I often talk to people about Programmatic Advertising and I get the response, ‘Progra what?’ Well, if you’re running any online advertising campaign you need to be familiar with this, so let’s break it down.
No doubt Programmatic Advertising is one of the biggest developments within the Advertising Technology, or as it has become known Adtech, space.
Essentially programmatic advertising gives you the opportunity to reach your target audience by delivering access to an extensive network of advertising inventory through multiple channels such as web, mobile and social. With the additional capability of Real Time Bidding (RTB), you are able to create a strategy with less wastage and reduced spend. It is also a great time saver, since you can setup your campaign from a single source, without having to directly book through each supplier.
With this being a new concept within the Australian AdTech market there is an opportunity to be ahead of the game.
So let me give you some tips on how to become knowledgeable so when you’re talking with your AdTech agency you can be an expert within this technology’s realm.
Make sure you’re using the right DSP & SSP
When you undertake a programmatic advertising your campaign will be utilising two different platforms: Demand Side Platforms (DSP) and Supply Side Platforms (SSP). Different DSP and SSP will be connected into various advertising networks, therefore the first step is to ensure your agency identifies the platform that will connect you to the right networks for your goals. Ask for a site list that they reach within your industry and flag up any blacklist sites. You wouldn’t want ads for your product flashing up on any saucy sites! Similarly you may want to be particular if they appear on a news site that they don’t appear with the wrong type of article.
Get to understand Real Time Bidding
One of the more interesting innovations in digital advertising has been the introduction of Real Time Bidding (RTB). Your agency will likely be using a DSP that has a self-service capability (such as Double Click or Rubicon Project) and will be able to educate you in how RTB works and how they manage it for your campaign. This puts you in a better position to work together to optimise and manage the campaign according to the performance. It also allows you to be hands on if you wish, or simply have access to be able to monitor the campaign in real-time.
While it’s worthwhile to understand RTB keep in mind that this is more science than art, so it is best left with the experts to implement and manage. The result to you, however, will be significant costs savings on placement inventory.
Allocate budget for Private Marketplace deals
Private Marketplace(PMP) is an invite only marketplace where publishers can control which advertisers are displayed on their network. This gives big brands a brand-safe way of increasing exposure and having the opportunity to access premium inventory via a less competitive auction. You won’t see these premium packages with these prices anywhere else! So when developing your campaign, make sure to ask your agency for details on relevant PMP deals for you and what they are recommending.
Be ahead of the game
Be specific and determine who your target audience is. The level of granularity ranges from geographical region and gender to job titles, operating systems and platform depending on the DSP you use. Make sure you have identified these so your agency can plug these demographics into the platform and optimise the specificity throughout the campaign. Making sure your ads are appearing in front of contacts whose positions are most likely to convert your ad to profit.
Test Run Your Ads
Be specific and determine who your target audience is. The level of granularity ranges from geographical region and gender to job titles, operating systems and platform depending on the DSP you use. Make sure you have identified these so your agency can plug these demographics into the platform and optimise the specificity throughout the campaign. Making sure your ads are appearing in front of contacts whose positions are most likely to convert your ad to profit.
The last thing you want is to start the campaign with ads that are not going to perform well. Have different sets of ads and A/B test them on the platform to see which ads will be able to generate the higher CTR. Various ads may also be suited to different types of audience or region. The number of ads you can place on a DSP is unlimited so be targeted with your ads and go crazy!
So, there you are – a quick tour of the principles of programmatic buying. Don’t be daunted by the complexity of this, that’s where an agency like McCorkell will be able to help you through the murky waters to campaign success. It is in managing complex technical capabilities for campaign execution such as this that your agency really is your friend.