What errors in the media plan affect the advertising campaign forecast?
We have accumulated enough expertise in performance marketing, we decided to share it with the digital world!
Today we will talk about where work on any advertising campaign begins. Media plan: what it is and how not to make a bunch of mistakes when calculating it. For the most attentive, we have prepared templates with tables for the forecast calculation of any advertising campaign.
A forecast calculation or media plan is a document that contains a preliminary assessment of the results of an advertising campaign and includes a forecast of the main performance indicators.
For example:
– Clicks
– Conversion to target action
– Number of conversions
And also some basic information about the advertising campaign:
– Sites
– Formats
– Deadlines
– Audience
Basic mistakes when drawing up a media plan
Split advertising budget
Error:
Forecast for VK targeting – leads for 3,000 rubles;
Forecast for context in Yandex – leads for 1500 rubles.
60% of the budget is allocated to VK, 40% to Yandex.
The correct option: we give a larger share of the budget to the channel that provides the cheapest leads.
Impact of seasonality and budget growth
Error: forecast for months/seasons/quarters/different budget sizes is calculated with the same CPM, CPC, CTR, CR and CPA.
Correct version:
The client is a company manufacturing and installing windows => since spring, demand has been growing, but so has competition in the auction. We take into account the growth in the cost of traffic (CPM, CPC)!
Same forecast figures for different platforms
Error: forecast for bloggers from different sites with the same CPC, CR and CPA
Correct option: there will always be a slight discrepancy in the indicators. A more optimistic forecast is made for one of the sites in accordance with the characteristics of the niche and product.
Why do you need a media plan and how to calculate it?
1. Plan an advertising campaign: determine in advance the platforms, formats, and audiences you will work with.
2. Plan results and track performance based on plan/actual
3. Allocate the budget and justify the required amount to the client
4. Predict campaign results
There are three calculation options:
- Calculation from the target
- Calculation based on coverage, if the goal is maximum coverage of the target audience
- Calculation from the budget, if there are clear budget limits
When is it appropriate to calculate based on reach? When there is a certain audience base.
How to determine audience reach?
According to the audience forecaster in the advertising account
By the volume of the list of users loaded into the account
When is it appropriate to calculate based on the budget? The client has a certain amount for advertising and several options need to be calculated – minimum, optimal, maximum.
How to calculate a media plan? In short:
- Define your target audience
- Determine the timing of the RK
- Define the goals of the advertising campaign
- Select advertising formats
- Define primary and secondary KPIs
- Do the math
Where to get indicators for calculation?
1. Statistics of previously launched campaigns: CPM, CPC, CTR
2. Statistics in the CR client analytics offices
3. Cases CPC, CTR, CR, CPL
4. Social Media Research CPM, CPC, CTR
We calculate impressions from clicks and CTR
CTR 1% means 1 out of 100 people will click
Let's not forget about the rule of proportion:
Impressions = 500 * 100% ÷ 2%Impressions = 2500
Impressions = Clicks÷CTR*100%
If we calculated all the formulas manually, then the clients would never have received media plans from us! We simplified the work process and collected all the calculations in tables.
Leave comments below this article and we will send you three templates for calculating a media plan for any traffic channel.
Want to launch an ad, but don't understand what and how much is required from you? Write to us!
We will prepare for you free of charge:
• Audit of advertising campaigns and recommendations for their improvement
• A plan for promoting your project through relevant traffic channels
• Media plan with a forecast for achieving key performance indicators
