Main Responsibilities and Required Skills for Media Buyer
A Media Buyer is responsible for handling all aspects of the media buying process. They manage campaigns across various platforms, identify target audiences and track progress to goals. In this blog post we describe the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Media Buyers.
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Main Responsibilities of Media Buyer
The following list describes the typical responsibilities of a Media Buyer:
Advise
Advise and assist in campaign setup and optimization processes.
Analyze
Analyze advertising metrics to make data driven decisions on improving in-account performance.
Analyze campaign metrics / data and provide interpretation and suggestions for improving performance.
Analyze campaign performance and create detailed reports with proactive insights.
Analyze campaigns and provide strategic suggestions to Account Managers.
Analyze, review, and report on the efficacy of campaigns and provide insights / recommendations.
Articulate
Articulate communication style and adaptable team-focused worker.
Assist in
Assist Account team in client proposal development.
Assist Director / Supervisor / Buyer in reporting and special projects.
Assist in the training and progression of the junior members on our team.
Assist in the training and progression of the junior or new members on our team when and if needed.
Assist with management of vendor invoice approvals to ensure payments are made in a timely manner.
Assist with training junior employees on tools and processes.
Brainstorm
Brainstorm and collaborate on creative concepts with the media and creative teams.
Brainstorm independently for specific client accounts.
Build
Build and maintain a series of performance reports and help gather data to present to the team.
Build and maintain network and vendor relationships.
Build and maintain partnerships with our clients and platform partners.
Build and maintain strong relationships with media vendors.
Build a sample campaign in a sandbox account for a specific client.
Build campaigns in Google, Facebook, Amazon, and other marketing channels.
Build, manage, and optimize Facebook and paid search (Google Ads, Bing Ads, Yahoo Gemini) accounts.
Build, manage & optimize campaigns, Brainstorm new creative ideas that will move the needle.
Build quote reports and communicate these to new and existing clients.
Collaborate with
Collaborate with internal development and design teams to improve landing pages.
Communicate with
Communicate and collaborate with Account Managers on campaign builds and performance.
Communicate and articulate strategic media-related goals to client and staff.
Communicate with the clients.
Communicate with the Influencer Department regarding content creation, whitelisting / dark posts.
Compare
Compare and negotiate opportunities with new and current media partners.
Compile
Compile client data for reporting using various tools internal and web-based tool.
Compile new creative developments within the industry to better service the client.
Complete
Complete a creative assignment with a focus on specific clients.
Complete analysis of various opportunities.
Complete special projects as assigned by management.
Conduct
Conduct AB testing across ads and landing pages.
Conduct competitive research and writing copy for ads.
Contribute to
Contribute to and review campaign, vendor, and performance insights.
Contribute to buying and negotiation strategies.
Coordinate
Coordinate all aspects of the buying process.
Coordinate with media planners on campaign budget shifts and other in-flight changes.
Create
Create, analyze, and optimize campaigns on various ad networks.
Create and execute UTM strategies and A / B testing to identify attribution and optimizations.
Create and launch Facebook and Instagram Ad campaigns.
Create detailed personas and map the ideal journeys of our client's customers will go through.
Create, manage and optimize campaigns on our paid traffic sources.
Create, manage, and optimize high-performing native media campaigns and advertisements.
Create SWOT analysis for specific clients.
Develop
Develop a media schedule that satisfies campaign parameters and brand objectives.
Develop and maintain an excellent relationship with our media buying partners.
Develop and maintain asset delivery forms with client and internal creative team.
Develop creative media packages through optimizations, key insights and client KPIs.
Develop data-driven traffic and customer insights based on market channel data.
Develop innovative, barrier pushing paid strategies with organic initiatives in mind.
Develop knowledge on reporting / analytics procedures such as UTM, campaign naming, APIs etc..
Develop operational campaign strategy.
Develop proposals quickly and efficiently.
Develop your presentation skills.
Document
Document competitors ads for the purposes of reverse engineering into ads for our clients.
Drive
Drive lead conversion and sales results.
Enable
Enable access to new inventory and bidding sources.
