A Brief Introduction to Programmatic Ad Buying

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The advertising world has experienced significant advancements from programmatic ad buying. If you’re unfamiliar it is basically using software to buy digital advertising. It was developed because Marketing teams needed to request proposals and make numerous negotiations to complete their ads back in the day. Now, you can use software to buy digital advertising. 

With advancing solutions, users have more time to optimize the look and copy of their ads. With more convivence to marketing teams, ads will keep getting better and better. Read on to learn more about programmatic advertising.

Understanding Programmatic Advertising

Programmatic ad buying essentially involves using software to purchase digital ads.  Programmatic ads use machines to buy display space for your products. However, these automated processes do not write off the traditional approaches

Rather than spend most of your time preparing orders manually, programmatic ads allow you to spend more time optimizing your ads. The human aspect is essential in planning the ad initiatives and meeting your client's needs. With programmatic advertising, your team will have an easier time improving your ads and targeting your clients better. 

While still in its infancy, programmatic advertising holds a lot of promise for marketing teams. The new advertising platform has its fair share of challenges. For one, advertising teams cannot guarantee that their ads won't be part of controversial online content. Such incidences may force you to pull down your ads and cause you to incur more than you intended to spend. 

The Programmatic Advertising Difference

Programmatic ads provide success for numerous ad initiatives, primarily due to their efficiency. Businesses are relying on this technology increasingly as they look to meet their core brand objectives. This advertising medium also continues to experience exponential growth as more advertising teams seek to leverage its potential.

Private exchanges in the programmatic ad space have enabled teams to gain better control over their advertising initiatives. These setups continue to influence new players looking to optimize their ads. Consistent use enables teams to achieve significant savings in terms of time and resources. 

Advertisers also have an opportunity to guarantee the success of their ad campaigns with programmatic advertising. Marketers no longer must spend on hit or miss campaign designs that can drain your marketing budgets. Programmatic algorithms can help you optimize your spending with specified key performance indicators. 

In addition, this new advertising medium helps you analyze your current ad initiatives and identify improvement areas. Programmatic ads will also come in handy in understanding the media journey better. Marketing teams also get to have personalized conversations with clients from all walks of life.

Modern brands can use programmatic ads to optimize their ad expenses, boost their ROI, and create client-centric ads. You can also find areas that need improving and enhance your advertisement initiatives. 

How Can You Implement Programmatic Advertising?

First, you'll need to know and understand your marketplace. Then, figure out your short and long-term goals. Once you have what you need, you'll ask your team members to plan and check the actual programmatic ad buying process.

Here is a guide to implementing a robust programmatic advertising initiative. 

1. Understand Your Marketplace

Before you get down to business; you'll need to know your target market. For one, you'll encounter new terms as well as ideas. Take time to know the ins and outs of programmatic advertising before taking the first step into this advertising space. Ensure that your marketing team is familiar with the common terminology to avoid any miscommunication. 

2. Choose Your Programmatic Ad Buying 

Advertisers' brands can use different programmatic advertising platforms to manage their ad campaigns effectively. Programmatic ad platforms like:

These platforms rank high in the programmatic advertising space. They use predictive models that boost your ad initiatives. You can also build target audiences that match specific criteria. Overall, your team will have an easier time managing your ad campaigns with these platforms in your tool belt. 

3. Set Clear, Short, and Long-Term Goals

You'll need to be clear about what you hope to achieve from the start. Use existing data and information to determine reasonable goals for your advertising strategy. Short and long-term goals will help you measure the impact of your advertising strategy. Next, you'll need to set a clear ad strategy that'll complement your goals. Revise your plans regularly as you make progress and your situation changes. 

4. Add the Human Touch

Your advertising team will need to include the human touch to complement programmatic ads' machines. Actual human managers help to determine the direction of your advertising strategy. Empower your advertising team to understand how different ad platforms work. This team will use automated platforms to help you achieve your advertising goals. 

The extent of human involvement depends on the platform that you choose to use. Some avenues only provide the technical aspects, offering greater control of your advertising initiatives. Others are fully managed services that only require human oversight.

Depending on your advertising platform, allocate skilled personnel to plan and optimize programmatic ad buying. The idea is to find a perfect match between human intervention as well as technological algorithms.

Team of marketing professionals brainstorming about programmatic advertising strategies.

5. Secure Your Brand

Overreliance on algorithms can cause your ads to appear on inappropriate sites. You'll need to constantly update your blacklist to exclude any rogue sites and minimize the risk of fraud. Ensure that you watch what sites your ad goes on to; there are specific sites that you don't want affiliating with your brand. 

Alternatively, you could also work on creating safelists of approved sites, especially for sensitive products. Taking such precautionary steps ensures that your ads don't end up in the wrong hands. Don't jeopardize your brand reputation as you implement automated advertisements. 

6. Watch out for Fraud

While on the lookout, remain wary about the risk of fraud. Bot fraud ranks high among fraud incidents that can hamper your advertising initiatives. Monitor all your endeavors and campaigns to keep fraud threats at a minimum. The positive aspect of programmatic ads is that their fraud risk is way lower than traditional display ads. 

7.  Review Your Data

To determine how well your campaign did, you must review your metrics. By reviewing your results, you can prepare for the future and invest in higher-performing ads; if your ads did poorly, you know to change something and try again. 

The Value of Programmatic Ad Buying

Programmatic ad platforms provide precise targeting that can revolutionize your ad initiatives. Your marketing team will contact audiences interested in your brand, easing your chances of converting potential clients. You can also use this marketing approach as part of your branding campaign.

Programmatic ads also provide insight into topics that engage your market base. You could use this information to understand your client's behavior and create marketing content that matches their interests. 

Take Your Business Viral with Professional Support 

Programmatic ad buying is the inevitable future of advertising. Businesses looking to achieve considerable success from their marketing initiatives will need to add these platforms to their ad initiatives. Do you want to make an excellent first impression of your brand? Visit Viral Solutions for a free website audit. We have the technical know-how to help grow your business. From PPC knowledge to SEO, count on us for up-to-date programmatic ad tactics and time-tested strategies.

 


At Viral Solutions we are committed to seeing YOU succeed. It is our goal to grow your business with proven digital marketing strategies that will help your business for the long haul.

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Filed Under: Business Tips, Tools & Technology

About Jon Maday

Jon recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with a degree in marketing and economics. He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and loves his Chicago sports teams. Jon found his passion for marketing while in college and decided to pursue a career in the digital side of marketing. He is an eager learner and started with Viral Solutions as an intern before accepting a position upon graduation. Outside of work, Jon enjoys hanging out with friends and watching sporting events.