Why You Should Be Thinking about Programmatic Advertising Right Now

Once upon a time, buying ad space on the internet was much like buying an ad on TV or in a newspaper. You would simply reach out to someone, pay a fee, and provide them with the ad you wanted them to display. Programmatic advertising is different, and in the digital landscape, it’s crucial. Here are some reasons why you should be thinking about it right now and making plans to add it to your digital marketing budget.

What Is Programmatic Advertising?

When it was first introduced, programmatic advertising was a way for media companies to sell off remnant ad space. It allowed advertisers to provide an ad and a budget and basically gave the media the freedom to put the ad wherever it would fit, and usually at a steep discount. These days, it has evolved a great deal, and it continues to evolve all the time. Today, brands use specific platforms to determine which impressions they want to buy – and what they’re worth – and publishers use a similar platform to sell ad space to those brands. Because the two platforms work together, they are matched up in real time, and this allows the best possible buyer-seller combinations.

Is Programmatic Advertising Right for You?

Though programmatic advertising does require you to relinquish some control over exactly where your ads end up, there are numerous benefits to consider.

• Automated Media Buying Decisions – Rather than manually searching for media with openings for your ads, you can allow a platform to do it for you. This saves an incredible amount of time by automating the buying process, which means fewer phone calls, fewer emails, and less time spent “sealing the deal” with the media you choose.
• More (and Better) Productivity – Because the platforms driving programmatic advertising are incredibly complex, they are far more productive than an entire team of humans. Today’s platforms consider everything from budget to context and even niche to make sure your ads are shown on the right screens at the right times – and even to the right people.
• You Still Define Your Terms – You can even tell the platforms about your audience and the types of media you prefer. It will take this information into consideration and help you choose the right media for your needs. In fact, you gain access to a huge wealth of consumer data that goes a long way toward ensuring your marketing needs are met, all without the months or even years of research.
• You Can Work with Your Budget – Programmatic advertising works well for businesses of all sizes because they get to define their budgets. If you are a small business with a $1000 budget, you won’t be shown to media that requires a minimum $10,000 budget. In other words, you can maximize your budget’s earning potential.

Though programmatic advertising is gaining ground, it’s only one of numerous methods being used to buy ad space in the digital world. Many, many companies and platforms still rely on old-fashioned transactions between buyers and sellers, so if you are considering making the move to programmatic advertising, it’s best to start off slowly. Eventually, you will find the sweet spot that helps drive traffic, sales, and revenue forward.