6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaign (and how to answer them)

Whom do I want to reach?QUESTION 1 6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaignof LiveIntent.com

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What’s my goal?You need to have one clear goal.

Figure out your goals

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6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaign

(and how to answer them)

Whom do I want to reach?It’s not about using a lot of data - it’s about using the right data.

Decide the right data to reach the right person

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Is my creative clear?A clear creative sets expectations and inspires action.

Make sure your creative aligns with your goal

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Does my landing page meet expectations?Keep it simple and focused on the action inspired by the creative.

Figure out how to drive conversions

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How do I know if it’s working?Establish benchmarks, measure constantly, and adapt.

Figure out if your campaign is working

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What’s next?Every campaign is only a single step in your customer’s journey.

Learn what to do next

Go to page 17

THE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS LiveIntent.com

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LiveIntent.com

“Many newer marketers with few legacy investments and practices to slow them down are getting a fast start with programmatic. At the same time, large consumer packaged goods companies such as Kellogg’s and P&G, as well as financial services firms including American Express and Bank of America, are longtime users of sophisticated programmatic strategies, making it clear that the technology has reached the mainstream.

As technologies mature and buyers and sellers gain expertise, programmatic will likely become the norm.”

The Programmatic Revolution: How Technology is Transforming Marketing

AdAge/DoubleClick by Google

Whom do I want to reach?QUESTION 1 6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaignof LiveIntent.com

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Not so much.Only 23% of marketers actually understand what programmatic is and are actively using it.7

In May 2014, American Express announced their aspirational goal to shift 100% of their digital ad budget to programmatic channels.1

In June of 2014, Procter & Gamble let the world know they plan on buying 70% of their digital ads programmatically.2

In the last year, the IPO’s of programmatic platforms like Rubicon3 , Rocket Fuel4, and PubMatic5 have proven the technology powering programmatic to be a multi-billion dollar industry.

Programmatic ad spending will grow 137% this year, representing $10 billion in total spend or 45% of the US digital display ad market. By 2016, it is projected to make up 63% of the market.6

If you’re a part of that 23%, maybe this report isn’t for you.

If you aren’t (don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone) this report will give you a high-level overview of not only what makes programmatic so beneficial, but how you can run a successful programmatic display campaign.

Programmatic: Seems like everyone is doing it, right?

1 American Express Wants to Shift Online Ad Budget to Programmatic Technologies AdAge2 Procter & Gamble Aims to Buy 70% of Digital Ads Programmatically AdAge 3 After Rubicon Project Shares Jump In IPO, Its CEO Says The Street Finally Gets Ad Tech Forbes4 Rocket Fuel IPO Soars on First Day of Trading AdAge5 PubMatic Raises $45 Million With IPO, Acquisitions in Mind AdWeek6 Programmatic Ad Spending Will Grow 137% This Year eMarketer

7 Programmatic Buying Still a Mystery to Most Marketers: ANA AdAge4

INTRO LiveIntent.com

QUESTION 1 6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaignof LiveIntent.com

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LiveIntent.com

”Programmatic” refers to the automated buying and selling of digital advertising using special software.

That means that instead of requests for proposals (RFPs) and manual insertion orders (IOs), all the actual price negotiations, purchasing and placement of digital ads is done by machines.

It’s Easier

No negotiations. No paperwork. No complicated ad operations. No problems (almost).

It’s More Effective

Programmatic buying platforms are often powered by machine learning algorithms, which have the ability to figure out the Who, What, Where and When that will most likely result in the desired action - all while the campaign is running.

It’s More Efficient

By making it easier, you save time and money – and since these buys occur on an individual basis and are informed by real-time data, less budget is wasted on unwanted impressions.

Programmatic Direct

This allows you to buy ad impressions from specific publishers, rather than running across exchanges or networks, without having to go back and forth with a sales person negotiating pricing and placement and signing lots of papers. These impressions can be guaranteed in advance if purchased through a private marketplace.

Real-Time Bidding

This allows you to buy individual ad impressions across ad networks or exchanges in an auction that occurs the moment the impression loads. Whether or not you “win” the auction is determined by the amount you are willing to pay for that impression and the data tied to it.

