Programmatic Advertising 101

Personalization and automation are two aspects of modern marketing that are here to stay. In this guide, learn how programmatic advertising delivers against both initiatives and why the world's leading businesses rely on programmatic to build brand awareness and reach customers.

1. What is programmatic advertising?

2. Display vs. Programmatic

3. Programmatic for B2B

4. Data-driven programmatic

5. Lead Generation + Programmatic

WHAT IS PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISING?

Definition

Programmatic advertising is a technology-driven approach to marketing that combines advanced algorithms with user data to automate ad buying and deliver highly personalized impressions to targeted customers & prospects.

Popularity

Have you ever typed "running shoes" into a search engine and later saw ads for the very same shoes you researched appear on your Facebook, LinkedIn, and other browsing sites? This is likely a result of programmatic advertising. Just about all major businesses invest in this type of advertising, with global programmatic ad spend reaching 155 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

How it works

Programmatic advertising can often refer to the process of programmatic ad buying, which occurs within an automated ad exchange platform as shown below:

DISPLAY VS. PROGRAMMATIC

Reach

One of the main differences between display and programmatic is reach. According to Outbrain, display networks are limited to the websites in their network, which means they operate on a closed system, while programmatic operates across multiple ad exchange programs. This means the inventory for programmatic is massive and therefore reaches more people than display.

Personalization

If we had to simplify the main difference between display and programmatic, it would reflect the current marketing landscape, one that favors personalization. Programmatic advertising requires algorithims to distill data collected across multiple networks. As users continue to research and self-nurture, compliant technology can deliver curated ad content based on the user journey. For the modern user who expects a certain degree of customization, programmatic offers a personalized, tailored approach to reaching buyers.

Format

Another easy way to think about display and programmatic when marketers use them interchangably is to consider display as a format and programmatic as the automated process of buying and selling ad space.

PROGRAMMATIC FOR B2B

Programmatic is not just for B2C entities. Programmatic can be a great way for B2B marketers to save time on ad buying, optimize in real-time, and integrate seamlessly with CRMs and other marketing automation tools. It's also a great way for B2B marketers to target ABM lists.

According to one B2B agency, another benefit of programmatic advertising is that it can shorten the sales cycle. "While consumer advertising is product-driven, the business buy is relationship-driven, which takes more time." This means that combining tailored content with targeted campaigns is a cost-effective and time-friendly approach.

According to Dun & Bradstreet, "When it comes to targeting, the key difference at a B2B company is that multiple people – and therefore multiple motivations - are involved in a buying decision. Understand the needs of individual targets to better understand how to approach them." With first-party data, marketers can target specific decision- makers based on engagement and intent. Proven engagement is a key contributor to successful B2B programmatic advertising.

DATA-DRIVEN PROGRAMMATIC

The most important aspect of successful programmatic execution is quality data. Imagine a single male consumer in his late 60s receiving ads for maternity clothing. This would be a big miss for the marketer. Not only does it result in a poor experience for the user, but it is a waste of precious ad spend. The disconnect often happens with third-party data, which is primarily used for blanket targeting.

With first-party data, marketers can target prospects with 100% accuracy. Better still, with first-party data, marketers can use the same dataset to achieve programmatic and lead generation goals. At SSG, we can take an ABM list, match it to our first-party records, deliver curated ads to decision-makers, and report on real-time engagement. This is all possible with rich, quality intent data.

Know the difference between first-, second-,

and third-party data. Click here to learn more.

LEAD GENERATION + PROGRAMMATIC

Many businesses leverage programmatic advertising for brand awareness. But with a first-party data provider like SSG, programmatic marketers can achieve much more.

At SSG, we can build datasets that match your target parameters from our global database of 160M+ first-party records. Then, we can syndicate custom content through Visionayr and programmatic advertising to your target audience. We capture user engagement across all digital channels and tie it back to lead profiles at the contact level. We can report on organic, digital engagement to give you a 360-degree view of the buyer.

We are the leading B2B demand gen provider that uses the same dataset to do lead generation and programmatic advertising. With SSG, you're getting mid-funnel leads at the contact level who show engagement and intent. This means you can deliver targeted messaging in the right place at the right time.

SUMMARY

Data-Driven Programmatic from Selling Simplified

We use our best-in-the-business first-party data to build accurate audience segments, and we use the best DSPs (The Trade Desk and Xandr) to deliver. Our promise is to report on real-time engagement at the contact level and turn your programmatic + lead gen initiatives into measurable ROI.

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