In 2019, the mobile video ads that sold programmatically had a total revenue of $19.93. Research further projects that programmatic advertising will generate at least $24.87 billion by the end of 2020. Digital marketers are realizing the importance of programmatic ads.
Marketers use programmatic advertising to reach a wider, but targeted audience to promote their services or products. Nonetheless, many people are not familiar with programmatic advertising and how it works. This marketing approach is arguably one of the most complex, yet, it’s impacts are undeniable.
Keep reading to know some of the things you need to consider when using programmatic advertising.
1. Use the Right Programmatic Advertising Tools
Programmatic advertising tools refers to the software used to automate bidding, purchasing, and placing digital ads. This software is used to monitor, track, and optimize ad campaigns. Programmatic advertising works the same way as paid search, only that you’ll have control over the number of displayed ads.
Data often back these programmatic tools. The tools allow an aspect of customization, which makes it easier to target a specific audience. It is crucial to choose tools that will meet your diverse needs.
Some of the common programmatic tools include PulsePoint, Adobe Marketing Cloud, Adroll, and Rubicon Project. The list is inexhaustive and choosing one over the other isn’t always easy. Other than the cost, consider the tool’s technical support, metric, technology, transparency, and user data.
A marketing specialist will be better placed to advise you on some of the best tools. If you’re a first-time user, consulting with the experts on programmatic advertising will give you insights on concepts that would otherwise appear complex.
2. Use a Demand Side Platform (DSP) With Multiple Abilities
Some abilities on DSP ought to be a priority when using programmatic video advertising. The DSP internal build bidder is amongst the tools you’ll need when executing this strategy. A bidder is a gateway between ad request bidding and serving of the actual ads.
If you have this build bidder, you won’t be incurring additional costs for the pricing layer common between advertisers and markets. As such, it is crucial to prioritize the DSP with this functionality.
The DSP should also have a strong geo-fencing tool. Display advertising campaigns often serve ads on specific or multiple locations. The geo-tool can be ideal in setting geo-fences that serve thousands of locations and addresses.
Your DSP should further connect to about 20 or 25 adexchanges. These adexchanges often have more than hundreds of sites and apps as part of their offers. With many apps and websites at your disposal, it will be easier to reach a wider, desired audience.
3. You Won’t Find a One-Size-Fits-All Solution When Using Programmatic Advertising
You need to utilize several small business marketing tips if you want to have an outstanding venture. Similarly, you can’t excel in programmatic advertising using a single approach. You’ll hardly get a one-size-fits-all solution.
It is crucial to customize your programmatic advertising based on your brand’s objectives. Whether it is sales, action, awareness, or engagement, the approach you take in advertising might vary. Your programmatic partner will define a solution that resonates with your market.
Your chosen partner should help to meet your marketing goals while still delivering ROI. Unlike the traditional black-box approach, programmatic video ads aren’t limited. You can have a transparent campaign that will influence your brand’s performance.
4. Fraud Is Still a Concern
Fraud in in-app, mobile, and online advertising led to a loss of $42 billion in 2019. Unfortunately, there’s little to no available data to show the extent of digital ad fraud. Most people don’t know the losses they incur in the form of stolen ad spending.
It is crucial to understand the potential frauds in ad networks. The good thing is that DSP helps to reduce fraud at a significant margin. DSP is safer since there are few intermediaries through which an ad request goes through.
You’ll also be in a position to point out under-performing sources through real-time analytics. This capability reduces your chances of falling prey to fraudsters.
However, it would be best if you were on the lookout for bot invasion. With the constant bots upgrade, you can never be too sure regardless of the DSP anti-fraud protection. It would help to utilize third-party tools for timely bot detection.
5. Keep Experimenting
Your programmatic video advertising might bear significant results within a short period. That’s not to mean you rest; your competitors aren’t resting! If anything, solid results in your first campaign should push you to garner more desirable outcomes.
It’s typical to make assumptions about a particular target audience in digital marketing. Keep testing those assumptions through several unique approaches. You might need to keep running ads even when unsure of the outcome.
While at it, keep checking the analytics to establish the costs and benefits. You’ll be surprised to find a diamond hidden away in the rough! The more you experiment, the more chances you have of improving your campaign.
Besides, experimenting will sharpen your programmatic advertising skills. This seemingly complex digital marketing approach will be seamless with constant trying. The results are worth the effort!
6. Work With an Experienced and Open Vendor
Your DSP should have unmatched experience in campaigns. It is crucial to confirm that the party you’re working with has the experience and is willing to teach you through the campaign process. As such, it would be best to vet a provide before partnering.
It would be best to start by the transparency regarding pricing, campaign set-up, and analytics. A DSP provider who meets the requirements is most-likely reliable.
You can request to test the platform to determine the quality of the provided traffic. At this stage, you need to be on the lookout for red flags. Some providers are quite strict on their refunding policy, which you should note from the onset.