There are two main ways for you to buy programmatically:

In either case, this report will cover the 6 questions you need to ask to set yourself up for a successful programmatic display campaign.

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So... why programmatic?

There are lots of reasons to run a programmatic campaign, including:

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INTRO LiveIntent.com

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LiveIntent.com

“Programmatic technology allows marketers to drive true outcomes. From brand awareness and engagement, to direct response and conversion, to loyalty and retention throughout the full customer lifecycle,

establishing goals at the onset of any marketing program is essential to being able to successfully measure the return of your investment.”

The CMO Solution Guide to Programmatic Marketing

MediaMath

QUESTION 1 6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaignof LiveIntent.com

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What’s my goal?

This is the most important step in the process, as it will inform every other aspect of your campaign.

You need to have one clear goal.

QUESTION 1 6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaign

What do I want to do?

I want people to buy something

Cost Per Thousand Impression (CPM)

This strategy purchases ad space based on the number of impressions served, which equals the number of times the ad is loaded.

Cost Per Action (CPA)This strategy purchases ad space based on the likelihood of a specific action and pays out upon completion of that action.

Cost Per Click (CPC)This strategy purchases ad space based on the likelihood of the ad being “clicked” and pays out upon completion of each click.

I want people to submit information

I want people to visit my website

I want the right people to see my message as many

times as possible

Best For Increasing Brand Awareness, Driving Site Traffic and Conversions, Sales, Sign-ups and Submissions.

What You Need to KnowWhen paired with a performance optimization algorithm, it can be an extremely versatile strategy that will help drive success towards any goal.

Best For Driving Conversions, Sales, Sign-ups and Submissions.

What You Need to Know If you know exactly what each conversion is worth to you, this is the most efficient performance strategy. If not, a CPM strategy optimized to a CPA goal may help you figure it out.

Best ForDriving Site Traffic and Measuring Engagement.

What You Need to Know This can be a great way to drive traffic to things like PSAs or articles that don’t necessitate an action, or to measure how engaging your creative is with your target audience.

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of LiveIntent.com

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LiveIntent.com

“To meet their key goals,

digital brand marketers must intelligently use data and targeting —coupled with high-impact ad placements that appear during moments when users understand why they’re receiving messages.

Only then can they make meaningful connections with the right audience in high-quality environments, where viewers will experience the value of their creative messages and engage with their brand.”

Changing the Channel: Why Programmatic Isn’t Ready to Deliver What Brand Marketers Want

AdAge

Whom do I want to reach?6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaignof LiveIntent.com

QUESTION COUNT 9UP NEXT: Is my creative clear?

QUESTION 2

It’s important to be able to identify your right audience. To do this, you need data. But remember:

It’s not about using a lot of data - it’s about using the right data.

At a certain time of day or place or on certain devices?

That’s Contextual Data. It’s commonly based on the device ID or IP address and is determined at the time the ad is loaded.

Of a certain Age, Gender, Occupation, or Income?

That’s Demographic Data. This type of audience data comes from third-party data providers like Nielsen, TowerData, comScore, or Acxiom — or from the publisher themselves.

Here’s Why

Limit Your Audience, Limit Your Results Learning algorithms need a significant sample size to figure out what’s working and what’s not. If you over-target, you limit your test audience and nullify that benefit.

More Possibilities Means More OpportunitiesYour offer might not just appeal to the intended audience. By keeping targeting broad, you open yourself up to the possibility of finding an audience you never knew you had and a chance to scale your business even further.

That are current customers?

That’s CRM Data. You can even bring off-line CRM Data online using a service like LiveRamp.

What You Need to Know

Over-targeting can be detrimentalYou can use any of these types of data to inform your campaign targeting and improve efficiency, but you only want enough data to support your goal.

Do you want to reach people…

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Just made a

purchase

on

young adult

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LiveIntent.com

“With any banner ad,

you have only a moment to grab the attention of your viewer and make an impression…Packing information in tiny, unreadable text will neither effectively relay that information nor make a lasting impression.”