Encourage
Encourage everyone around them to to be tenacious and never settle.
Ensure
Ensure all client campaign KPI's are achieved.
Ensure clear communication with the planning teams (i.e. involvement in briefs).
Ensure client budgets are observed.
Ensure funnels / websites are working and setup correctly ready for traffic.
Ensure that all audiences, assets, and tracking elements are in place for campaigns.
Ensure that all client paid media KPIs are met.
Ensure that your cover letter and resume are saved and sent as one file.
Execute
Execute all relevant revisions to the media buy.
Execute paid media bookings across paid campaigns, including digital and traditional media.
Execute performance driven Facebook and Instagram campaigns and optimize towards client objectives.
Finalize
Finalize RFP lists and work with team to review all proposals.
Follow
Follow all company processes and live and breathe our Culture Manual.
Gather
Gather data on consumer, competitor, and market conditions.
Generate
Generate campaign reports – including pre and post documents, Masterfiles.
Generate insights, ideas, and strategies that support the creative team to develop ads.
Get
Get creative with new strategies that work through problems in ad accounts, never staying stagnant.
Give
Give quantifiable examples of related achievements.
Grow
Grow, engage, retain and recruit the best talent.
Handle
Handle all aspects of the media buying process.
Help
Help develop audience strategy (remarketing, upsell, etc).
Help identify target audiences and plan media campaigns.
Help manage and grow our organic search visibility.
Help to train and manage media interns.
Help train and oversee Assistant Digital Negotiators.
Identify
Identify, explore and price media options.
Identify oddities in performance and develop working theories and solutions for them.
Identify and propose new upsell opportunities for our clients.
Identify high priority publishers and strategies to close new publisher accounts.
Implement
Implement A / B testing and user experience testing for ads, placements and landing pages.
Implement changes in Google Analytics to support paid customer acquisition goals.
Input
Input digital media buys into PRISMA.
Investigate
Investigate new media and technology.
Keep abreast of
Keep abreast of the latest security vulnerabilities, and develop with security in mind.
Keep an up to date log of all optimizations made during a campaigns flight.
Maintain
Maintain confirmation of purchase, schedules, budgets, and reconciliation of network billing.
Maintain pre- and post-logs, and invoice reconciliation.
Manage
Manage ads inside Facebook Business Manager.
Manage a team of remote content creators and work on article idea generation with them.
Manage brand content integrations with marketers, from start to finish.
Manage broader relationships and participate in client meetings / discussions.
Manage budgets and track progress to goals.
Manage campaigns across various platforms.
Manage direct response acquisition campaigns on all social media platforms.
Manage goals, bids and budgets across campaign flights to ensure cost efficiency and fulfillment.
Manage media buy budgets with an eye towards driving growth, scale and reach.
Manage media buying campaigns across various platforms.
Manage media spend towards predefined client targets.
Manage mid-term enquiries and the renewal process for existing clients.
Manage the clients ad spend as if it were your own.
Maneuver
Maneuver within brand style guidelines and code standards.
Measure
Measure and analyze performance, and identify new opportunities based on customer and business data.
Monitor
Monitor ad campaign spending by platform to ensure that spend is on pace to meet objectives.
Monitor and manage paid campaigns, and provide recommendations based on performance.
Monitor and optimize cross channel campaign performance.
Monitor the success of campaigns using various reporting tools.
Negotiate
Negotiate compensation as required.
Negotiate media space with various partners.
Negotiate pricing to deliver efficient buys.
Negotiate publisher pricing and media types.
Onboard
Onboard new clients and provide excellent client success experience.
Optimize
Optimize campaigns to increase performance, lower cost per leads, and / or increase volume.
Outreach
Outreach to publishers on and off the platform.
Oversee
Oversee order placement and traffic management for accuracy.
Own
Own and manage a broad array of marketing channels.
Participate in
Participate in peer code reviews, both as reviewer and reviewee.
Perform
Perform regular analysis and optimization of campaigns.
Post
Post campaigns and monitor campaign delivery.
Prepare
Prepare and communicate recommendations and action items to internal teams.