Safety when using DSP is a concern for many digital marketers. You might want to know the safety measures taken once you choose your preferred DSM. While at it, consider getting a publisher report to see the sites and apps your ads are reaching.
7. Creativity Is Central in Programmatic Advertising
Creativity is one of the factors making programmatic advertising essential for your small business. Once you reach the intended consumer, you’ll have to start thinking about the best way to captivate their attention. The content you develop should be engaging enough to encourage conversion.
Marketers often bombard consumers with adverts that can be irrelevant or distracting. The advancement in connection through the internet is to be blamed for this move-in advertising. You can take advantage of developing creative ads that will differentiate your brand and cut through the clutter.
You can improve your marketing creativity in programmatic advertising by using relevant imagery, compelling CTA, and standardized ad sizes. Use a practical product feed and customize your content to resonate with the channels you’re using.
Creativity will drive engagements. You should prioritize the development of a creative strategy even before delving deeper into the campaigns. If your creativity isn’t commendable, work with a partner who will create a top-notch strategy and workable recommendations.
8. Communicate Openly With Your Representatives
Using programmatic advertising allows you to interact with representatives who work to ensure that your campaign succeeds. Representatives have significant knowledge of campaigns. They can provide great insights on campaign strategies that have higher odds of succeeding.
Given the notable significance of representatives, it would be best to form a working rapport with the assigned representative. Start communicating as early as possible. It would also help to ensure that you’re frequently communicating through the process of advertising.
The representatives make the process of programmatic video ads less daunting. Their broad experience will make you navigate through the platform like a pro! Ultimately, you’ll have a high-performing campaign.
Your representative can give you more guidance on digital marketing, depending on the relationship you form. Your communication will determine the extent to which you interact with the representative.
9. Your Programmatic Strategy Should be Long-Term
Recent research shows that 65% of digital marketers have embraced in-house programmatic advertising after using digital ads. The benefits of this move range from better ROI to enhanced real-time optimization. It would be best if you embraced programmatic advertising as a long-term strategy to enjoy these benefits.
While at it, you need long-term advertising objectives, such as increased sales and brand awareness. Define your audience for a relevant target. It would also help to categorize each of the campaigns based on their performance.
The long-term strategy should have compelling creatives to resonate with end-users. You’ll also have to think of the sources of traffic for your ad placement. Keeping up with this strategy is the best way to have sustainable results in the form of traffic and conversions.
10. Programmatic Can Be Complex
Programmatic advertising is one of the effective marketing approaches that most business owners are embracing. Yet, this ‘magical solution’ will require input in audience building, data, and technology. For a first-timer, programmatic advertising can be frustrating.
Everyone in the IT team has to be part of this process. If you’re considering an in-house programmatic advertising approach, you need to have a highly-skilled team. Getting the top talents for this role isn’t always easy.
Once you find the best digital marketing agency, you’ll benefit from programmatic advertising and other marketing tactics. Professionals will know how to go about harnessing the right type of data. They can run the ads effectively and work around the analytics to establish your ad’s performance.
11. Use Professionally Designed Banners or Ads
The banners you use have significant impacts on your digital marketing. It is essential to serve banners created by professionals. An unappealing banner can have detrimental effects on your brand and campaign.
Your landing page and banners should have the same appearance. It would be unsightly to have different colors and fonts.
The banners should also have rich media as the visuals have a significant impact on your campaign results. You might want to consider an affordable hosting provider for rich media ads. A significant part of your programmatic advertising budget should go to publishers instead of hosting your rich media.
Some Demand Side Platforms offer cheaper in-house creative solutions. You can have free banners or rich media, depending on your campaign budget. While it might be tempting to DIY a banner to cut down costs, resist, not unless you’re an expert in the field.
12. In-House Programmatic and Data Management
Bad data costs businesses more than 30% of their revenue. It is crucial for business owners to ensure that they have high-quality data. What’s more, companies need to manage their data in the best possible way.
Data drive programmatic campaigns. You need to collect and analyze the data, which is not a small feat. If your relationship with numbers isn’t commendable, data management in programmatic ads will be a nuisance.
Unless you have a team that translates the data into relevant actions, the whole concept will seem nonsensical. As such, it would be best to hire a professional like a data scientist to help with the process. Messing with the data can have adverse effects on your campaign, and in worst cases, your brand.
With the right data collection and analysis, programmatic advertising shouldn’t be hard. A digital marketing agency is in a better place to guide you through this strategy.
Programmatic Advertising Is Growing in Popularity
Despite the surge of programmatic advertising as a part of digital marketing, the approach is still a hard nut to crack for many people. Programmatic marketing is quite complex. Yet, the right approach with this form of marketing can give you unmatched results.
If you intend to use programmatic video advertising to reach a wider audience, it would be best to work with an expert. Professionals will know how to get you the right audience through programmatic advertising. You’ll need to vet each of the identified digital agencies to ensure that you’re working with the best.
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