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I’ve realized that to truly connect with customers, it’s critical to be everywhere they are — whether it’s social media, email, websites, or even traditional media like TV and radio. This is where a solid media mix comes into play.
By strategically using multiple channels, they can deliver messages more effectively, ensuring they reach the right people at the right time.
But how does it help you plan better campaigns? And why has it become such a critical part of modern marketing strategies? I’ll explain how a strong media mix works, share some compelling statistics, and highlight an example of a brand that was able to take its campaigns to the next level.
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What is a media mix?
Media mix is a marketing term for the combination of channels a company uses to achieve its marketing goals. It can include billboards, email, websites and social media. Businesses can refer to their marketing mix when thinking about how to achieve future marketing campaign goals.
Media mix is another term for looking at the channels companies choose to carry out their marketing strategies. Ultimately, media mix optimization is the process of analyzing the performance of those channels.
Think about the last campaign you saw from one of your favorite brands. What did they do differently that you really liked? By including the media mix in your annual planning, you can narrow down what resonates with your audience.
Media mix Example
Theory is great and all, but it’s important to see this approach in action. I immediately think of a make-up brand At least for the lipsA recent campaign features their limited edition HBCU lip gloss collection.
To build anticipation and drive demand for this limited product line, The Lip Bar launched a multi-channel campaign that reached audiences both online and offline.
First, the website.
When you land on the brand’s home page, you’ll see a picture of the CEO with the following sentence “Introducing the HBCU Lip Gloss Collection. Limited edition clear lip glosses inspired by our HBCU girls.”
After clicking on the image, you will be taken to a landing page that showcases the entire lip gloss collection and explains the concept behind this limited edition.
Another digital channel that the brand used for this campaign is YouTube, which publishes 59 second video celebrating HBCU culture paired with lip gloss.
Offline, I love how the brand also made an appearance at FAMU’s homecoming and set up a pop-up shop. They advertised on Instagram to attract people to their personal event.
So what is the conclusion to draw here? The advantage of using a media mix is to use different strategies to see which tactics work and lead to better conversions.
I think The Lip Bar’s recent campaign is a great example of how each brand can use channels differently to achieve the same marketing goal.
Media mix statistics in 2025
Things have changed significantly in the past few years, especially with the advent of AI. So how do marketers deal with different channels and campaigns? The situation is evolving, so I will share the latest.
Likewise, our extensive internal research reveals the following:
Media mix Optimization
Now that you know what media mix is, how do you find the right mix for your brand and product?
This is where optimization of the media mix comes into play. Based on data from your previous campaigns and audience research, you’ll be able to identify the best channels to reach your audience — and then deliver your message through those different mediums.
I think optimizing your media mix is important because it will allow you to invest more time and money in the marketing strategies that are most appropriate for your audience.
When optimizing your marketing media mix, it means looking at the analytics and ROI of different marketing strategies. This can be anything from social media platform engagement data to views of the latest advertisement.
Enter media mix modeling. If media mix optimization is the “what”, modeling is the “how”. Each model can (and should) look different, depending on your marketing and broader business goals.
Media mix modeling
Media mix modeling, also known as marketing mix modeling, is an analysis technique used to measure campaign performance and determine how each channel (and specific elements) contribute to conversions. The results of media mix modeling allow marketers to learn what drives conversions to create campaigns that offer a high return on investment.
Media mix models can be used to analyze the relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable.
For example, let’s say my company has a question like, “How did paying for a sponsored tweet affect your overall blog traffic?” My company’s media mix model should then accurately show how a dependent variable — such as total blog traffic — relates to an independent variable, such as investment in X.
For businesses still deciding whether media mix optimization is a good idea for them, I’ve put together some key tips to guide you in creating a media mix model. Let’s explore the following.
Tips for optimizing your media mix
1. Collect data on a personal level.
This is where you need to find and focus on analytics that will help you provide an accurate picture of how users are engaging with your media mix.
Analytics software is extensive and offers a range of tools to use. If you ask me, there’s no reason to rely on anything but HubSpot Marketing Center.
I would also advise against having too many metrics; this can be confusing and lead to inaccurate data. So the best plan is to have an idea of what metrics you need to track to get it right from the start.
The usual process of media mix optimization can last from several months to a year. So, gathering the right information at the beginning contributes to getting the most accurate information overall.
2. Have a robust reporting process.
When using a media mix, you often combine online and offline strategies. With that in mind, it can be more difficult to measure the impact of a billboard compared to a paid social media ad.
This means you’ll need to think outside the box when evaluating your media mix. For example, while an online ad will have clear conversion rates you can find, a billboard may require some creative tracking.
You may be able to track an increase in brand search volume or improved brand recognition.
This requires a robust reporting process that takes into account the events you will be tracking — online and offline.
3. Choose the right platform.
Marketing teams using CMS or analytics software are already at an advantage. Software like this is key to optimizing your media mix because it can give you numbers that would otherwise take some time to calculate manually.
A brand can analyze its media mix using platforms that collect real-time engagement data and compile that data into tracking reports.
I recommend that you look for a platform that can provide a holistic view of all results, so that the results are consistent. It’s also a good idea to choose software that specializes in the marketing channels you’re using at the time.
Since optimization is about measuring a lot of different data at once, stick to as few systems as possible.
For companies in the market for a CMS, Content hub is a great, easy-to-use option for brands of any size.
4. Analyze the data.
I’ve talked a lot about the type of data and analysis that needs to be done in media mix optimization, but another important factor is the ability to interpret and understand that data.
It’s no secret that there is an abundance of processes and acronyms in the world of marketing. Although it can be daunting to first understand and understand what they mean, it is important to know what data is being collected and how to use it to your advantage.
For example, if the marketing team had particularly high click-to-open rates for their weekly newsletters, this is useful information to conclude that the next campaign could benefit greatly from the introduction of email marketing. Alternatively, if the marketing team has no idea what the click-to-open rate is, those numbers won’t be helpful – just a little confusing.
Reading data to understand its usefulness is just as important as collecting it.
5. Consider public perception.
Knowing how the public perceives your brand can help fill in some of the interpretation gaps during the modeling process. In the media mix model, think about how to fit into the customer’s opinion. That way, the numbers will have certain customer opinions that will define them.
There are several ways I suggest you do this:
- Brand Mention Monitor. To better understand the perception of your brand, track mentions of your brand on social networks. Write down positives, negatives and questions.
- NPS survey. You can also create a survey to find out what your customers think about your company and its services and use a the promoter’s net result (NPS).
NPS asks customers how likely they are to recommend a company to a friend. Knowing this will help you understand how the company fares among the competition in the market. It will also help with future marketing efforts.
- Track relevant metrics. I’m keeping your pace metrics such as brand awareness, brand loyalty, and customer satisfaction can help you assess how your brand works in the public eye and where you could improve.
These methods ultimately favor media mix optimization for the customer.
To take away
My biggest conclusion is that in 2025 you have to advertise through various media. Gone are the days of simple one-stop advertising. But to effectively deliver your message to your target audience, you need to optimize your media mix with real data to know where your audience is and how to reach them.
Taking the time to optimize your strategy will ultimately save you time and focus your resources on the right channels.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.