How to stand out in the Programmatic Market [10X your revenue with these 7 tips]

Over the years, MonetizeMore has seen more and more publishers leveraging the power of the programmatic market after seeing this as a massive opportunity to make more money. Furthermore, their top concerns always included the difficulty of overseeing budget optimizations and creations served through the direct sales channel, as well as the risk of the value of their ad inventory diminishing.

Programmatic comes as an all-in-one platform for publishers to reach out to thousands of brands and advertisers around the world. However, this doesn’t confirm that each brand will spend top dollar for ad space during real-time bidding. Publishers can expect a decent range of average-sized campaigns. Nevertheless, as a result of this scale, ad revenue is sure to increase by taking part in the programmatic market.

Leveraging the value of ad inventory

Occasionally, rumors of a Publisher earning a fortune without setting a floor price, i.e. a price below which advertisements will not be sold, resurfaces in the adtech ecosystem. In general, we advise against this course of action, even though each case needs to be considered on its own merits with all reports accessible.

In addition to floor prices, which are viewed by users right alongside the publisher’s content, floor prices are among the best tools for assessing the quality of an impression. We do advise against displaying clickbait ads and misleading messages that may be inappropriate for your audience. The truth may be somewhere in the middle, but there is also an economic component to keep in mind – the least attractive impressions result in the worst yield. It’s important to dispel the rumor that Programmatic offers low CPM bids only.

Once you sign up for a programmatic model, it is usually launched as a monetization platform for unsold ad impressions in another model at the end of that trial. Its priority is quite low on AdServers, so it will only reach the Programmatic market if it is unused by Direct Campaigns. While this is a good start, ultimately Publishers should be able to access all inventory through programmatic, which will result in high CPM rates for them. In the publishers’ programmatic marketplace, advertising impressions are sold in header bidding auctions, where the advertiser that pays the most wins.

If the ad space is bad in quality (for example, due to low viewability ads or low click-through rates), high CPM rates for that ad inventory will not be set – however, this should only influence Publishers to improve the quality of that ad inventory. Increasing the floor price or minimum price decreases the number of impressions, but improves the rates that are actually achieved. The ideal point for making money in the programmatic market stands somewhere in the middle. It may sometimes fall below the ad-quality pricing level and could be zero for a time.

As the market changes, the sweet spot changes as well, which we see throughout the quarters Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, and the impact of events (holidays, politics, etc) on demand for filling up that ad space.

How can Publishers benefit from the Programmatic Market?

Here are 5 ways publishers can benefit from the programmatic market:

• Programmatic Efficiency: Unlike an open auction, it’s not quite as simple as plugging it in, but it’s still fully automated within DSPs and SSPs, so it’s less work compared to direct sales.
• Stronger relationships with brands: You will be able to find out who is buying your inventory and can give them better deals and added benefits.
• Better CPMs: High-performing, premium inventory is in high demand among top advertisers, as brand safety and other quality issues such as viewability continue to rise, meaning more competition & higher prices for your impressions.
• Transparency: Advertisers are better positioned to share first-party data than they would on the open market.
• Direct sales are no longer necessary: The programmatic market can make up a pricey sales team with its cutting-edge automated ad technology.

Relying on external AdOps partners to monitor your competitor’s CPMs

As a Publisher, it is equally important to spy on what is happening with your competitors for constant improvement. Although this may take up a lot of time, the solution is to leverage external platforms like adtech companies to track your competitors’ CPMs and who offer premium header bidding services.

Programmatic agencies are always striving to signal to Publishers that they can buy impressions at a lower price compared to their competitors. However, is this plan worth investing in? Of course! The floor prices and the main tools offered by programmatic AdOps partners will always impact the value of ad space being sold directly. This is why it is mandatory to ensure that the price list rates are the latest and that they conform to programmatic market trends.

If on the Open Market Programmatic Market, brands can pay three times less for equally high-quality inventory (ads that generate a similar number of clicks or conversions on the advertiser’s landing page) then it is difficult to convince them to buy directly from the Publisher at an X CPM rate). The worst thing about this is that publishers don’t get a decent ROI in this case when they are also bearing the cost of header bidding technology and partnering with ad networks without experience.

Because of this, Direct Campaigns should have comparable prices and priorities to their Programmatic counterparts. The same applies to Open Market deals as well as all Programmatic deals (preferential contracts, private marketplace auctions), which are of higher priority.

