Programmatic advertising is the automated process of purchasing and placing digital ads using software and algorithms. Instead of manual negotiations, this system uses data to make real-time decisions about which ads to show to which users. This ensures ads are strategically positioned where and when they will have the most impact.
This automated approach offers significant advantages over traditional methods. By leveraging technology, advertisers can enhance their campaigns' effectiveness and efficiency. The primary benefits include:
While powerful, programmatic advertising is not without its hurdles. Navigating the ecosystem requires vigilance to overcome significant obstacles and ensure campaign success.
While often used interchangeably, programmatic advertising and real-time bidding serve different functions within the automated ad buying landscape.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are set to redefine programmatic advertising. These technologies will drive hyper-personalization and predictive optimization. The shift away from third-party cookies will also accelerate the adoption of first-party data strategies.
The expansion into new channels like connected TV (CTV) and audio will continue to grow. This creates new opportunities for cross-device campaigns. Concurrently, the industry is pushing for greater supply chain transparency to combat fraud and improve brand safety.
To maximize your return on investment, adopt a strategic approach. This involves leveraging data-driven insights and continuously optimizing campaigns for performance.
How is brand safety managed in programmatic campaigns?
Brand safety is managed using tools like blocklists, allowlists, and contextual targeting to ensure ads appear alongside appropriate content. Working with reputable platforms is also crucial for maintaining control and protecting your brand's reputation.
Can programmatic advertising work without third-party cookies?
Yes. The industry is adapting by shifting to first-party data, contextual targeting, and other privacy-safe identifiers. These methods allow for effective audience targeting while respecting user privacy, ensuring campaigns can perform well in a cookieless future.
Is programmatic advertising only suitable for large companies?
Not at all. While powerful for large-scale campaigns, programmatic is accessible to businesses of all sizes. Self-serve platforms offer flexible budget options, allowing smaller companies to run highly targeted and cost-effective campaigns without a massive initial investment.
A Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is the page displayed by a search engine after a user enters a query, listing results ranked by relevance.
Agile methodology is an iterative approach to project management and software development, focusing on delivering value in small, incremental steps.
Conversational intelligence (CI) is AI technology that analyzes customer conversations to find insights that help sales and support teams improve.
A sales methodology is the framework that guides how your sales team approaches the entire sales process, from prospecting to closing deals.
NoSQL ("Not only SQL") databases offer a flexible alternative to relational models, excelling at managing large and unstructured data sets.
A sales bundle groups multiple products or services into a single offering, often at a discounted price to provide greater value to customers.
A headless CMS is a back-end content repository that delivers content via API to any front-end, decoupling the content from its presentation layer.
Average Revenue per User (ARPU) is a key performance indicator that calculates the average revenue generated from each user or subscriber.
Webhooks are automated messages sent by an app when a specific event occurs. They push real-time data to another app's unique URL.
Sales prospecting is the process of identifying potential customers, or prospects, and initiating contact to convert them into paying customers.
A decision-maker is an individual with the authority to make significant choices for a company, especially regarding purchases or strategy.
Intent data tracks a user's online behavior—like searches and site visits—to identify signals that they are ready to make a purchase.
The Challenger Sales model is a methodology where reps teach prospects, tailor their pitch, and take control of the sales conversation.
A Sales Director leads a sales team, develops strategies, and is responsible for meeting a company's revenue targets.
ClickFunnels is a popular online tool that lets entrepreneurs easily build sales funnels to guide potential customers through the buying process.
A data pipeline is a set of automated processes that move raw data from various sources to a destination for storage and analysis.
De-duping, or data deduplication, is the process of eliminating duplicate copies of data within a dataset to improve accuracy and save space.
Sales operations analytics is the practice of analyzing sales data to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire sales process.
Video hosting is a service that allows users to upload, store, and share video content online, making it accessible for playback anywhere.
A Representational State Transfer (REST) API is a web service that uses a simple, stateless architecture for systems to communicate online.
CI/CD, or Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery, automates software builds, tests, and deployments for faster, more reliable releases.
On-Target Earnings (OTE) is a salesperson's total potential pay, combining base salary and commission for hitting their sales quota.
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others reflect correct behavior for a given situation.
Social selling is the art of using social media to find, connect with, build relationships with, and nurture sales prospects.
A sales call is a real-time conversation between a salesperson and a prospect, aiming to persuade them to purchase a product or service.
Video messaging involves sending short, personalized video clips to prospects or customers, replacing traditional text-based communication.
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MOFU, or Middle of the Funnel, is the crucial evaluation stage in the buyer's journey where leads compare solutions to their known problem.
Lead enrichment adds third-party data to your raw lead lists, creating fuller prospect profiles for more effective and personalized outreach.
Account-Based Analytics measures engagement and impact across target accounts, not just individual leads, to guide B2B sales and marketing efforts.
Your email deliverability rate is the percentage of sent emails that successfully land in a recipient's inbox, rather than bouncing or going to spam.
A marketing attribution model is a framework for assigning credit to the marketing touchpoints that lead a customer to convert.
Sales automation uses software to streamline and automate repetitive, manual sales tasks, freeing up reps to focus on selling.
Account-Based Sales Development (ABSD) is a focused strategy where SDRs target key stakeholders within specific, high-value accounts.
A nurture campaign is a series of automated messages designed to build relationships with potential customers and guide them toward a purchase.
Amortization is the process of spreading out a loan or the cost of an intangible asset over a specific period for accounting and tax purposes.
Sales team management is the process of leading, coaching, and motivating a sales team to achieve its sales goals and drive revenue growth.
