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Improve your programmatic campaigns ROI with periodic audits

According to IAB data, 85% of advertisers were already using programmatic advertising in 2021. This means almost all digital ads were placed on websites automatically rather than via direct negotiations with publishers. If you have been using programmatic advertising for some time and are yet to conduct an audit, we can conduct an in-depth analysis of your programmatic campaigns and DSPs set-up.

The role of programmatic advertising in digital marketing

Programmatic advertising is a type of automated advertising that uses Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) to buy, place and optimise digital ads. Instead of negotiating directly with publishers, programmatic advertising places automated bids based on the audience that you want to target. Programmatic ad buying allows businesses to target specific audiences with laser precision and scale their campaigns quickly.

It is facilitated through real-time bids, so as a visitor clicks through to a website, the DSP will serve them digital ads that are likely to resonate with them.

Benefits of programmatic advertising in digital marketing

The benefits of programmatic advertising include:

programmatic advertising audits
Increased reach and engagement
With programmatic ad buying, you can reach your target audience more efficiently by targeting very specific audience segments with messaging tailored to their wants, needs, preferences and pain points. This level of personalisation will reach a more receptive and engaged audience who are likely ready to buy your product or service. This will result in increased engagement with your campaign through impressions, clicks and conversions.
programmatic advertising audits
Greater control and flexibility
Programmatic ad buying gives you greater control over your campaign settings and allows you to adjust your targeting on the fly. This flexibility can help you improve your results over time.
programmatic advertising audits
Improved ROI

By using programmatic ad buying, you can improve the ROI of your campaigns by optimizing for specific outcomes such as clicks, conversions or engagement.

Google DV360 is an example of a programmatic advertising platform that helps advertisers manage their ad campaigns. It allows you to track performance, set goals and optimise your digital campaigns accordingly. Additionally, Google Display and Video 360 provides transparency into the targeting and delivery of ads, as well as other data to enable you to make more informed decisions about your ad spend.
The Trade Desk is another technology company that provides a self-service platform for buying digital advertising. This DSP connects you with inventory across all major ad exchanges. With TTD, you can access premium inventory, target specific audiences and measure the performance of your campaigns in real-time. It also offers a wide range of reports and analytics to help you optimise your campaigns.

We can provide valuable insights that will optimise your campaigns and improve their ROI.

Our Programmatic Audit Process

Most businesses are aware of the importance of regularly auditing their campaigns to ensure they are performing optimally. However, many do not know how to carry out a programmatic campaign audit effectively, as it requires an in-depth understanding of DSPs and related metrics.

Programmatic advertising audits can help you optimise your campaigns by providing valuable insights into where your ad spend is going, what platforms are delivering the best results and which networks are most efficient. By conducting an audit, you can ensure that your campaigns are running smoothly and that your ad spend is being used wisely. We will walk you through the key steps we take when conducting a programmatic campaign audit.
 

1. Campaigns variables

There are 18 variables that have to be set to run a programmatic campaign. We will analyze each one of them to find the best configuration:

  1. Ad Exchanges
  2. Publishers/websites
  3. Devices
  4. Operating Systems (OS)
  5. Browsers
  6. Languages
  7. Format (size)
  8. Bid Amount
  9. Day of week
  10. Time of the day
  11. Frequency
  12. Keywords
  13. Demographics
  14. Audience
  15. Viewability
  16. Connection speed
  17. Budget pacing
  18. ISP/Carrier

2. Supply path optimization

We will analyse each exchange and publisher to determine their ROI for your campaigns, conversion rates, viewability and CPM. These optimisations can save you money by allocating your budget more effectively.

3. Performance

Auctions can also be in open market or in private market places (PMP). The type of auction you encounter can have a big impact on your campaign’s budget and performance. With our knowledge of best practices and which auction types yield the best results for different businesses, we can recommend to you the most effective bidding strategy for your campaigns.

4. Viewability

Viewability is a metric used to measure if an ad had the opportunity to be seen by a user or not. It is expressed as a percentage of ad impressions that are viewable. Viewability can be used to identify potential areas for improvement in ad campaigns, such as optimizing placement or targeting different audiences. Tools like Google Active View, IAS, MOAT or DoubleVerify can determine the amount of time your ad is visible on a screen and compare the results against industry standards.

5. Ad formats

There are three main types of programmatic ad formats: display, video and native ads. When we run a programmatic audit, it is important we analyze which specific ad format best suits your objectives. We will analyze your top-performing ad formats based on your awareness or performance goals to ensure each is correctly sized to achieve the best results.

6. Account structure revision

In order to keep up with best practices, it is important to regularly review and update your account structure. A well-organized account will not only improve your efficiency and accuracy when placing media buys, but can also help you to more effectively track your campaigns and optimize them towards specific objectives. When revising your programmatic account, we look at the following:

  1. Use of descriptive names for all line items, insertion orders and campaigns. This will make it easier to identify what each element is associated with and avoid any confusion down the line.
  2. Making use of negative keywords and placements to exclude irrelevant traffic and improve your overall targeting.
  3. Correct setup and integration of conversion tracking pixels to accurately measure the performance of your campaigns and optimize accordingly.
  4. We will check all the details of your campaigns are correct. These instructions include important information like ad flight dates, creative sizes, targeting and audiences and the platform/website the ads will be shown on.
  5. We make sure each strategy item’s settings have been correctly configured and that the expected ad creatives align with the settings. Settings we examine include targeting, frequency caps, labels, competitive exclusion and delivery settings.

Why choose Indaru as your programmatic auditing specialist?

As an independent media consultancy, we are not affiliated with any agency, publisher, exchange or tech vendor so all the recommendations and insights we offer you are based entirely on our collective knowledge of the programmatic industry.

 

Our team has worked on programmatic campaigns for both large and small brands across the globe, building up extensive knowledge and a deep understanding of branding and performance campaigns. As a result, we can provide valuable insights that will optimise your campaigns and improve their ROI.