5 Tips for Media and Strategy Planning

Quality content is core, but versatility is essential in today's diverse media landscape.

Introduction to Media Strategy and Planning at Stimler Advantage

As part of its services, Stimler Advantage supports organizations in developing an integrated media strategy to reach their target audience and achieve their communication goals. Media Strategy and Planning work is informed by the Stimler Advantage 5 S’s Framework. 

The media landscape is dynamic, multifaceted, and variable, with constantly shifting ground. Communication environments operate with constant change, fragmentation, and distribution across diverse platforms—from established players to burgeoning newcomers. Navigating this complex ecosystem can be challenging, leaving organizations struggling to craft a sustainable media strategy.

5 Tips for Media and Strategy Planning

1. Situational Awareness: Developing an impactful media strategy hinges on deeply understanding your current position.  Begin by conducting a thorough media audit. Analyze your existing brand presence across various platforms, assess audience engagement metrics, and identify content gaps.  Additionally, research your competitors' and peers' publicly published media strategies, noting their strengths and weaknesses, and rank these in a matrix and scorecard. A comprehensive analysis helps your organization discern the media landscape in which you operate, enabling you to tailor your approach for resilience and sustainable impact.
2. Stakeholder Alignment: Align your media strategy with your organization's overarching goals and priorities linked to its key performance indicators (KPIs), objectives and key results (OKRs), and strategic plan.  Ensure all stakeholders, from leadership to marketing teams, understand the objectives and key messaging you aim to convey. Regular internal communication fosters a unified voice, preventing conflicting narratives from reaching your audience. Be explicit about stating and communicating your internal goals and priorities through intranets filled with concise and relevant policy statements, explainer one-sheets and videos, or frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help people clearly, quickly, and succinctly understand, absorb, and put into action essential information. 
3. Strategic Selection: Not all platforms are appropriate and useful. Resist the urge to be everywhere. Instead, leverage your situational awareness to identify platforms where your target audience resides.  Focus on building robust presences where you can consistently deliver valuable and engaging content.  Quality content resonates across platforms, so a strategic selection allows for deeper audience engagement and amplified reach.
4. Scalable Storytelling: Quality content is core, but versatility is essential in today's diverse media landscape.  Develop content that can be easily repurposed and adapted across different platforms. When you create content, think about the formats and packages you will deliver and how those elements and wrappers can be recycled and reused for maximum effect. Scalable storytelling ensures your message reaches its intended audience while maximizing the sustainable return on your content creation investment.
5. Sustainable Measurement: Data-informed decision-making is vital to any successful media strategy. Establish clear key performance indicators (KPIs) aligned with your communication goals. Measure website, third-party partner platform, and social media traffic. By consistently monitoring and analyzing key metrics, you can refine your strategy continuously, ensuring your messaging resonates and delivers measurable and sustainable results.

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Here are some further considerations for Media Strategy and Planning:

• Budget Management: Set realistic budget parameters for media buys, content creation, and platform management tools. Carefully consider paid advertising alongside organic reach strategies. When you undertake a paid campaign, track its performance against your budget and financial investment. Sometimes you need to pay to play but play it smart. 
• Content Management: Implement a system for version control, content approval workflows, and asset management. Develop a dynamic content schedule that outlines topics, formats, and publishing schedules through digital mobile apps and dashboards.
• Licensing and Rights Management: Clearly define ownership and usage rights for all content created or used. Avoid using third-party content to prioritize investing in what you can make and own. If you utilize third-party content, consider permissive, openly licensed, or licensed content with fair and flexible terms as media formats and uses continue to change. Establish a system for tracking and managing licensing agreements integrated with your content management and enterprise resource planning systems. 

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