20 Tips for Landing a Media Buyer Job
As explained at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, media buying is the process of determining the best locations for advertising and purchasing the space for them. A media buyer can interact with professionals from newspapers, television, radio, and magazines to place advertisements. If this is a career path that interests you, we have curated for you a list of 20 tips for landing a media buyer job.
Ascertain if this is the right career path for you
As per RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, the first step to becoming a media buyer is determining if it is the right career for you. Media buyers often interact with many people during their work, holding meetings for negotiating, and purchasing. This job is for you if you enjoy communicating with others, meeting new people, and planning.
Pursue a relevant bachelor’s degree
Many employers require that their media buyers have at least a bachelor’s degree, which is why if you want to land a media buyer job, you should consider pursuing a degree in an area like marketing, advertising, media, or business.
Look for experience in advertising or marketing
We live in a world where employers prefer hiring candidates with some experience in the area they are hiring in, and those hiring media buyers are no exception according to RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. You can gain experience by pursuing an entry-level position after graduating from college. You should also consider completing additional internships or applying for positions like an assistant marketer or advertising associate.
Consider pursuing a master’s degree
More prestigious or larger companies may require that their buyers have a master’s degree and several years of experience. Earning a master’s degree in marketing or advertising can help you increase your knowledge, refine your skills, and enhance your resume.
Customize each cover letter and resume
When applying to several media buyer positions at once, it is recommended that you customize your application material for each. This is important as it can allow you to implement important keywords, detail your specific value, and improve your chance of receiving an offer.
Develop your professional network
Networking can be an important part of finding job opportunities as a media buyer as articulated at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Meeting clients, industry experts, and vendors is a great way to develop your network.
Keep up with new trends and developments in the industry
As in any field in marketing, the field of media buying is always changing and developing. There are often new trends and developments that buyers assess. You must learn to accurately determine which new types of media are worth advertising with, and which cost more than they are worth.
Determine what type of environment you would want to work in
A media buyer can either work in an agency, a company, or the affiliate landscape as captured at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. In an agency, media buyers are negotiators, while in the affiliate landscape, a media buyer can be an independent marketer or the most important person in the affiliate company.
Master programmatic advertising
Programmatic advertising is a type of digital marketing that uses automated software to place advertisements on various websites. It is an increasingly common practice because it allows advertisers to target specific audiences and track the success of their campaigns more easily. Media buyers with strong programmatic skills are extremely desirable to employers.
Practice your writing
Many hiring managers will ask for writing samples when you apply for a position, which is why you must sharpen your writing skills if you want to land a job. As a media buyer, you must be able to present ideas with clarity, hence why writing skills are so important.
Prepare your portfolio
Having a portfolio of your best work is a great way to stand out from the rest and pique the interest of prospective employers as covered at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. You can even research your potential employer’s needs beforehand, and change your portfolio to adapt to the company’s specific needs.
Know your agencies
If you want to win and land the right job at the right agency, you have to forensically study the agencies you want to work for. Watch their leadership on YouTube if possible, and learn about the culture of each agency that you are interested in.
Scrutinize your resume
You should also not forget about your resume as described at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Ask yourself if it is creative and if it effectively tells your story. Your resume is how you will show your passion for creativity, a skill that is very important in the media buying industry.
Be active on social media
In the current era, social media is important for job seekers. It will not only help you showcase your grasp of the industry through your posts, as well as your professionalism, but it will also help you reach out to prospective employers. You should ensure that you have a strong presence on LinkedIn in particular.
Get certified
If you have a certification, it might just be the x-factor that separates you from the pack and helps you land the job. There are several certifications you can explore, including general marketing certifications as well as those specific to media buying.
Increase your breadth of knowledge
It is important to keep in mind that media buying, and media in general, is a very broad field with many different specialties as discussed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. If you want to increase your chances of landing a media buyer job, you need to amass as much knowledge as you can in this industry.
Ensure you can converse across platforms
In media buying, it often makes sense to get a diversity of experiences, particularly when you are starting out. This will make you more marketable and more flexible, especially if your interests change as you progress in your career. You need to learn all you can about print, radio, outdoor, out-of-home, non-traditional, and interactive media placements. Being able to converse across platforms will make you more valuable to employers.
Conferences
As revealed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, attending media-centered conferences and networking events is often one of the best ways to improve your portfolio and expertise. These sorts of events are particularly helpful for people who are trying to break into the media buying business from other unrelated job fields.
Consider on-the-job placement
It is often somewhat unusual for a person to be hired right out of school or straight from another industry into a media buying position. More often, the job is seen as something of a promotion from other, lower-ranked media jobs. Buying assistants and interns are usually the best suited for this sort of advancement, but people who work in other facets of the field are often contenders, too.
Apply for open media buyer positions
Finally, you can use an online job search website to find open media buyer positions. Inquiring about positions within your current workplace can also be a beneficial way to learn about new positions. Consider applying for several open positions to increase your chances of receiving an offer.
These are some of the tips that should help you land a media buyer job, with more on this topic, and much more, to be found over at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.