Activating programmatic media buys can sound daunting to someone who has never stepped foot into a Demand Side Platform (DSP) such as TTD or DV360. The below tips will set you up for success when continuing (or beginning) your programmatic trading career:
Be Curious! You Don’t Know What Don’t Know
Programmatic is an ever-growing part of the digital media landscape. As such, processes and terminology are changing every day. To avoid getting lost in the fray of new information, keeping up with advertising trades and blogs will keep you abreast of the latest changes, which will keep you ahead of the game. Additionally, programmatic certifications offered by such platforms as The Trade Desk’s Edge Academy and Google’s Digital Garage provide up-to-date training materials for your digital needs.
Utilize the platform’s knowledge portal
Each platform will have a section dedicated to answering every FAQ that has ever come to a member of their team. By searching through this knowledge portal, you will be able to independently answer any and all questions you may come across while activating campaigns programmatically.
Become as familiar with the platform as possible prior to launch
Trainings with your account team are crucial to being able to activate knowledgeably within the platform. Your account team should be able to show you what everything does, and how to see/find what you need, effectively and efficiently. Being “hands-on-keyboard” allows you, as the trader, to be able to optimize your campaigns to the best of your ability, so that your campaign goals are met. “Pulling the levers” allows you to take control of your media buys and make sure that everything is working as it should. You are your most powerful tool in making sure your campaigns perform to their fullest potential.
Ask questions!
Your support/account team are the experts and will be responsible for helping you with any questions that you may have. Building that rapport up will allow you to be as open as possible with any frustrations you’re encountering while in platform. Your account team will also act as the line of communication between you and their product teams. As end-users of their platform, the product team will want real-life examples of what is going well/not going well, to continuously improve the product to make it as easy to use as possible.
