Everyone in the advertising industry can testify that today we are seeing the most challenging and changing times for a media agency. Today, advertising executives must adapt constantly to the media landscape changes. A few years back, a media plan only consisted of traditional formats such as TV, radio, print and OOH—and the options were limited for each. Now, our options have expanded and we also can use online, mobile and the thousands of variations involved with each of these.

More than ever, media specialists are the key to a successful campaign with all the different mediums that are available. We spoke with Sandra Quintero, Online Advertising Manager for the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, and she shared her approach for a new online client.

"First of all, online is still a small percentage of the total media investment in Colombia; nevertheless, it has presented positive growth year after year. In addition, we are expecting positive future growth, so it's necessary to always sell this medium and its advantages," says Quintero. "One of the main benefits [of online] is that it allows us to segment the presence of each advertiser depending on the type of audience they want to impact.

Eltiempo.com considers that in order to have tangible results, you must be sure of the objective audience's profile. Who are they? What do they like to do? Which sites do they usually visit? What content do they consume? These are the basic questions that 'Audiencia Digital'* recommends when deciding an advertising strategy.

Therefore, there are three simple steps that must be considered for a successful campaign:

1. Define your audience
2. Define the goals to be achieved
3. Choose the solutions that will allow you to impact your audience and achieve your goals

There are more than ten different solutions that can offer a direct connection with your potential user. This mix of solutions can be implemented using a complete network of portals.

Traditional banners draw more eyes when they're mixed with other multimedia solutions such as expandable banners and interstitials. In fact, the latter solutions are considered as high-impact as banners and also as solid strategies. In addition, geo-targeting, behavioral targeting, segmented targeting and other reaching tactics complement the format and let us impact our objective audience.

Besides these strategies, there are other useful tools, including infomercials, e-mails, micro-sites, sponsorships, videos and mobile devices. When using them strategically, they deliver effective and successful campaigns for advertisers.

For those out there that are still fearful of online media and what the next step is, there are amazing online media specialist and professionals out there ready to help you. The best time to start is now!!!

For more information about online advertising, please contact your US Media Consulting Representative at 305-722-5500.

Source: *Audiencia Digital is the digital platform that represents all the commercial area regarding online advertisement for Casa Editorial El Tiempo Colombia.