Media planning is like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle: each piece is crucial for success. However, media planning also requires both a strong strategy and a smart, savvy individual to piece it all together!

Here are four tips to help you through the process of planning a successful campaign:

Step Into the Shoes of your Client

Clients come equipped with their objectives in hand, and it is the media planner’s job to find the best media mix to meet the client’s KPIs. It’s key to understand the client’s vision, their special considerations (i.e., is the client restricted from having social context in their advertising?), as well as key messaging they want incorporated into the campaign.

Tip: Ask questions that help ensure you and the client are on the same page, and be sure to manage expectations throughout the process.

Learn to Love Data

Data is a media planner’s best friend. Knowing how to tell a story with numbers is a significant part of our jobs—we take CTRs, viral reach, daily like statistics and weave them into a holistic media plan.

Tip: Look over stats from previous campaigns, compare optimization strategies and measure engagement to help you create thoughtful and strategic campaigns.

Think Outside the Box

Media planners work closely with budgets and data analysis on a daily basis; however, engaging campaigns require a significant amount of creativity. When developing a campaign, it is important to keep a fresh perspective on each project and remember that there is no “one size fits all” solution for media.

Tip: Think outside the box when suggesting plans; make sure you’ve considered all the options and have chosen the ad units that will best reach the client’s objectives.

Know What’s New

The social media and digital marketplace is constantly evolving. New advertising methods are released while features that have been around for years are suddenly obsolete. Knowledge is power, so you always need to be ahead of the game and well- informed.

Tip: Educating your clients on all available opportunities allows them to make better- informed decisions. Whether it is a new targeting type or ad unit, keep up with Facebook marketing capabilities so you offer clients accurate information.

There you have it—a few quick tips to make sure the media puzzle piece you are looking for isn’t hiding on the floor.