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As a marketer, whether or not you are actively using programmatic to reach your audience online, the technology is already having a profound impact on how consumers interact with brands.
Programmatic buying – using technology to automate the purchase of media – has demonstrated unprecedented efficiency and is quickly becoming a mainstream marketing tool. Consumers are constantly connected to their devices and this shift in lifestyle presents new challenges for brands, including how and where to connect with their audience and make their digital or media budget work. .
Programmatic will continue to gain momentum and will become the main engine in digital trading. According to e-Marketer, real-time bidding, which lives under the programmatic umbrella, will account for $9.03 billion or 29 percent of the total digital display advertisement spend in the United States by 2017. This is an increase from the estimated $3.37 billion spent in 2013.
As the rapid rise of programmatic continues, marketers need to understand the advantages of implementing a programmatic strategy while being aware of the possible pitfalls and ensure they are set up for success.
Here are three things marketers should know before choosing a programmatic partner:
- Multi-platform approach is key
The advantage of trading across multiple Demand Side Platforms (DSP) means that nothing goes unmissed. The strengths of each DSP can be singled out and capitalized upon to better the performance of your campaign. Having multiple views of inventory through multiple platforms is not only a distinct advantage but will promote competition and value. It will also ensure brands reach as many of their customers as possible.
- Creative matters
Great creative drives engagement with consumers and in many cases a campaign is only as good as its creative. It’s easy to repurpose existing creative, send it out into the online universe and hope for the best. However, taking the time to come up with a well thought out creative strategy for your online brand identity goes a long way. A clear call to action is important, along with varied creative that speaks to different times of day, platform and device. It’s important to have a programmatic partner that will work with you to create the best possible strategy and make recommendations tailored to your objectives.
- Quality over quantity
At the dawn of programmatic buying there was a perception that only remnant inventory was available with poor placements on sites. There was also fear of fraudulent data, leaving many marketers on the fence about taking the real-time route.
In today’s programmatic marketplace, these concerns are addressed head-on. RTB platforms, the IAB and third-party services have all helped shape a brand safe environment with clear flags for fraud allowing optimization teams the ability to instantly shift budget if any suspicious activity appears to be occurring. A programmatic partner should be providing site lists and regular reports that include impressions, spend, clicks, CPM and any other campaign details agreed upon.
A proactive partnership is key to success as you pursue a programmatic strategy.
