Media Management is a science.

Discover why SMEs need a dedicated media manager to navigate the media landscape successfully. Learn the difference between media and marketing roles and how it impacts your business strategy. 👇 

In today's age, SMEs are increasingly recognizing the importance of a robust media presence. Yet, many still overlook the critical need for a dedicated media manager. Here's why SMEs absolutely need a media manager and why assigning these tasks to other departments, like marketing, simply won't cut it. 

- The Distinct Roles of Media and Marketing Managers - 

While media and marketing managers may share responsibilities, their areas of expertise and focuses are merely different. This distinction is crucial for understanding why media management is a specialized role that should not be merged with marketing tasks. 🌐 

• Expertise in Diverse Media Channels:  Media managers possess a deep understanding of a wide range of media channels, including search engines like Google Ads and Bing Ads, social media platforms like Meta Ads, TikTok Ads or LinkedIn Ads, display/programmatic platforms like GDN and affiliation platforms like AWIN, Rakuten or Shareasale. But they also possess the traditional media touchpoints’ knowledge like television, print media, out of home display or radio.   They have in-depth knowledge of how these channels operate, their audience demographics, and the most effective strategies to utilize them for advertising purposes. 📈  In contrast, marketing managers have a broader focus on marketing strategy, branding, and customer engagement, lacking the specific channel expertise of media managers. 

• Technical Proficiency:  The role of a media manager is inherently technical, requiring skills in media buying, ad placement, budget allocation, and campaign optimization. Whether they are implementing campaigns on their own or briefing a media agency, mastery of tools and analytics platforms is essential for tracking and measuring campaign performance. 👨🏻‍💻  Marketing managers, meanwhile, concentrate on strategic planning, market segmentation and brand positioning rather than the technical aspects of media campaigns. 

• Data-Driven Optimization:  Media managers excel in analysing campaign data to evaluate performance and identify optimization opportunities. They rely on metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS) as well as on platforms like GA4 to make informed decisions and improve campaign performance. 🏆  Although marketing managers also use data to inform strategies, they may not have the same depth of expertise in media-specific analytics. 

• Staying Ahead in a Rapidly Evolving Landscape: The digital advertising environment is constantly changing, requiring media managers to keep abreast of the latest trends, features, and platform algorithms. This commitment to continuous learning enables them to adapt strategies for maximum effectiveness. 🎓  Marketing managers, tasked with overseeing broad marketing initiatives, cannot dedicate the same level of focus to staying current with fast-paced digital trends. 

- Building a Supportive Operational Team - 

The workload that a media manager has often exceeds what one single person can manage, highlighting the need for a supportive team. Two options are then available: 

• Option 1 - Opting for a Media Agency:  Collaborating with a media agency can be an effective solution for SMEs, offering expertise in crafting sophisticated campaigns and ensuring optimal platform use. However, success hinges on providing detailed briefings to the agency and having internal competencies to monitor and challenge the agency.  

• Option 2 - Hiring a Junior Media Manager Assistant:  A junior media assistant can take on routine tasks under the media manager's guidance, such as creating assets, audience building, and campaign setup, allowing for streamlined execution. The junior should be encouraged to regularly follow platform-given webinars to stay up to date with platform technical capabilities.  

Media is a science. For SMEs aiming to thrive in the competitive media marketplace, the role of a dedicated media manager is therefore non-negotiable. 💪 

Understanding the value of a full-time media manager and the complexity of finding them, we’ve created ODYSSEY – your outsourced senior media management solution.  

Trust our expert team to develop and oversee your media strategy, ensuring your advertising efforts lead to tangible results. 🚀 

Get in touch here or learn more about what we can do for you. 📧 

Thank you for reading this blog article!  

For more insights on #MediaManagement, #StrategicThinking, #ContentMarketing, #DigitalMedia and #MarketingTrends, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn for updates.  

Virtually yours,  

The Odyssey team 🌟