Programmatic Challenges Marketers Should Address + Solutions

As you build your marketing campaigns and ads, one of the things you may be interested in investing in is programmatic advertising. Programmatic advertising gets your ads in front of your audience through automated ad bidding and placement, but it can be a complex process.

Despite the efficiency that automation presents, programmatic advertising still comes with some challenges. Keep reading to learn about some of the common obstacles and how you can address them to create a successful programmatic strategy. 

What Do You Need to Know About Programmatic Advertising? 

Programmatic advertising is a process by which ads are purchased and sold in the digital advertising space. Put more simply, programmatic advertising is an automated system for buying and placing ads on websites and apps.

“Programmatic” specifically refers to how the ads are purchased — not how they’re displayed. That sets them apart from display ads, which are the format in which they appear in front of users. 

When advertisers set up programmatic ads, they can control a variety of key factors such as:

-Ad placement
-Your ad and marketing budget
-Creative aspects of the ad
-The target audience
-Your bidding strategy

Since there are several factors involved in creating and placing ads, you may run into some challenges while developing your bidding strategy and marketing plans.

Programmatic Challenges to Address

One of the major concerns of advertisers is that web traffic is split across many different devices, such as mobile phones, desktop computers, and tablets. As a result, 70% have divided their ads across those digital channels in an attempt to reach more people. The problem with this strategy is that it’s extremely complex to create and manage different campaigns across different platforms and channels.

Complexity isn’t the only problem for those using programmatic advertising, though. Some advertisers find there are challenges with how their ads are placed. Only 35% of those surveyed for the Programmatic Pioneers Summit reported that they had control over on-page ad placement.  

A third challenge for advertisers is transparency—many agencies don’t share exactly how the advertisements will be shown or who will see them. Marketing teams working with one ad agency may find that they get completely different results than if they’d worked with another.  

There’s a good reason for those varied results: the human element. Working with programmatic ad professionals helps to ensure that your ad campaigns are successful, but it’s not always easy to know who’s working on your campaign, what their exact practices are, or what you can expect from the partnership.

Solutions for the Challenges of Programmatic Advertising

So, what can advertisers do when they’re left with a complex advertising situation? First, remember that with any new technology, there will be an initial knowledge gap. Spend more time learning about programmatic advertising before committing. Compare the potential ROI with other tactics that already work well for your team. Consulting with a digital advertising agency that is familiar with the process of using ads can also provide the insights you need to make an informed decision for the next steps.

Ultimately, some businesses choose to take programmatic advertising in-house. But without knowledge of the processes, they could end up with an even more complex (and frustrating) situation on their hands. Choosing the right team to work with at an ad agency is often a more efficient and effective alternative.

What about ad placement? You need to know that your ads are seen by the right people at optimal times. You can also choose to go direct, deciding yourself exactly where your ads will be shown. Alternatively, working with trusted ad networks offers more reassurance that any inventory will meet your standards. 

As for splitting up your ad spend, study which channels your target audience uses most often and anticipate where they’ll go next. As you build your digital marketing strategy, it may be better to initially focus on a few digital channels to see what works. Over time, you can expand to include other channels. 
Your team might also consider working with a programmatic advertising team that understands the complexity of managing campaigns across multiple channels and has demonstrated its expertise with real-world results. Ask about the team’s vision for what your business’s programmatic advertising strategy could be—your due diligence may pay off with more successful campaigns.

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