Your Career as a Media Buyer/Planner

The career you choose as a media buyer can be one of the most exciting and rewarding careers. Employees in this field usually work in an office as part of a team. If you like a fast paced environment and are good at keeping to deadlines this is a job at which you may do well. The meetings with clients and others pertinent to this career are part of the jobs description. Travel may be another aspect that the media buyer will enjoy.

Duties of the Media Buyer

Buying of print media, television and radio involves deliberate planning, negotiations and finally the purchase of the media desired. There are also specialty cable networks, local broadcast stations and other media stations which are involved in the media buyer's job description. Which field you go into depends upon your level of interest.

Meeting with clients to discuss their needs are one of the duties of the media buyer. There are also meetings with media representatives. There are long hours which must be worked during certain times to meet a schedule for wrapping up the job.

When considering this for a career, keep in mind that media buying varies. Many of the prices vary quite significantly. There are all types of factors to consider if you are thinking of this type of job. The factors will include the following:

The influences of the season on the media inventory
The time slot available for the audience you want to target
The market trends
Whether it is a local broadcast station or a cable system
The size of the audience as well as the rating

When working for a firm in the advertising or public relations sector, the team of media specialists will often prepare advertisements for companies or individuals. They may work on campaigns to show their clients in a very positive manner. The buyer may purchase advertising from the media and resell it to other advertising agencies or to companies.

Educational Requirements

When considering these types of jobs a bachelor's degree is required. It should be either in marketing or business. Most employers prefer the prospective employee to have at least 3 to 5 years buying experience. The interest of the company is also a great attribute. The person going into this business should also know a lot about the media and the buying experience surrounding the media. This includes both the traditional and non-traditional.

When dealing in public relations jobs, the preferred employee will have a degree in communications or journalism. There are some who want the education to include business or English. There is a very competitive market for entry-level jobs in this field. So getting the most experience and training possible will put you one up on the competition.

Depending on the area of the country in which you live, the availability of the programs for training is limited. There are more opportunities within large cities, of course. The entry-level worker will often begin as a research assistant or an account assistant and work their way up through the company. Much of their training is on the job training.

Earnings in the Media Buying Profession

The salaries of media buyers vary due to several factors. The area of the country in which they live is one. The amount of the media is normally higher in more populated areas. The type of company for which they work is another factor that will determine the salary. The amount of experience and education they have accumulated will be another deciding factor.

The highest concentration of jobs for media buyers are in the largest states with the largest cities. New York and California are two of the top ones. These two states are employing one out of five firms in the nation. The firms may be either one person firms or they could be an international firm. The latter will typically employ many people. Although only five employees or less are accounted for in 68% of all these companies which is a relatively low number.

The highest number of media buyers make from $30,000 and up. The lowest number makes over $110,000 per year. The middle rounds out at media buyers making from $50,000 to $90,000 per year.