• by Adam Soroca , March 6, 2014

Programmatic advertising is sweeping the digital landscape. While it’s long been a staple in online, mobile programmatic bidding is taking off like a rocket -- and without third-party cookies to boot. According to IDC, mobile RTB spend in the U.S. is forecast to reach more than $2.9 billion by 2017. With a healthier budget, how can advertisers ensure they’re taking the right approach? Check out our five best practices for your mobile programmatic campaigns.

1.)        Change the dial, again and again. Programmatic buyers have a wide data set available to home in on precise audiences – all at incredible scale. Frequently monitor your dashboard, and dial up or down targeting parameters to ensure the conversions and ROI you need. For example, consider adjusting the following based on performance:

• Adjust geo-fences to expand or shrink the bid-able impression pool.
• Optimize the targeting parameters used to reach your desired audience.
• Tune ceilings and floors to be more competitive.

2.)        Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) upfront. Make sure you know in advance what your campaign goals are, and check your dashboard often. While technology optimizes campaign performance against specific goals, beware of the “set it and forget it” approach -- we’ve seen some buyers do this and get burned. Your campaign data updates in real time, so take advantage of that fact.

3.)        Overbook. Here’s an airline tactic that also works well in programmatic campaigns: To ensure your campaign delivers in full, overbook slightly on your inventory. Most programmatic systems provide forecasting, but they don’t guarantee delivery. Many programmatic offerings are auction-based, and like any auction, you win some and you lose some. You’ll want to forecast the percentage of time you’ll win the bid and build that into your plans, overestimating a bit on the amount of inventory you’ll need to reach your goals and adjust later in flight

4.)        Look behind the curtain. Take advantage of the transparency offered in programmatic buying. There’s a wealth of data available as inputs into your campaign to reach the target consumer, as well as tremendous insights you can gain as you see which audiences, offers, or creatives convert. Dig deeper into insights on your target consumers to understand when, where and which offers are converting best. Use this data to build out audience profiles so that you can refine your targeting as you continue your campaign or plan for your next one. Not sure who your target audience is? Consider a “run-of-network” strategy when you want to gain insights on who’s taking advantage of your offers -- then analyze and target from there.  

5.)        Be flexible. There are many ways to achieve campaign goals, but the key is to be flexible. Remember: different devices have dramatically different interaction and conversion rates. For example, tablets tend to have click-through and interaction rates higher than smartphones. Have a plan, but don’t be afraid to deviate from it. One of the benefits of running programmatic campaigns is flexibility it affords.