The value of advertising that is sold programmatically in the United States is expected to reach $725 billion by the year 2026, according to recent predictions. Meanwhile, in 2021, mobile advertising spending reached $288 billion U.S. worldwide.
As ad agencies and media adapt to changing conditions, the advertising industry is becoming increasingly competitive. Advertisers are under pressure to create more effective strategies for communicating brand messages, especially on channels like mobile.
Programmatic is an important part of digital advertising; however, how can brands ensure successful programmatic mobile campaigns in 2022? Roman Vrublivskyi, Head of SmartHub, a white-label programmatic solution, shares his insights.
1. Launch mobile campaigns for each demographic segment
The customer experience must be, above everything else, human centric. This is where demographic profiles come in handy.
Demographic profiling refers to the categorization of the target market based on specific variables, such as age, education and gender. These profile data bytes can be divided into various segments, allowing marketers to target customers more precisely than ever.
Based on demographic data, marketers may adjust product features or distribution strategy in order to reach a market segment that has the most potential. Brands can use demographics in their mobile campaigns to deliver more tailored ads, boost conversions and enhance customer satisfaction for each demographic segment.
2. Combine contextual and behavioral targeting
From the standpoint of privacy, contextual targeting is still very useful, as it is based on the context of the webpage - not user data. However, you shouldn’t completely dismiss behavioral targeting, as it delivers better personalization on programmatic platforms.
For instance, a tour agency may use a contextual ad campaign to hone in on people who use travel-related apps. Still, the same agency can also hone in on the same audience on virtually any type of app, not only thematically-related. Why? Because behavioral targeting shows ads to people who can be potentially interested in the product or service based on their digital characteristics (defined by the advertisers on DSP). This way, app content does not play a big role in determining who the ad should be shown to - the audience is what matters most.
3. Launch retargeting campaigns
While retargeting was originally billed as the best way to win back cart abandoners, the practice has recently been drafted into other functions:
- B2B brands use it to promote content and brand affinity
- Educational organizations use it to build awareness among potential recruits
- Retail brands use it to increase customer lifetime value with loyalty campaigns
Retargeting can be effectively used by brands to win back the attention of those users who didn’t convert on the web. Overall, retargeting increases the effectiveness of other marketing efforts and raises brand awareness. When retargeting is done right, it can be an incredibly effective way to convert the prospective customer into loyal brand fans.
4. Get the most out of your mobile creatives
It's simple: quality creative engages. But generating quality creative is far from simple.
A creative is the ad served to users on a webpage, app or other digital environment; they can be images, videos, audio and other formats that get delivered to users. Creatives are the first touch point that brands have with their consumers and play a significant role in performance marketing.
When running programmatic campaigns, however, creatives are often overlooked, as marketers focus more on the data and optimization aspect of targeting. Other times, marketers feel the urge to stuff the creative with too much information, making it look cluttered. In the mobile environment, you should avoid this practice at all costs.
Additionally, your creative should be adjusted to the mobile environment in which it is served. While in the mobile web environment, you can serve the same creatives as on the web; the in-app environment requires suiting ads to the app specifics.
5. Automate your mobile campaign
Programmatic advertising has plenty of perks that you can apply to your mobile campaigns; the most important is that it can automate the ad serving and inventory purchasing processes. A mobile DSP can remove from your shoulders the burdens of manual ad placement, since on such platforms, real-time bidding algorithms automate campaign flow from start to the finish. Based on the entered targeting criteria, the system will automatically find the most suitable placement for each ad impression (according to your requirements).
“Furthermore, modern mobile programmatic platforms are also equipped with outstanding optimization algorithms that save the ad budgets for advertisers. Likewise, such technologies as header-bidding, make media trading universal and fair as advertisers get the chance to simultaneously access the best inventory. However, this is not the full list of what programmatic can offer to advertisers. Audio ad format, CTV, wearables - these things represent the new era of programmatic that will be characterized by impact and even greater efficiency” - Roman Vrublivskyi, Head of SmartHub, says.
Here’s what’s coming next in programmatic:
- Wearables: Wearable technology is becoming so popular that marketers are starting to use it to run programmatic ads. Wearables can provide users with instant notifications for apps, emails and text messages, allowing them to see and respond to notifications much faster. For marketers, it means having faster access to relevant data that will inform more adaptable and responsive ad campaigns. At the same time, marketers would have to adapt their strategies to capitalize on the surge of smaller screen devices. For example, it is unrealistic to expect a consumer to read several paragraphs of text on a smartwatch with a 38mm screen. In this case, wearables, such as smartwatches, may necessitate modifying your creatives to better fit their screen size, resulting in people getting what they want from your ads without feeling frustrated.
- Audio: Programmatic has already made its mark in video, mobile and display, and it is now making waves in audio, as well. With audio advertising, brands can reach a wider audience while also amplifying their brand's voice. Audio content unlocks targeting options that other formats don’t offer in the same way. Podcasts are meticulously broken down by niche and subject matter. Music can be matched to different moods and activities; sportswear brands would do well to target gym playlists, for example. While audio continues to grow in popularity, well-established formats, such as in-app videos and CTV/OTT, will remain dominant. As a result, marketing teams that use all three formats will have a significant advantage in the near future.
- Cookies: Cookies are being phased out, but how will programmatic advertising and, more specifically, programmatic audiences be affected in the absence of persistent identifiers? Since governments have tightened privacy frameworks and confirmed their intention to remove third-party cookies, digital advertising players must step up and save the day. As an alternative, more brands will be looking for opportunities offered by contextual advertising and direct-to customer campaigns.
Wrap up
Mobile is a unique advertising channel that becomes more advantageous each year - new interactive ad formats and technologies appear, making the user experience more engaging and meaningful. Programmatic, meanwhile, makes mobile advertising more streamlined and efficient. Thanks to targeting options and innovative technologies, advertisers can more accurately deliver ads to users’ screens so that the likelihood of conversion increases. Following these 5 tips from the article could help your mobile programmatic campaign become profitable and effective.
