Top 3 tips to better manage programmatic ads
First, don’t micro-optimize.
“My biggest advice here is to not get so sucked into the micro-optimization of every impression. Make sure you’re focused on what yields the biggest results. We work with organizations every day who are using creative to increase programmatic ROIs because optimizing their generalized creatives is low hanging fruit compared to ringing more pennies out of already efficient media. Appointing creative planners breeds success because they straddle the media/creative line and make sure there is a unique creative matched to each audience group,” said Rob Lennon, Sr. Product Marketing Manager at PaperG.
Second, focus on performance.
“Hire a vendor product manager. The flow of talent has been from the client-side to the vendors, especially at senior levels. To better manage the offering, it will be worth taking some of the savings from automated media management and put it into the salary of a mid-level vendor-side leader who has make their platform work for customers,” said Lewis Gersh, CEO, PebblePost. “Shift the focus from price to performance. The value of programmatic is largely seen as a route to saving on CPMs. But the real value is better relevance and ad performance, as data matches the viewer with relevant and timely ads. Return on Ad Spend, measured with an eye to better and better attribution.
Third, consider third party management.
“The programmatic space can be tricky to negotiate. Supply can be fragmented across platforms, and we have not yet reached the clean ecosystem that so many industry leaders are calling for. Because of this, we don’t see it as a poor choice to retain a third party to manage your programmatic buying. Vendors like this have the resources and demand to maintain many platform seats as well as the expertise to design and manage your campaigns. Chosen correctly, your vendor will have a great knowledge of potential pitfalls to avoid and can help guide you towards strategies that will help achieve your goals. Until the industry reaches further reform, which won’t happen immediately, this is still a great call,” said Ted Dhanik, CEO, engage:BDR.
