How can I make programmatic advertising profitable?

In the ‘good’ old marketing days the saying was, ‘I know that half of my advertising crowns are thrown away — I just don’t know which half!’ Even in 2020, with all the possibilities of programmatic advertising, we suspect that there are still some half parties burning both here and there.

After a few years of programmatic advertising becoming a more common word with marketers, it is therefore time to check whether your money is burned or used in a profitable way.

There are many media agencies out there, and many are running programmatic advertising for their customers. There are also many nice heads, and we in INEVO don't think there are many survivors out there who just think, "Now we're going to turn our customers on for the most money!"

But, at a time when technology and possibilities change at record speed, it's not always easy to be a good orderr. And then it's not that easy to sit on the other side either. We suspect that a plan has not always been made to ensure that the campaigns are profitable. We think that should be. If you agree, you should read on.

With these advice from us in INEVO you can become a better orderr

Put everything in context with why and where you advertise – and for whom

Ask yourself some critical questions before you start advertising; why do you buy software, what is your goal, who is your target, what are your demands on what you get again, who will set up the campaigns, what should you say to the Agency, and what should you measure. Put your results in context with this when you learn to go to future campaigns.

Why are you running software?

In many cases, the budget is designated for example, branding or general visibility. But must it be like this? The word “all publishing is good publishing” does not match 100%. It is always better to have a good and relevant message that you refer to the relevant target group. Think about why you buy programmatic ads, before you do anything.

Define the goal and what it is worth — for you!

What is the value of a side view? Some people even boast of how many side shows they can produce. But to be honest, I'm sure there are many side shows worth $0 if you don't follow up with anything else. Somewhat more relevant is the number of clicks that visit it since you want to, but unless you are doing something valuable to your users, there are still no great values to trace. But you can track the value in, for example, a downloaded brochure, a user who has contacted you by chat, email or telephone, or even better – a ordered product or service – you can put either estimated or real crown values on this!

Where do you want to go -- and how much is it worth for you to get there?

to requirements for those who set up and use your money.

If you build a house, you will require the roof bags to be tight. Electricians get their shirts if you don't get the power to the kitchen, and plumbers who put on work in a dive suit you wouldn't really be proud of. Similarly, you who spend money on programmatic advertising should make demands on those you use for the job. Tell your media agency what's important to you, and don't be afraid to say you're not a technical specialist on DSPs or programmatic advertising in general. Tell me in advance what you expect to get back for the collaboration. Then you will not have to answer, ‘Oh, we didn’t know that — you would have said that before’ when you have used your first media million without tracking the campaigns.

Be clear with those who make the campaigns

Remember, we who work with programmatic purchases work with many different types of customers, and with many different types of industries. Each campaign is different from the other. The best people who are doing programmatic advertising don't generalize, but build things from the bottom of each time. Each customer is usually unique – although one learns, of course, along the way. As an orderr, it is important that you tell us what you want, in that way we get a chance to make something good for you! And not least, we need to respect that it's your money you bring to us.

It's your money we spend – we as a bureau should respect for that

Set up measurement so that you know you actually get some answers!

Unfortunately, the latter is taken from many real examples. There are always numbers. The system numbers are well and good, but they essentially just tell a little bit of the truth. In many cases, you need to add extra tracking, so you either know the crown values or the number of conversions. This way it is possible to see whether the campaigns you were running produced the desired effect or not.

Require flexibility!

Require that the campaigns you spend on are monitored, adjusted and optimised on the way.

Programmematic advertising often has a relatively high budget compared to other activities. Remember to check that the Agency you use is willing to step in and make necessary changes during the campaign period. This whether the period is 1-2 days or 1-2 months! The last thing you want to do is start the campaign – run out of products – and then sit and see that the money runs out from the system for no use. The smaller adjustments in the course of the year are often those that make the campaigns a success. Adjustments to the direction of the campaign, placements or bidding may make a significant difference at the end of the campaign period.

Learn from your errors

There's always something to learn. Be honest after a campaign. Learn how to read numbers - and don't be afraid to go on a course or ask people stupid questions (that's how the nice people got nice) check the numbers carefully, and check the correct numbers. Can you detect similar numbers across measurement tools? For example, do you have a visitor figure that matches any of the click numbers? The more you learn, the more questions you'll probably ask yourself, but it's completely natural. Finally, you'll most likely try to calculate ROI -- the return on investment. That's when it's starting to become fun. Do not be afraid to value conversion numbers if you have to, but remember to mark which numbers are Greeks, estimates, or real numbers. Everything is usually better than nothing, when you stand there and have to answer whether the money was spent well or not.

The nicest of us are also perhaps the ones who have asked most questions.

Challenge established truths

Do you use an old-fashioned agency? Don't be afraid to look over on the other side of the class – it's allowed to look around. If nothing else, you will get everything from good offers, even better: good advice on how your existing agency can do an even better job.

For example, do you use the same message in the ad over and over again? Don't be afraid to think outside the box and try new things!

Build profitable programmatic advertising over time

These advices think we can make your advertising purchases more profitable – over time. We're not saying that it's easy, here's a lot of hard work. The goal is, of course, that at the end of the day you have sold more of your product or service – and that you have also built your brand name. After all, the best brand construction is the satisfied customers who buy from you again, and who spread it to them around them. Can you see trends that indicate that programmatic purchases actually are involved in increasing your sales? Then you're in programmatic nirvana!