• by Molly Glover Gallatin , October 12, 2018

You hear a lot of talk nowadays about whether you should bring programmatic in-house. Some brands are choosing to go all in; others are going for a hybrid model. 

A host of issues make hiring one of the most challenging aspects of programmatic. 

But don’t fret.  Here’s a laundry list items to get you started:

Know What Roles You’ll Need to Fill

Once you’ve defined the scope of what the team will be covering, you’ll need to define multiple roles. You’ll need planners, data analysts, programmatic managers, engineers, and developers. If you’re an agency, you’ll even need account folks. And every single one of these individuals must have an understanding of how programmatic works from a technical perspective — or if not, be ready for training

And let’s not forget that it varies depending on your programmatic split. For example, if you outsource every bit of your programmatic to your agency, you’ll still need a good programmatic manager that can manage the program from the client side. If you’re taking any portion of your programmatic in-house, you’ll need to start looking for a team ASAP.

Know Where to Look

Now that you know what roles you’ll need, you have to source the talent. You’ll undoubtedly find what you need in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles — but leave yourself open to other options, especially if budget is tight. 

Give yourself some time and explore smaller tech hubs like Austin and Portland. With remote working on the rise, you just never know where you’ll find the right people.

Also, geographic location aside, agencies are great places to look for programmatic talent. Agency folk tend to come with a lot of experience given their interactions with many clients. They also tend to understand the hustle and constant change, a key trait I will dive into in a second.

Look for Quick / Flexible People

Tech in general moves fast, but  programmatic moves even faster. The number of available tech options is now mind-boggling. You’ll need people that can match or exceed the speed of innovation in the space — people that can think on their feet and be open to change. This is not an industry for the faint of heart.

Get Your Tech in Check

Using one demand-side platform (DSP) might be enough, but you may need to consider using multiple DSPs depending on your buying strategy. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, so take your time finding the right partners to set your team up for success.

Keep in mind, it’s not efficient to run programmatic across 20 platforms — find the right fit for the most important advertising media. For example, you might have a specific DSP preference for digital and another for audio.

Train, Train, Train

I mentioned this earlier, but one of the problems that we run into the most is lack of technical understanding of programmatic products. You can bring in people with technical chops, but not everyone on the team will be up to speed. It’s important to hire people with the skills to train others, and if you’re an agency, train your clients so they can better understand the impact and benefits or programmatic.