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Multi-touch attribution is a marketing analytics method that credits multiple touchpoints on the customer journey for a conversion.
A warm email is a message sent to a prospect with whom you have a pre-existing connection, like a mutual contact or a prior interaction.
Hot leads are prospective customers who have shown significant interest and are ready to buy, making them a top priority for sales teams.
HubSpot is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform with tools for marketing, sales, and service, all aimed at helping businesses grow.
A sales cycle is the series of steps a company takes to close a new customer. It starts with prospecting and ends with a signed deal.
Key accounts are a company's most valuable customers, vital due to their significant revenue contribution and strategic importance for growth.
Customer retention refers to the strategies and activities a company uses to prevent customer churn and encourage them to continue buying.
Contact discovery is the process of finding accurate contact details for potential leads, including names, emails, phone numbers, and job titles.
A firewall is a digital barrier that protects a network by monitoring and controlling traffic, blocking unauthorized access and malicious content.
Lead Velocity Rate (LVR) is the growth rate of your qualified leads, measured month-over-month. It's a key indicator of future revenue.
Going dark is when a once-responsive prospect suddenly stops all communication, leaving you wondering what went wrong.
Consumer buying behavior is the study of how individuals select, buy, and use products and services to satisfy their needs and desires.
Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM) is the portion of the market your business can realistically serve with its current products and sales channels.
“End of Quarter” (EOQ) refers to the final weeks of a business quarter when sales teams rush to meet quotas, often leading to a flurry of deals.
Customer relationship marketing is a strategy for building lasting connections with customers to foster long-term loyalty and engagement.
Customer data analysis is the process of examining customer information to uncover insights that drive business decisions and improve experiences.
Call analytics is the practice of analyzing phone call data to extract insights, track key metrics, and improve overall business performance.
Channel marketing is a strategy where a company sells its products or services through third-party partners, like resellers or affiliates.
Sales enablement technology refers to software and tools that equip sales teams with the resources they need to close more deals efficiently.
A touchpoint is any time a potential or existing customer comes in contact with your brand, from seeing an ad to receiving an email.
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other and exchange information.
A marketing automation platform is software that automates marketing actions. It helps manage tasks like email campaigns and lead nurturing.
Buying criteria are the specific requirements and standards a customer uses to evaluate products or services before making a decision.
Nurture is the process of building relationships with potential customers, guiding them through the sales funnel with personalized communication.
Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a method where all expenses are re-evaluated and must be justified from scratch for each new budget period.
A Data Management Platform (DMP) is a software that collects and organizes audience data from various sources for targeted marketing efforts.
Freemium is a business model offering a product's basic features for free, while charging for advanced or supplemental features.
Competitive intelligence (CI) is the ethical gathering and analysis of market data to inform strategic business decisions and gain an advantage.
LPI, or Lead Per Inquiry, is a key metric that measures how many leads are generated from each inquiry in a marketing campaign.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are websites that look and feel like native mobile apps, offering features like offline access and push notifications.
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Technographics is data that outlines a company’s technology stack, helping B2B teams identify prospects based on the software and hardware they use.
Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication method allowing users to access multiple applications with one set of login credentials.
Data mining is the process of discovering patterns, trends, and useful information from large datasets to make better business decisions.
A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is software that gathers and organizes customer data from various touchpoints into a single, unified profile.
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The open rate is the percentage of recipients who opened an email. It's a primary indicator of a subject line's effectiveness.
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Lead scraping is the process of automatically extracting contact information and other relevant data about potential customers from online sources.
Account View-Through Rate (AVTR) is the percentage of target accounts that see an ad and later visit your website without clicking on it.
Audience targeting is the process of segmenting consumers into specific groups to deliver more personalized and relevant marketing messages.
An inside sales rep sells products or services remotely from an office, using digital tools like phone and email to connect with customers.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a metric measuring customer loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend your company or product to others.
A sales presentation is a formal pitch by a salesperson to a prospective customer, showcasing a product or service to secure a sale.
GDPR compliance means following the EU's strict data protection laws to ensure the secure and lawful handling of personal data.
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Data-driven marketing uses customer data to inform marketing decisions, optimize campaigns, and deliver personalized experiences to consumers.
Yield management is a dynamic pricing strategy that adjusts prices based on demand to maximize revenue from a fixed, perishable inventory.
Sales prospecting software automates the process of finding, contacting, and tracking potential customers to help sales teams build their pipeline.
API security is the practice of protecting application programming interfaces from attacks, preventing data breaches and unauthorized access.
A Salesforce Administrator is a certified professional who manages and customizes the Salesforce platform to meet a company's specific business needs.
Pipeline coverage is a key sales metric. It's the ratio of your total open pipeline value to your sales quota for a specific period.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an automated phone system that uses voice and keypad inputs to interact with callers and route their calls.
A trusted advisor is an expert who builds a deep client relationship by consistently prioritizing their best interests over any single transaction.
Digital contracts are legally binding agreements created, signed, and stored electronically, offering a faster, more secure alternative to paper.
Payment processors are companies that handle card transactions, connecting merchants with the banks needed to complete a sale.
Lead response time is the duration between a potential customer showing interest and your team's first point of contact with them.
Market intelligence is the process of collecting and analyzing data about your target market, competitors, and industry to guide business strategy.
Kubernetes is an open-source system for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
Enrichment is the process of adding third-party data to your existing customer profiles to get a more complete picture of your leads.
A sales strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how a business will sell its products or services to achieve its revenue goals.