
When it comes to media planning, digital marketing and media strategy, HS likes to talk a lot about the buyer’s decision journey.
The decision journey is basically a funnel, where the target market is served a wider, more general message early on in their consideration. The target is then served more specific, narrower messaging as they get closer to a purchase decision.
It’s really about serving the right information to the right audience at the right time. As HS Media Strategist, Mel Schulte has had a media journey of her own.
Media Planning is Constantly Reinventing
Mel knows a lot about reinventing. From helping launch a sports technology company to being an inventor of her own, she understands the importance of evolving. That means paying attention to evolving media opportunities, too.
“If you’re running a business, you don’t have time to do all of that yourself,” says Mel, who takes dozens of proposals a week on new media, marketing, digital or platform opportunities.
“As a media buyer and strategist, I want to be aware of all of those things, but help weed out what are the best ones for our clients.”

Relationships are as Important as Data
Mel brings passion and a keen mind for analyzing data and strategic planning to our clients. She has a proclaimed love for Excel. And while she is very adept at breaking down a spreadsheet or a cost analysis, she knows it’s about a lot more than that.
“You have to have trust with your media reps, because if they are recommending something new that may be a fit, you want to be confident in standing behind it,” says Mel.
“We all have to make sure we are all looking out for our clients’ best interests.”
The client relationship is equally important as the vendor relationships. Both need to be maintained with communication, trust and feedback. Mel knows that while many things are trendy, clients can’t forget the simple objective of ‘getting your name out there’ and finding the best way to do it.
Clients trust Mel’s expertise to do this in the most efficient and effective way possible.

New Ways, New Opportunities
And there are a lot of new ways to market, advertise and communicate. One of the benefits of an agency like HS is that we have a full-time team dedicated to staying up on all of the options available to you. Here are just a few things we do:
- Field time consuming calls from multiple vendors
- Constantly monitor new opportunities, platforms
- Take the time to negotiate the best rates
- Track your current campaigns and adjust investment as needed
- Pursue “make goods” when things don’t run as planned
- One monthly media bill instead of several
Have you found yourself a bit overwhelmed with new media and media options? Talk to Mel and HS and let us discover a media strategy that is both substantial and sustainable.
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