Private: Intelligence

There are lots of options facing an online marketer when it comes to display advertising.  Contextual targeting, data targeting, behavioral targeting, re-targeting, dynamic creative – there are so many options, that one can quickly and easily become overwhelmed.  The truth is there are some simple considerations you can use to evaluate, prioritize properly, and engage in a successful display campaign. 

The first consideration is measurement, and finding the right balance between ensuring your ads are viewable, your metrics are clear, and there is an adequate attribution model in place.   You need to enter into a campaign knowing what your key metrics for success are going to be, and you have to establish the infrastructure so your ads will be optimized for success.  That means making sure you get the most bang for your buck.  Your ads should be verified as viewable, and you need to know the right value that should be placed on each successive impression.  I know that attribution is a touchy subject right now, and the industry is not yet standardized in any way, but that doesn’t stop you from testing out a theory you create and sticking to it.  As long as you know there is a value in each impression, you can start down the path of attribution, and that can be valuable.  If you set this measurement infrastructure from the beginning, it will help you to prioritize your options at every stage of the campaign.

Related to the topic of viewable ads is inventory quality.  The quality of the inventory refers to the context and the audience that will be shown the ads.  There are many tools and services you can integrate into your campaign to ensure that your ads will be running on quality inventory, and the right partners you are evaluating will be comfortable with those tools, and they may even offer them for free.  If a publisher or technology is not familiar or comfortable with services like Double Verify or other brand safety companies, then you should de-prioritize them immediately. 

The inevitable element of a discussion around online is data.  Specifically, making sure you are using the right data.  There are lots of ways to access data and integrate it into your campaigns, but you want to partner with the people who have the most data, the most recent data and the right data for your campaign.  Recency and volume are the two biggest criteria when you select a data partner because you want to be able to test out different kinds of data and find the right solution.  I can pretty much guarantee that the first attempt won’t work, so patience is important, as well as time.  You can make it work over a couple of weeks if you have the right partner.

The last thing to keep in mind is that your campaign will be highly dynamic.  What works now, may not work later, and that means you have to have your partnerships open and ready to go.  Be constantly evaluating your campaign and don’t put anything on auto-pilot.  Know that you are going to see fluctuations in your campaign, and that means you need to give it some love. 

What other components do you feel are good advice for those engaging in online display campaigns?  Share with us on the Spin Board!