For the past few years there have been a few prominent buzzwords in marketing with Programmatic being one of the most sought after. After Google Display Network removed the ability to exclude all mobile app traffic, we needed to find a display channel that we felt confident enough recommending to our clients. 

So we’ve been able to on-board, educate, and expand into the B2B programmatic space with great results so far. Adding a programmatic channel to any integrated approach can strengthen, assist lead conversions, and provide very cost effective CPMs. 

What is Programmatic Marketing?

Programmatic is running advertising in real time. Years ago, there was a scaleability issue developing on what buyers and planners were capable of, which presented the opportunity to develop an automated system of ad buying. The traditional method of buying/placing media included RFPs, tenders, quotes, negotiations, and a lot of back and forth before a contract is signed. Programmatic trading uses AI, machine learning and algorithms to identify open display space, figure out the going rate (similar to a CPC bid to overcome the next highest bidder), and advertisers with the websites that have digital advertising space to sell.  

Programmatic frees up time by removing the arduous process of buying and placing media, and increase the time you can spend optimizating display campaigns. You’ll have more time to look at different data trends and splits to find the top performing creatives, placements, audience segments, etc. 

According to EMarketer’s estimates, Programmatic now accounts for 84% of all digital display ad spend with most done through private marketplaces or direct setups. 

What can programmatic do for you? 

Programmatic and display advertising is mostly a top of funnel engagement. There are millions of impressions to garner and a low click through rate. Users see your ads, and maybe acknowledge them, but it’ll be similar to a billboard on the highway – it keeps your company front of mind but may not lead to a sale straight away. This medium is for companies looking to expand their share of voice, trying to spread awareness of a special offer, a new opening, or wanting to supplement other forms of media. 

Three types of programmatic targeting.

There are three separate targeting options for B2B programmatic campaigns: 

  1. Net New Database Targeting: each programmatic vendor has partnerships with 3rd party data aggregation companies including Bombora, BlueKai, Oracle, etc. We use your target demographics to isolate specific lists to target such as IT Decision Makers or C-Suite Marketers. 
  2. 1st Party CRM Lists: If your company has your own list that you use for email marketing or have collected through other ways, we can run display campaigns to that group. 
  3. Remarketing Campaigns: We’re able to put a pixel on your website whether on the home page or specific internal pages to cookie users and track them anonymously through the site. After they leave, for the next 15-30 days we can serve them ads on relevant partner pages to get them to come back to the site and take action. 

How is our approach to Programmatic different? 

In the B2B programmatic world, one of the biggest concerns is getting your ads in front of relevant eyeballs on relevant placements. Depending which targeting type aligns with the goal of the campaign, we do our best to layer a few different lists on top of one another to decrease the volume of users and increase the relevancy level. 

We also partner with specific vendors that keep fringe costs lower to maximize your media budget. Many of the largest programmatic vendors will take 15%-20% ad serving fee off the top of your media spend which drastically reduces opportunity. A lot of them even will require a minimum monthly investment of $10k-$20k to even get started. 

Working with us, you won’t have to worry about either of those. You’ll get assistance in creating banners, recommendations of messaging and creative choices, and multiple targeting options when building out the campaigns. We’ll work very closely with your team to formulate a strong approach to programmatic that will increase visibility but also achieve your internal business goals. 

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