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3. Automate, don’t go on autopilot
The value of automation is that it eliminates busywork (like manual insertion orders) that keeps media planners from turning
their talents to more advanced strategy. But not everything that can be automated should be. (Sometimes, for example, it might
make more sense for a marketer to capitalize on a special relationship with a key publisher.)
When a programmatic approach does seem like the best fit, it still doesn’t mean that you leave all the decision-making to a
machine, or that you sit back and take no active role in optimizing the results. Automate, but don’t put your entire strategy on
autopilot.
In fact, the efficiencies gained through automation should enable marketers to spend even more of their creative energy on
strategies designed to tap into programmatic advertising’s unique ability to granularly target and segment audiences.
4. Learn how to read the data tea leaves
Ad buyers need to know how to harness all the data that is made available to them
to bid more effectively on the inventory that gets them the best results.
That goes beyond just knowing that your ad is reaching 35-45 year-old women, for
instance. Content (where, exactly, is your ad running?) and context (such as how often
a target consumer has been on a particular site during a single session), are also
highly relevant data points that are key to achieving strong performance and ROI.
5. Take control
Why do some advertisers fear automation? Because no one wants to find out that
their carefully crafted message has appeared next to content (porn, for example) that
reflects poorly on their brand. As programmatic technologies have evolved, vendors
are beginning to offer controls that empower buyers to more effectively reap the
rewards of increased reach and automation while mitigating the risks.
With so many programmatic options now available, including more and more
opportunities to purchase premium content programmatically, marketers should
only consider solutions that include an ability to carefully control the parameters of
automated bidding.
Although the buzz around programmatic advertising has reached deafening
proportions—”Is it The Next Big Thing?” “Overhyped?” “Misunderstood?”—today’s
marketers really only need to know one thing: What’s in it for me?
The answer is greater ad buying efficiency, more-granular targeting, and improved
reach, provided that programmatic technology is used strategically—and in
circumstances where it is truly the best tool for the job.