More advertisers are unearthing the benefits of programmatic advertising and how data allows you to reach your audience at the right time, in the right place, and with the right message. This realization, combined with the continued increase in consumers using mobile devices, has created the perfect storm in which programmatic advertising “rains” the best solution to target consumers effectively.
As we dive into the new year, programmatic digital advertising hasn’t shifted away from the spotlight – if anything, it has moved even more directly into the limelight of digital advertising. Programmatic display ads are projected to grow by more than 19% this year and, accounting for more than $79.5 billion worth of ad spending in the US alone.
If you’re ready to take the leap and invest in programmatic digital advertising, you may be overwhelmed by the breadth of programmatic advertising companies. Each company has its unique solutions, expertise, pricing tiers, and added benefits, making navigating the decision difficult. Despite the differences in companies, there are some tried and true qualities that you should look for in a programmatic partner. Below we have outlined 5 of the qualities of the best digital advertising companies.
What is programmatic digital advertising?
Programmatic digital advertising is a method of marketing that utilizes technology to buy and sell online advertising space. It’s helpful to target segmented audiences using real-time data in ways that humans simply can’t accomplish. In the end, programmatic ad buys to ensure that advertisements are delivered to the right people at the best times.
Learn more about the pros and cons that programmatic advertising can provide your growing business here.
Five qualities to look for in programmatic advertising companies
1. Transparency
As with any business partnership, you need to trust and feel confident in the programmatic advertising company you invest your advertising dollars. However, with programmatic advertising, this takes on an additional mold.
As stories of bot traffic, ad stacking, and ghost sites have gone viral in the advertising world, advertisers understandably are concerned about issues surrounding ad fraud. When campaigns are built on and deemed successful or not based on metrics such as views, clicks, etc., you need to be sure that they come from actual humans.
The best programmatic companies have stringent policies in place to fight ad fraud every step of the way. Programmatic advertising companies should implement always-on ad fraud-fighting features in campaigns, proactively catching suspicious activity to combat it before it becomes a significant issue.
When seeking out the best of the best, an extra tip is to ask about a company’s vetting process when choosing their partners (such as data providers, DSPs, DMPs, etc.). The company’s ad fraud prevention practices are only as good as the companies they partner with, so you should ensure that their partnerships across the board all maintain the same level of transparency methods. Simply put, programmatic advertising companies genuinely are “…known by the company you keep.”
2. Platform Agnostic
As you’re researching and speaking with digital advertising companies, one of the first questions you may ask them is which DSPs they use. Some may answer with one, while others may use a handful. Although there are DSPs that will seamlessly meet your campaign’s KPIs when used alone, it’s always best to look for programmatic partners with access to different platforms.
With access to different DSPs, advertisers can lean into platforms’ unique strengths, target varying audiences, and access multiple devices. Beyond these advantages, finding a platform-agnostic partner will give you a more significant variance in industry knowledge. These partners won’t be tied to one platform but rather have a more thorough picture of the programmatic landscape and offer suggestions and tips about where your campaigns will run most successfully.
3. Advanced Technology & Creativity
The best programmatic partners utilize strategic partnerships combined with their advanced technology, insights, and creativity. Programmatic technology allows you to reach your audience better, so the best programmatic partners should offer a unique technology that enhances your campaigns. Maybe they provide unique audience insight technology, better cross-device tracking, or more strategic analytics features.
As for creativity, the company you decide to partner with will be an extension of your team. The best programmatic companies are ready to roll up their sleeves and find the most effective and creative ways to reach and exceed your digital advertising goals. They should offer suggestions, insights, industry news, and applications that they have found successful in campaigns to ensure that your campaigns reach their full potential. The era of “set it and forget it” is no longer the best way to run programmatic campaigns; when instrumented correctly, the human touch element is priceless when working with the best programmatic advertising companies.
4. Precise Measurement & Analytics Tools
Programmatic marketing can be an extremely useful tool for marketers. However, you need to ensure that your investment is paying off at the end of the day. This is where measurement and analytics tools come into play. Programmatic partners should offer transparent measurement tools that showcase the results of your campaign.
Companies can offer many fantastic features concerning measurement tools; however, standard attributes to look for in to-tier programmatic measurement programs that are holistic, automated, and updated in real-time. One of the significant advantages of programmatic advertising is that you no longer have to wait for the campaign to run its course, hoping that it was successful. Measurement data should be always-on, easily accessible so you can see where your campaigns are seeing success.
The best programmatic advertising partners will also provide suggestions, areas for improvement, and growth opportunities. Having robust campaign data should only improve your future campaigns if your programmatic partner has and uses their analytics toolkit properly.
5. Flexibility – One Size Does Not Fit All
Every brand has unique objectives for its digital advertising campaigns. The best programmatic advertising companies understand that one size does not fit all. Instead, they will work to craft customized, data-driven programmatic plans.
Taking it one step farther, the best of the best, also understand that plans and goals can change. Flexibility during these changes is essential so as not to pigeonhole yourself into one category or box.
Qualities that Put Digilant Amongst the Best Programmatic Partners
At Digilant, we understand the qualities necessary to be a top tier, programmatic digital partner. We don’t take lightly the trust that our clients put in our team to execute their programmatic campaigns, which is why our team of programmatic experts goes above and beyond to ensure the best quality work is delivered every step of the way.
“Lead decision with data” is one of our guiding principles. Leading with data means that every campaign starts in the hands of our planning and insights team. They thoroughly research the brand to understand that audience and uncover new, beneficial insights. This research helps to identify the best partners to work with for the campaign. With a comprehensive list of data providers and technology solutions, we are passionate about finding the perfect match for each of our clients.
However, we also understand the importance of brand safety, which is why Digilant has a built-in suspicious traffic filter as a safety precaution that detects and eliminates fraudulent traffic. With brand safety features in place, once campaigns are live, our always-on measurement solutions allow us to strategically alter and change campaigns to take advantage of what is working and quickly adapt to what is not. Our talented team of analytics experts offers custom-built dashboards, complete with valuable insights and suggestions that clients can access throughout the campaign. With a holistic view of all the campaigns, these insights and suggestions to be implemented in real-time as the campaigns are running and for a future campaign.
Are you interested in learning more about how Digialnt’s custom, data-driven solutions can take your advertising campaigns to the next level? Let’s talk.