Author: Nicole Bergen

Lately, I’ve been having more conversations than ever about media budgets. Business leaders are asking: Where should we spend right now? How do we balance brand with performance? And how do we know if it’s even working?

The short answer: there’s no magic formula. But there are frameworks, signals, and smart shortcuts that can help you stretch your dollars further and prove real ROI. Let’s break it down.

Why Your Media Mix Matters

It’s tempting to think of marketing spend as one big bucket: pour it in, hope for sales. But smart businesses know that every dollar has a job to do. Some dollars are meant to build brand awareness, some are meant to persuade, and others are meant to close the deal.

The art and the science is knowing how to balance the mix.

For example, when retailers launch TV or outdoor campaigns, they often see an uptick in branded search traffic. That’s not a coincidence. It’s proof your top-of-funnel messaging is landing, nudging customers closer to the point of purchase.

Service providers, on the other hand, might see their biggest signals in phone calls. Platforms like ServiceTitan make it easier to track not just call volume, but where those calls come from and how many convert. In categories where the phone is still king, that kind of data is marketing gold.

Decoding the Funnel: TOFU, MOFU, BOFU

If acronyms make your head spin, here’s the simple version.

Top of Funnel (TOFU) is about awareness. It’s when you want as many people as possible to know you exist. That means storytelling, reach, and creativity across channels like streaming TV, YouTube pre-roll, display ads, influencer partnerships, and even good old-fashioned billboards. The win here isn’t just eyeballs, it’s the lift in foot traffic, branded searches, and buzz.

Middle of Funnel (MOFU) is about consideration. This is when your audience is comparing, researching, and weighing their options. Paid social, Google Display, emails, testimonials, and reviews shine here. The more you educate and validate, the more you stay in the running.

Bottom of Funnel (BOFU) is where the sale happens. Google Search, Local SEO, retargeting, promotional emails, and SMS campaigns live here. At this stage, clear offers and strong CTAs can make or break the conversion.

Think of it like a relay race. Each stage has a runner, and your job is to make sure the baton is passed smoothly.

Setting the Right Budget

Here’s where most businesses get tripped up: they want to start with the flashy stuff like TV, outdoor, or streaming before shoring up the basics. My advice? Don’t.

Always start with performance marketing. Make sure your foundation, which includes paid search, retargeting, and conversion tracking, is airtight. Otherwise, you’re pouring awareness dollars into a leaky bucket.

Once the fundamentals are working, layer in awareness campaigns. Streaming TV, influencers, and outdoor boards all become far more effective when you already have a system in place to capture the demand they create.

As a rule of thumb, I like to see spend distributed roughly like this:

40% TOFU
25% MOFU
35% BOFU

But here’s the key: your mix isn’t static. It should shift month to month based on performance, store traffic, or call data. Marketing is fluid, and your budget should be too.

Measuring What Matters

Different industries require different yardsticks.

For retailers, the clearest signal is in-store traffic. Attribution studies, branded search trends, and POS match-back data show whether your ads are driving people through the doors.

For home services, it’s phone calls and booked jobs. Call tracking, branded search, and CRM data reveal what’s working and what isn’t.

The common thread is that without the right measurement tools, you’re flying blind. Marketing should bring the right people in. If they’re not converting, that’s an operations issue, but you need the data to know the difference.

When the Market Shifts

So what happens when sales slow, competition heats up, or the economy tightens? That’s when agility matters most.

Look at your own calendar and search trends. For many retailers, a handful of days like Labor Day, Black Friday, and President’s Day drive the majority of annual revenue. Be ready to lean in heavy during those windows to ride the wave of consumer demand.

At the same time, double down on what’s working. If one creative on Meta is pulling a 20X return while others lag at 6X, don’t wait. Shift spend quickly. Use sales match-back data from Google and Meta to pinpoint what’s truly driving revenue and cut what isn’t.

The Pitfalls to Avoid

I see the same mistakes again and again:

Jumping into TV before your digital house is in order.
Under-investing in creative. The best media plan in the world can’t save weak storytelling.
Chasing too many channels instead of focusing on the few that move the needle.
Ignoring measurement tools, which is essentially guesswork dressed up as strategy.

Avoid these, and you’re already ahead of most competitors.

The Role of Research and Testing

Even the smartest plan will fall flat if it’s built on assumptions. That’s why research and testing matter.

Audience insights reveal who you’re really talking to and where they spend time. Message testing helps refine headlines, CTAs, and visuals so you know what resonates before you pour money into media. Ad concept testing shows which creative sparks an emotional connection.

And post-campaign feedback closes the loop, helping you refine and optimize for the next round.

In short, research makes your media mix smarter, your creative sharper, and your spend more efficient. Without it, you’re just throwing darts with a blindfold.

The Big Takeaway

Balancing your media mix isn’t about perfection. It’s about clarity.

Start with performance marketing.
Invest in creative.
Measure what matters.
Shift with agility.

Every dollar in your budget has a role to play. Some should work hard for awareness, others for conversion. Together, they create the kind of lift that builds both brand and revenue.

So the real question is: how are you thinking about your 2025 media budget? Will you double down on search, lean heavier into streaming, or refine your mix for maximum efficiency?

FAQs: Smarter Media Mix

What is a media mix, and why does it matter?

A media mix is simply the balance of channels and tactics you use to reach customers. Think of it like an investment portfolio. Some dollars build long-term brand equity, others drive immediate sales. The right mix ensures you’re visible at every stage of the customer journey, not just when people are ready to buy.

How much should I spend on awareness vs. performance marketing?

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula, but a healthy balance is often around 40% top-of-funnel for awareness, 25% middle-of-funnel for consideration, and 35% bottom-of-funnel for conversion. Start by nailing down performance marketing with paid search, retargeting, and conversion tracking. Then layer in awareness campaigns once you can capture the lift they create.

What’s the biggest mistake businesses make with their media mix?

Jumping into big-budget channels like TV or outdoor before fixing the basics. If your digital lead capture and tracking aren’t solid, awareness spend is just money slipping through the cracks. Another common misstep is underestimating creative. Even the smartest media plan can’t rescue weak storytelling.

How do I know if my campaigns are working?

It depends on your industry. Retailers should track foot traffic, branded search, and POS match-back data. Service providers should lean on call tracking, booked jobs, and CRM insights. The goal is clarity: is marketing bringing people in, and is your team converting them? Without the right tools, you’re just guessing.

How should I adjust my budget when the market shifts?

Agility is everything. Watch your sales calendar and lean into peak shopping windows like Black Friday or Labor Day. Double down on what’s working. If a single creative is outperforming, shift dollars fast. And use sales match-back data to cut what’s under-delivering. The smartest media mix is always evolving.

Where does research and testing fit into all of this?

Research takes the guesswork out of your media spend. Audience insights, message testing, and pre-launch creative testing all help ensure your dollars are working as hard as possible. Post-campaign research, meanwhile, tells you why customers responded or didn’t, closing the loop so your next campaign is even stronger.