Let’s face it: Digital advertising execution is getting more and more complicated by the nanosecond. This is due to the rapid change in the Market on day to day basis. What started more than a decade ago with simply passing a static image to a website’s sales team to be hard-coded to a web page has become a much more complicated process with multiple groups, technologies and various touch points involved.
Nowadays, ad operations teams have to understand complexities that go way beyond just their ad server’s core functionality. There are web analytics systems that need tracking codes implemented, retargeting pixels, customer relationship management (CRM) tools, dynamic creative generators, semantic websites, real-time bidding platforms, rich media, DMP integration, header bidding etc. And, of course, it always seems these elements come together at the last minute. Your ad ops teams have to be well versed in multiple tools and processes in order to operate in today’s world.
Outsourced ad operations companies provide their clients with services that go well beyond just getting ads onto the web. Most are able to completely take over your reporting, optimization, and strategic planning needs. Many companies also provide even more partnership-level services that include helping publishers analyze their ad inventory, fine tune their offerings, and bring them to market.
Certain ad ops companies may even be able to act as an agency on an advertiser’s behalf to plan and buy digital media. Having an experienced consultant on your side to walk you through these rather complex challenges can be incredibly beneficial.
So, the question becomes: Do you keep these teams in-house or utilize one of the various outsource companies to handle your ad ops duties?
For many publishers, agencies, and direct advertisers, keeping an in-house ad ops team is critical to their success. They have the business infrastructure to support this initiative. And there certainly are benefits to having your own ad ops group just a few feet away. They are 100 percent dedicated and fully focused on your business, so the care and attention can be monitored and maintained. Outsourcing may also add an extra communication layer between the sales/account teams and the ad ops team; any changes and issues can be addressed quickly if the operations are kept in-house.
However, the real question to ask is whether your Ad Ops team is technically sound to handle all of the complexities involved in today’s changing ad ops management? Are you getting the actual returns on the time and money spend on keeping an in-house ad ops team?
Also not every company can or wants to support its ad operations. If the business ebbs and flows, having a full-time team (with benefits and vacation days) can become a financial liability if employees are on the clock with nothing to do. If ad ops are viewed as something outside a company’s core competency, it may make sense to bring in specialists whose sole business is staying on top of the ever-changing world of digital media marketing execution. It’s also worth considering than an outsourced ad ops company may have the buying power to secure technology and vendors at a much lower rate than you could negotiate. Those savings, along with minimal trafficking issues and errors, will more than justify the bill.
Customer service is key in this niche industry. As one outsourced ad ops executive told me, “We’ve never lost a customer due to bad service. We know that the moment you feel like you are outsourcing, we haven’t done our job, and we work closely with our clients to make sure that never happens.”
If you’d like to learn more about outsourced ad operations, check out the following link:
https://yoaap-site.mars-cdn.com/publisher-solution/
Content Credit: iMEDIA Connections