Programmatic Advertising Guide

Programmatic advertising platform continues to grow, everyone is writing about it in the media, speaking at conferences. And yet, not always programmatic ad services customers (real and potential) fully understand how it all works. For those who want to understand programmatic advertising software principle in 5 minutes and get what programmatic selling is or what the feature of programmatic buying is, this is a small guide “for dummies”.

1. This ad is technologically advanced.

Putting a programmatic purchase to work, you do not need a lot of employees anymore. We do not need media sellers and media buyers. We use software and the process is much faster and cheaper.

2. But it does not exclude the human factor.

Yes, programmatic technologies automate basic processes but this does not mean that we no longer need people here. Without the knowledge of professional employees, advertising simply will not work. Of course, you can try a programmatic campaign on your own with self-service solutions but there is a risk of wasting money. The faster the market develops, the stronger is the gap in skills, knowledge, and capabilities of professional agencies and full-time employees. Expertise is still everything.

3. Purchase occurs in milliseconds.

The main principle of programmatic advertising is speed. When a user loads a web page, an ad exchange receives information about user preferences and site content. At this point, an auction occurs, and the best offer of advertisers appears in front of the user. The process takes less than a second.

4. It grows very fast

According to the IAB survey, in 2015, the revenues of companies from programmatic advertising increased by 32%. At the same time, according to eMarketer in 2017, 72% of all display advertising in the world are purchased using programmatic technologies. It’s hard to ignore these numbers, isn’t it?

5. Pricing is transparent

You understand what you are paying for, as the price is made up of the number of real hits for users with specified interests. Ask your agency for a detailed report and you will know how many times your ad has been seen, on which sites it was shown, and how exactly your budget was spent.

6. Your advertising is shown to those who are interested in it.

If you produce cat food, and your brand is advertised to users who have cats (and no one else), the value of advertising investments becomes much higher. A separate auction is held for each ad display, which makes targeting more accurate than ever.

7. At the same time, it is easy to see how it works.

You get instant feedback on whether you have the desired advertising effect. If the result does not meet expectations, you can always adjust the strategy in real time.

8. Your advertisement looks… ordinary

For an ordinary Internet user, programmatic advertising looks the same as “old-fashioned” advertising, which is sold and bought manually. The main difference is that advertising takes into account the interests of the user.

Instead of a postscript, add a fly in the ointment: be careful in choosing partners. Fake domains, hacking, and bots – there is always the danger of fraud, so only work with trusted suppliers. Consult with colleagues, request cases and reviews and ask the right questions to the agency with which you cooperate – then everything will work out for you!