How to optimize your ad inventory to boost programmatic ad sales?

Publishers can certainly benefit from tools that help with invalid traffic detection and mitigation, viewability, brand safety, etc. They may need to exert more control over their ad inventory in order to stand out in the programmatic market while maintaining transparency with the advertisers.

Here’s a closer look at how publishers can maximize their ad space and drive more programmatic ad sales in the publishers marketplace which is getting more competitive than ever.

Embrace Data-Driven Decision Making

The modern programmatic market thrives on data. By harnessing the power of advanced analytics, businesses can gain valuable insights that steer their decision-making processes.

Advantages of Data-Driven Strategies:

• Targeted Advertising: By analyzing audience behavior, interests, and demographics, businesses can tailor their advertisements to resonate with specific groups, ensuring higher engagement and conversion rates.
• Optimized Ad Spend: With precise data on which channels and campaigns yield the best returns, companies can allocate resources more efficiently, maximizing their ad revenue.

Ensure Transparent and Ethical Practices

Transparency in programmatic advertising isn’t just a virtue; it’s a necessity. Advertisers and publishers trust businesses that are open about their methodologies, pricing, and results.

How Transparency Boosts Your Standing:

• Enhanced Trust: Advertisers are more likely to invest in publishers who can provide clear insights into where and how their ads are displayed.
• Reduced Ad Fraud: Transparent practices deter malicious activities and protect both publishers and advertisers from potential losses. You can protect your ad space with trusted IVT blocking solutions like Traffic Cop.

Foster Collaborative Relationships

The programmatic ecosystem is built on partnerships. By nurturing strong relationships with advertisers, agencies, and tech vendors, publishers can access superior inventory, innovative solutions, and competitive pricing.

Key Points to Collaborative Success:

• Shared Goals: Aligning objectives ensures all parties work towards a unified outcome, creating synergies and fostering mutual growth.
• Regular Communication: Keeping channels of communication open ensures all stakeholders are on the same page, avoiding potential misunderstandings and conflicts.

Stay Updated with Market Trends

The digital landscape is perpetually evolving. To remain competitive, you need to stay informed about the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in the programmatic market.

Benefits of Staying Updated:

• Adaptability: Companies that are aware of market shifts can pivot their strategies effectively, ensuring they’re always ahead of the curve.
• Innovation: Knowledge of emerging technologies allows businesses to integrate new solutions, providing them an edge over competitors.

Using the best AdOps Solutions

The backbone of any successful programmatic advertising campaign lies in leveraging the very best AdOps solutions available. It’s imperative to choose platforms and tools that are not just aligned with industry standards, but that also provide advanced capabilities and granular analytics. The right AdOps solution can transform your monetization game from filling your ad space the right way to skyrocketing your session RPMs.

Optimizing Revenue through Fill Rates and eCPMs

A robust indicator of advertising success is maximizing ad revenue, and two key metrics stand out in this regard: fill rates and eCPMs. Fill rate, which is the percentage of ad inventory sold, provides insights into the demand for your inventory and how efficiently it’s being utilized. On the other hand, eCPM (effective cost per thousand ad impressions) gives a comprehensive view of how much revenue you earn for every thousand ad impressions. By closely monitoring and optimizing these metrics, you can ensure they are getting the most out of every ad space, leading to higher profitability.

Using industry-standard header bidding technology like Pubguru

Pubguru, MonetizeMore’s award-winning header bidding technology, does precisely that. Header bidding allows your ad space to be available to buyers from all over the world through multiple ad networks simultaneously. This not only increases the visibility of your inventory but also drives competitive pricing, ensuring publishers make the most money from their ad inventory.

Conclusion

An important aspect of bid optimization is regular and proactive scrutiny as well as constant adjustments to the present situation or automating the whole process by leaving it to reliable AdOps partners that have helped thousands of publishers like you scale their ad revenue.

MonetizeMore’s PubGuru platform provides all of the tools you need to take your header bidding strategy to the next level and maximize your ad revenue. With our help, you can skyrocket your earnings and keep up with the latest trends in programmatic advertising.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you grow your business!

Aleesha Jacob

With over seven years at the forefront of programmatic advertising, Aleesha is a renowned Ad-Tech expert, blending innovative strategies with cutting-edge technology. Her insights have reshaped programmatic advertising, leading to groundbreaking campaigns and 10X ROI increases for publishers and global brands. She believes in setting new standards in dynamic ad targeting and optimization.