- Display/banner networks
- Video advertising
- Mobile advertising (in-app)
Pricing models
- CPM — per 1,000 impressions
- CPC — per click
- CPA — per target action
- CPL — per lead
- CPI — per app install
Types of media buying
- Direct buying
Ads are placed directly with the publisher or website. - Programmatic
Automated buying through platforms:
- DSP (Demand-Side Platform — for buyers)
- SSP (Supply-Side Platform — for publishers)
Purchasing happens in real time (RTB — Real-Time Bidding)
Media buyer’s tasks
- Find effective traffic sources
- Lower customer acquisition cost (CAC)
- Increase advertising ROI
- Scale successful campaigns
- Analyze and optimize results
Media buying metrics
- CTR (click-through rate)
- CPC / CPM
- Conversion rate (CR)
- CPA / CAC
- ROI / ROMI
Key takeaway
Media buying is the purchase of advertising traffic to attract users and generate conversions. Its effectiveness depends on choosing the right channels, creatives, and continuously optimizing campaigns.
