Choosing the Right Display Advertising Network

Choosing the right advertising network is an important step in
running successful display advertising campaigns. This article is will
show you 5 of the best ways through which you as a business-minded
person can choose an advertising network that perfectly suits your
organisation’s goals. By following the step below in a holistic manner
you will know what you want from an advertising network, make better
decisions and ultimately run better display advertising campaigns.

One of the main benefits of programmatic advertising is its
automation. While you can still buy ads for a preset price, the vast
majority of programmatic ad prices are determined on the spot, sold at
auction for the value of the ad spot right at that moment. This means
that at the time you buy the ad, you’re paying what it’s worth. Not only
that, but automation means that instead of having to manage your ad
spots, an automatic system manages them for you, freeing you up to do
what you really want.




So if decisions like where the ad displays and what your
minute-to-minute marketing decision-making should look like, does it
really matter what ad network you use? Aren’t all automated advertising
systems the same? Well, not really.

1. Who is Your Target Audience?

It is essential to choose an advertising network that has the reach
you require. However, if your audience is located in a specific
geographical region then choose an advertising network that specializes
in that region.


When defining your target audience build different buyer personas
to identify the different types of people you want to reach with your
display ads.  There are two main types of population within display
advertising namely; the general population and the niche or specific
population. 

All that each of these means is that you can either reach
some specific people with a particular ad network or you can also choose
to go with an ad network that allows you to reach anybody with your
display advertising. When you know the target range of a particular
network, you can then compare it with the people that you want to reach
in order to choose the one that helps you fulfill your desires.

2. Fill Rate is Important

If you simply take out ad spots unthinkingly, your ads may display to
people who don’t care about your product. Instead, do a little research
using Analytics and find out where most of your customers or potential
audience hail from. Then choose a mobile ad network that has a good fill
rate, or ad delivery percentage, in that area. This maximizes the
chances that your ads will be successfully displayed to the people who
care about them.

3. Weigh-up the Positives and Negatives

This is the next step to take when choosing a display ad network.
Since there are a lot of display ad networks available, it is very
important that you look at what each of these display adverting networks
offer you before commit to one. Opting for a particular ad network
means that you have entered into a partnership with them and in terms of
business dealings, it is always vital that you know your partner very
well.

4. Ad Type Affects User Experience

Spammy popups that interrupt the intended purpose tends to put the
consumer off. Instead, consider mobile ad networks that offer native
advertising, which embeds the ad inside the user experience. Think
sponsored posts on Facebook: It’s an ad without feeling like an ad, and
therefore has a much better chance of retaining the user.

5. Pricing Structure

When choosing an advertising network you should be familiar with the pricing structure
of that particular network. You should not only take into consideration
the pricing model, but the differences in pricing between different
networks. The cost of running a campaign via a network will depend
greatly on the network itself. Expect to pay more for networks that have
access to premium spaces on premium websites, however, you might also
profit more from using such networks.

6. Re-targeting Ability is Key

This means keeping track of browsing that hasn’t yet resulted in
conversion (i.e. a search for “plane flights to Majorca” without an
actual ticket bought), and serving that ad back to the customer across
devices. If you aren’t a major player with a login ID, you may lose your
ability to re-target when consumers switch devices, so instead you’ll
have to ride the coattails of a big name.


Google, for instance, offers AdMob, so if you choose that as your ad
network you’ll have access to their re-targeting capabilities. If you
choose not to take that route, the second-best bet is to find a mobile
ad network that parses ad data points to try and determine patterns
about what advertisements are likeliest to appeal to particular
customers.

7. User Experience

This deals with the operating of your display advertising account that you have on a particular ad networking site and your user experience.
There are ad networks that help you with all that you need in relation
to optimizing your account for you and there are also those that leave
everything in your hands. Therefore, it is up to you to decide whether
you feel you need to work with a network that offers a high level or
support or not. However, bear in mind that such service comes at a cost.

8. Network Features

This is one major thing that you should also take note of before
choosing an ad network as each of the various ad networks offer
different features. Ad networks like Google AdWords, Bing Ads, Facebook
Ads and many others have their own unique tools that they offer to a
particular user and it depends on you the individual to pick that one
that helps you to achieve your targets.




These are the steps that you can follow in choosing an ad network to
partner with in your line of business. Equipping yourself with this
vital piece of information will help you to make an informed decision
with regards to picking a display advertising network that gives you all
that you need to make your business a success.

9. Go Mobile

Mobile ad networks offer you – the ad buyer – various options when it
comes to basic use. Perhaps you dig running massive ad campaigns with
multiple prongs, in which case you’ll want a mobile ad network that
supports a lot of functionality. If instead you wanted one basic ad that
worked seamlessly no matter what, you might opt for a simple SDK
(software development kit). While your mobile ad network options are
almost endless, your choice will largely depend on your goals and how
you like to interact with technology.

Final Thoughts: Research is Key

The key to choosing the right advertising network is to do your
research. You should research your own business needs as well as the
advertising networks themselves and keep the following things in mind:

• Define your target audience and identify they networks that will reach them;


• List the positives and negatives of each network to find the one the fits your needs;


• Get familiar with advertising network price structure to find one that will enable you to reach your business goals;


• Try out different networks, if possible, or research the user experience of different networks;