Programmatic Display Advertising provides advertisers with opportunities to get their brand in front of the right audience at the right time. This audience can be targeted based on specific demographics like age, job, and interests.
To get an advert for your business, you use intelligent software (Demand Side Platform) to bid on and purchase digital advertisements. This is an automatic process — transactions are made in the time it takes to load a webpage (around 100 ms) — and it can be done to a budget with the option to set a maximum bid and overall cost. There are various bid strategies for different side-platforms, but this doesn’t concern someone right at the start of the process.
This all sounds good, right? But how do you actually get started with Programmatic Advertising? How do you see the results that you might have heard about? To get started, you should:
- Consult an expert.
- Set clear campaign goals.
- Choose the type of advert.
- Sign up for the right demand platform.
- Set your limit for impressions and ad spend.
- Identify your targets.
- Keep updated based on real-time reports.
1. Consult an Expert
Due to the complicated software and the fact it is hard to measure conversions, Programmatic is one of the more difficult digital strategies to navigate as a beginner. With the added risk of ad fraud, non-experts are advised to consult an expert. Whether you just need some advice to get off on the right foot, or a team to do all of your Programmatic for you, it is important that you go into the process crystal clear on how it works (and the risks if it is not done right).
2. Set Clear Campaign Goals
All successful ad campaigns will set clear campaign goals before it begins. Whether it’s to increase brand awareness, website traffic, or to attract new customers or re-engage old, your advertising goals will determine how your future programmatic ad is set up.
3. Choose the Type of Advert
Once you’ve determined some clear goals, you should choose the type of advert. This should be, in part, informed by the goals you’ve just set. Most programmatic ad platforms allow for banner, video, native, and in-app campaigns.
The next step is to create the creative that will fill the ad space and target your audience.
4. Sign up for a Demand Platform
This is the tool that is used by advertisers to create their Programmatic campaigns. A demand-side platform (DSP) is a type of software that allows an advertiser to buy advertising with the help of automation. Each platform is different, but Epom states that you should look for the below characteristics:
- No platform fee. You can register, place a deposit, and start buying media right away;
- Basic targeting options: browser, OS, language, location, IAB category, etc.;
- Partnerships with reputable SSPs, at least 15 different sources are available;
- Real-time analytics. You can track your ad campaign without delays in reporting;
- Live chat with a technical support team;
- Support of all major IAB video, banner, and mobile ad formats;
- Easy-to-navigate interface, even if you’re a newbie;
- Data transparency. You have unlimited access to your advertising data.
Spend time on this process, as it is important you pick a platform that is right for your business and its ad goals.
5. Set your Limit for Impressions and Ad Spend
One of the benefits of Programmatic is that you can set limits as to how much you spend. You pay as much as you can afford (and as much as you think is right to bid and win the impression).
Some demand-side platforms also let you set a frequency cap: the number of times an advert can be seen by the same user. This is useful if you want to avoid overwhelming (and putting off) the user with too many of your ads.
6. Identify your Targets
When you set clear campaign goals, you should have had an idea of the personas of your prospective customers in your head. The best part about Programmatic is that you can now target these people based on these characteristics — even down to the specifics of their location, language, interests and searches.
7. Update Based on Real-Time Reports
And you’re good to go! Your ad campaign can go live. To keep things relevant, you should update your ad based on the information you get back from real-time reports.
For more information on how Programmatic Display Advertising can benefit your business, contact us online or speak to one of our specialists on 029 2169 0146. And discover our other digital marketing blogs here.
