The Best Brand Awareness Tool You’ve Never Heard Of

Ever feel like ads are following you around on the internet? You’re not alone. And while the average consumer might find it unsettling to be served such relevant ads, there’s no doubt that this type of advertising strategy can really move the needle for businesses looking for brand awareness.

First Up: What is “Programmatic Advertising”?

In the digital marketing world, we call this type of advertising “programmatic advertising,” but not many people know what that is. In layman’s terms, programmatic advertising is a type of advertising that uses automated bidding and real-time data to show ads to specific segments of people based on demographics, interests, and behaviors on and off the web.

Programmatic advertising can be shown in the form of display ads, video ads, or native advertising.

Precise Digital Advertising

The biggest benefit of programmatic advertising is its ability to really home in on specific audience segments, so advertisers get more bang for their advertising dollars.

Programmatic advertising allows us to target users by:

• Placing ads in the right context
  Context is key in advertising. Programmatic advertising allows businesses to place their ads on websites and apps that align with their audience’s interests. For example, a gourmet food company could place ads on food blogs and recipe websites, reaching food enthusiasts when they’re most receptive to their message.
• Tailoring ads to user behavior.
  Programmatic advertising allows businesses to tailor their ads based on user behavior, such as the websites they visit, the content they engage with, and their purchase habits. For example, if a user has been browsing travel websites for vacation ideas, a travel agency could show them ads for vacation packages to encourage them to book a trip.
• Geofencing physical locations.
  If your target audience is likely to visit a particular place (ahem, like a competitor’s location), geofencing that location is a great way to capture the attention of an audience that you know will be interested in your product or service. It’s not sabotage—just smart targeting!
• Bringing back lost opportunities.
  We’ve all had the experience of visiting a website, browsing around, and then leaving without taking action. Suddenly, the internet is plastered with the exact product or service we were just researching. Programmatic advertising turns your website traffic into another opportunity to engage and entice your audience.
• Target individual households and businesses
  Addressable geofencing allows advertisers to target users in a specific geographic area (such as a neighborhood or city block) based on their household composition, demographic data, financial factors, property type, and much more. For example, a roofing company might advertise to homes in a particular neighborhood that recently experienced a hail storm.

Where Does This Data Come From?

Programmatic advertising relies on a variety of data sources to target ads effectively. This includes data from a business’s own website (first-party data), data purchased from other companies (second-party data), and data from external sources (third-party data). Additionally, contextual data, location data, behavioral data, demographic data, and device data are used to ensure that ads are shown to the most relevant audiences. This data helps advertisers understand user behavior, interests, and demographics, allowing them to deliver targeted ads that resonate with their audience.

A Powerful Tool for Online Advertisers

Programmatic advertising can be an immensely powerful tool for businesses looking to reach their target audience more effectively—especially when used in conjunction with other forms of online advertising (think Google and social media ads).

Want to learn more about how programmatic advertising works? Send us your questions and let’s talk!