Keep it Simple: 3 Tips for Banner Ad Design

ReTargeter

of LiveIntent.com

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QUESTION 3

Is my creative clear?6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaign

QUESTION 3 of 6

Case Study: Wayfair

Clear Design Clear Copy

STRONG COLORS

Colors can both establish brand and influence behavior. Make every color choice informed and deliberate. For more on the power of colors, read this post from 99 Designs

SIMPLE MESSAGING

Keep it short and to the point. It needs to capture attention, demonstrate value and set expectations. AdRoll has some great tips for keeping copy simple in this post.

STRAIGHTFORWARD CALL-TO-ACTION

Let the person know exactly what they are clicking on the ad to do, so that when they arrive at the landing page, they are ready to do it.

EASY TO READ ON ALL DEVICES

According to eMarketer,23.3% of our time spent consuming media is mobile, so make sure your copy is able to be read on any device it might be seen.

LESS IS MORE

It’s always better to test a lot of simple creatives than one creative with everything on it. See the case study below for more.

ALWAYS BE BRANDING

Keep your logo visible and complementary to the overall design.

What You Need to Know

A Small Change Can Make a Big DifferenceWayfair is one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home with more than seven million products from over 7,000 suppliers that include furniture, home furnishings, décor and goods.

They had a very nice creative that followed many of the best practices outlined above and performed well, but sampled a lot of different items.

By simplifying, adding a stronger color and featuring one item, they were able to increase their click-through rate by 56% month-over-month.

+56%

in click-through rate

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Go back to your goal and make sure every aspect of the creative drives towards that goal.

A clear creative sets expectations and inspires action.

Before After

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LiveIntent.com

“Your homepage is a mish-mash of goal oriented communication – and usually for good reason. With that in mind, resist the urge to send people there as it’s better targeted at the curious explorer type rather than the person clicking through from a banner or AdWords link.

Think one goal, one message, one action. And hence one page – generally a new one – a landing page.”

101 Landing Page Optimization Tips

UnBounce

6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaignof LiveIntent.com

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When someone clicks on your ad, they are doing so because that ad has set certain expectations.

Keep it simple and focused on the action inspired by the creative.

Does my landing page meet expectations?

What You Need to Know Here are some best practices for designing landing pages that convert from the award-winning performance trading platform Yellow Hammer:

+20%in Conversion

Rate

Before After

Shorten Load Time Use tools such as Pingdom and Google PageSpeed to identify how the performance of your page can be improved.

Meet the Expectations If your ad says “buy now,” don’t send the user to a page to fill out a survey.

Drive Towards One GoalIf you are looking to collect email addresses, make that the only thing a user can do on the page. Do not include site navigation or any other links. Use pop-up windows for privacy policy and terms and conditions pages.

Simplify CopyUse short tag-lines to communicate the incentive quickly. This format is more likely to engage the user than a short paragraph.

Use Contrast to Highlight Your GoalFor example, put a thick dark border around your sign-up form that has a white background.

Effortless, Easy Forms Make the first field a text input and pre-focus the field when the page loads. That way the user can start typing immediately.

Direct Call to ActionUse words that communicate the end action and a sense of immediacy.

Keep Mobile in Mind Use a tool such as Cross Browser Testing to see how your page renders in other browsers.

Clear creative that sets expectations

Learn more about how Yellow Hammer was able to improve the performance of Living Social and other clients by visiting their website: http://www.yhmg.com/

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Case Study: LivingSocial

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LiveIntent.com

“Goals need not be financial in nature, but they do need to be measurable in some capacity.

By establishing measurable goals, you will drive insights from your programmatic strategies that can be applied in real-time across the entire business.”

The CMO Solution Guide to Programmatic Marketing

MediaMath

of LiveIntent.com

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QUESTION 5

How do I know if it’s working?6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaign

Once your campaign is up and running, you have the time to test and learn.

Establish benchmarks, measure constantly, and adapt.

Unrealistic Goals

Is your goal clear, direct and measurable?

If you are trying to drive email sign-ups and measuring success with sales, you may want start again.

More on Goals

The Wrong Strategy

Does your strategy drive towards your goal? If you are optimizing for clicks and trying for conversions, you may have the wrong strategy.