Prepare and present detailed reporting for the client on a monthly basis.
Prepare and present pre-buy / post-buy reports.
Prepare for tracking and monitoring online and offline goals and conversions.
Prepare reports and present them to clients.
Prepare reports and present to internal teams, leveraging our real-time data dashboards.
Prepare social ads iterating on what is previously top performing.
Prepare social ads using marketing research and client materials.
Provide
Provide creative guidance to optimize performance.
Provide recommendations to our business unit and collaborate on the building of action plans.
Provide support to account management team on all client issues related to paid media.
Report
Report on media performance and testing strategies.
Research
Research, rationalize and present recommendations.
Retrieve
Retrieve order confirmations and digitally file all contracts / paperwork.
Review
Review and optimize ads, publishers, and creatives.
Review Creative Strategies doc to become immersed in direct response creative.
Review materials sent by your manager to brush up on Social Media Buying Strategies.
Review performance on a daily basis at minimum, making buy adjustments as necessary.
Review the Art of Negotiation Cheat Sheet.
Review traffic in Google Analytics.
Setup
Setup Facebook Pixel, Product Catalog, and Google Analytics on client websites.
Setup reporting dashboards.
Setup weekly & monthly KPIs for the accounts & ensure KPIs are hit.
Speak
Speak to clients on 2-4 weekly calls Managing their expectations with all things FB ads.
Stay current with
Stay current with platform updates, new technologies, trends, and best practices.
Stay updated on current trending topics on Google.
Strategize
Strategize, create and manage Facebook ad campaigns.
Strategize, execute, and conduct tests.
Streamline
Streamline campaigns for customer acquisition.
Support
Support our SEO and copywriting team to develop holistic approaches to digital marketing strategies.
Support the development team with pixel and conversion tracking.
Take
Take a lot of initiative and be proactive.
Take decisive action, and confidently changes course if unsuccessful.
Take full ownership of projects and hold themselves accountable for the client's performance.
Take the lead on all paid search and paid social activity.
Take the lead on negotiation of finalized plans with partners for all standard and integrated buys.
Test
Test CAPI and Pixel tracking for accurate account attribution.
Track
Track, analyze and report data on an ongoing basis to optimize campaign performance.
Translate
Translate requirements and designs into high-quality, secure code.
Troubleshoot
Troubleshoot ad manager issues or campaign problems.
Understand
Understand how google ads work, what Taboola is, and that you can target people on Facebook.
Understand the advertiser's needs & work closely with sales.
Understand the importance of this when implementing Facebook Ads.
Upload
Upload media buys and track changes with a high level of accuracy.
Use
Use hands and fingers to operate computers and office equipment for up to 8 hours each day.
Work with
Work closely with the broader Superscript team to help identify new products and customer segments.
Work hand in hand with the creative team & strategists inside the age.
Work to a P&L and use this as a guide for your AB testing framework.
Work with Creative team to develop strategic, compelling digital ads for publishing and testing.
Work with GroupM Ad Ops, creative agency, and 3.
Work with our creative and account management teams to come up with and execute on marketing plans.
Work with our in-office SEO team to create SEO-friendly content.
Work with the Account Manager to keep clients up to date on campaign details and projections.
Work with the Account Manager to seamlessly onboard and roll out new clients.
Work with the wider performance team to create and implement re-marketing campaigns.
Work with the wider performance team to create and implement remarketing campaigns.
Write
Write high converting, direct response copy for ad campaigns.
Most In-demand Hard Skills
The following list describes the most required technical skills of a Media Buyer:
Google Ads
Facebook Ads
Facebook
Data Driven
Google
Performance Marketing
Most In-demand Soft Skills
The following list describes the most required soft skills of a Media Buyer:
Written and oral communication skills
Analytical ability
Organizational capacity
Attention to detail
Problem-solving attitude
Detail-oriented
Multi-task
Priority management
Team player
Quick learner
Proactive
Self-motivated
Communicate effectively to all employee levels
Interpersonal skills
Organized
Time-management
Work in a fast-paced environment while managing time effectively
Work independently with little direction
Accurate
Negotiation
