An Introduction to Programmatic Display Ads
Programmatic display advertising is a form of digital advertising that uses automated software to purchase and place display ads on websites. Programmatic technologies allow for the targeting of specific audiences and the optimization of ad spending in real-time. Programmatic display ads help teams improve business outcomes by scaling production and lowering the overall cost of customer acquisition – keep reading for more detail.
What are programmatic ads?
Programmatic ads describe buying online ad space using software rather than manual processes to automate purchasing for lower costs. Ads can be bought across several ad networks allowing advertisers to improve ROI on the network that makes the most sense at that specific time, compared to just one. Programmatic ad purchasing is much more efficient and faster than buying and negotiating with humans to purchase ad space.
In 2023 and beyond – programmatic is the way.
What are display ads?
Display ads are visual advertisements that contain video, images, text, and sometimes audio. For example, when you visit your favorite website and see ads sliding in and out of the screen, those are display ads. Furthermore, when you see them using animation, localized text, imagery, and personalized messaging, it’s called “dynamic creative ads.” The ads use variables and data to deliver the most relevant ad to increase ad performance with increased conversion rates.
When teams combine the power of programmatic ad purchasing and dynamic creative, the results are powerful:
What are the top benefits of programmatic display ads?
Specific Audiences:
One of the main benefits of programmatic display advertising is its ability to target specific audiences. Advertisers can use data such as demographics, behaviors, and interests to target their ads to the most relevant users. This targeted approach leads to higher conversion rates and a more valuable return on investment.
Advanced Tracking and A/B Testing
Another benefit is the advanced tracking of programmatic display ads. Dynamic creative platforms use data tracking to make a/b testing easy and effective. As a result, teams can create an endless cycle of iterations to improve ad performance, ultimately lowering costs and enhancing ROAS (return on ad spend).
Scaling Production:
As mentioned above, programmatic ads efficiently use several data points to improve ad personalization. In the past, creating thousands of ad versions would require an expensive design team working on ad creatives. Now, with the click of a button, small groups can reproduce ads and swap variables automatically, reducing lead time and costs associated with creative. Also, imagine ad performance improvements when constantly comparing versions against one another. Big-budget companies have had this advantage forever, and now anyone does.
Using Google Sheets to create ads:
Dynamic creative can feel overwhelming, but it’s pretty simple. With Advanse, teams can use Google Sheets (everyone knows how to use Sheets!) to create dynamic ads. Use a spreadsheet to add variables, whether they are: images, videos, text, weather, geography, and more. Advanses’ tech automatically pulls from the feed and creates the ad in a pre-selected template. Teams can literally create 10,000+ ads in minutes. Using a spreadsheet, you can power a programmatic display ad campaign.
Business Takeaways:
Between negotiating ad rates and locations, creating thousands of versions of ads, and measuring success – it’s no wonder small companies felt like they couldn’t compete. Using technology, small teams can not compete and outperform large companies in creative advertising. The democratization of ad purchasing, creation, and delivery levels the playing field for advertisers, whether you’re a big agency or a small in-house team.