More on Strategies

Over-Targeting

Is your target audience too narrow? If you’re trying to reach Women, ages 25-45, in the New York City area, on iPhones, at 2:35pm, you may be handcuffing yourself.

More on Targeting

Design Misalignment

Are your creative and landing page out of sync? If your creative says “Sign-Up Now” and your landing page asks them to “Buy Now,” you may need to align your design.

More on Creatives

More on Landing Pages

Some reasons you might be missing your benchmarks:

They Started They Started Again

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1 Goal 1 Goal

3 Strategies 1 Strategy

What You Need to Know

There’s no shame in starting over, so long as you continue to learn and improve.Take the case of a Financial Brand that wanted to drive conversions of high-income, qualified leads.

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Poor Results

High Cost Per Action Low Conversion Rate

Great Results

170% Lower Cost Per Action 168% Increase in Conversions Rate

Case Study: Financial Brand

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LiveIntent.com

“Consumers rarely convert after seeing just one or two ads. We all need an extra nudge to remind us to complete an order. Retargeting is a useful tool for gentle reminders – as long as it’s used gently. Rather than bombard the same consumer with the same ad, provide additional information. For instance, highlight a lesser-known – but still killer – feature of the product.”

10-Step Guide To Creating Great Ads

Chango

6 Questions You Need to Ask to Run a Successful Programmatic Display Campaignof LiveIntent.comQUESTION 6

How do you build a whole a new campaign?

You start by asking: What’s my goal?

What’s next?

Cookie Retargeting

The Internet is full of distraction (see: Videos, Cat) and lots of people leave a landing page before converting. By placing a retargeting pixel on your landing page, you can drop a simple piece of HTML code called a “cookie” on unknown visitors, which will allow you to re-engage those visitors with ads in other media channels.

CRM Retargeting

When a customer converts, most brands will ask for an email address. This makes it possible to not only send these customers emails with new offers and information, but also to reach them with ads in social networks, like Facebook and Twitter, and third-party emails sent by publishers like The New York Times or Wall Street Journal.

Best For Unknown individuals that visited your page but didn’t convert.

What You Need to KnowBecause cookies are browser and device dependent, they cannot follow a person when they switch from a desktop to a smartphone or from Chrome to Firefox, limiting their effectiveness.

For More Information on Retargeting, Check Out Chango’s State of the Industry Retargeting Report

Best For Known customers you want to reach with special messaging that will increase lifetime value.

What You Need to KnowThis form of targeting works across all devices and browsers, since it relies on a customer being logged-into the channel where your ad is being served, but is not as widely available as cookie retargeting.

For More Information on CRM Retargeting, Check Out LiveIntent’s The CRM Retargeting Handbook

REMEMBER:

Each of these campaigns is a new campaign – a next step – and should be treated that way. Every campaign deserves its own goal and strategy.

Here are some ways you can guide them on that next step:

Every campaign is a single step in your customer’s journey.

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Here are some awesome reads from leaders in the space that will give you a full understanding of the programmatic landscape and everything it makes possible:

For more reports like this one from LiveIntent, check out:

The Programmatic Revolution: How Technology is Transforming Marketing

DoubleClick by Google

Programmatic Everywhere? Data, Technology and the Future of Audience Engagement

IAB

The CMO Solution Guide to Programmatic Marketing

MediaMath

The State of Programmatic Media- Q2 2014

AdExchanger

State of the Industry Retargeting Report

Chango

WTF is Programmatic Dictionary

Digiday

About LiveIntent

LiveIntent is a smarter way to buy and sell ads in email. We work with +300 brands to deliver a higher standard of display within email newsletters sent by +650 of the US’s top publishers.

Email Everywhere: Adapting to the Mobile Nature of Email

Setting the Standard: Email Templates that Delight & Deliver

The CRM Retargeting Handbook: Connecting with the Cross-Device Customer

Want to learn more what it means to be smarter about email?

Contact us at info.liveintent.com/contact and a LiveIntenter will be in touch shortly to answer all of your questions!

Got more than 6 questions about programmatic?

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RECOMMENDED READING LiveIntent.com