As a marketer, I’m no stranger to advert managers like Google Advertisements and Meta Advertisements. Nonetheless, I used to be to study that there’s a 3rd possibility for advert shopping for: demand-side platforms (DSP).
What’s a DSP, you ask? These instruments are primarily an automatic option to buy and handle your on-line advertisements.
For those who’re like me and are interested by what a DSP is and the way it can profit your paid advert technique, I wish to cowl how these platforms work, why it is best to use one, and one of the best platforms out there.
Desk of Contents
What’s a DSP?
A requirement-side platform (DSP) is an automatic programmatic promoting platform the place entrepreneurs should purchase and handle advert inventories from a number of advert sources. The principle good thing about a DSP is that you may handle your whole digital advertisements throughout many networks on one interface.
With a DSP, you should purchase cellular advertisements on apps, banner advertisements on engines like google, and video advertisements on Fb, Instagram, Google, and much more platforms. As a substitute of utilizing each Google Advertisements and Fb Advertisements, as an example, you should purchase these advertisements in a single place on a DSP.
The aim of that is to make advert shopping for quicker, cheaper, and extra environment friendly. Now, let’s dive into how DSP platforms work and why it is best to use them.
How do DSPs work?
DSPs work through the use of programmatic advertising, which is the shopping for and promoting of advertisements in actual time via an automatic system. With real-time bidding, advert placements are auctioned off in milliseconds.
While you get began with DSP promoting, you will want to start strategizing how a lot you wish to spend. Take into consideration what an efficient value per click on and value per motion is likely to be. It will show you how to arrange your online ads so the platform is aware of how a lot to spend in any given public sale.
The most effective DSP platforms will assist you to embrace a number of rich media ads, together with video, photographs, and animation.
What’s DSP promoting?
DSP promoting is the automated technique of bidding on and shopping for advertisements via a programmatic promoting platform.
Based on a examine printed by Statista, the US was the most important programmatic promoting market worldwide, spending an estimated $264.66 billion in 2024. Entrepreneurs are more and more utilizing DSPs as a manner of buying, managing, and monitoring internet advertising.
Advantages of Utilizing a DSP
To know why entrepreneurs select to make use of a DSP for his or her paid promoting technique over different platforms, I spoke to Sean Edwards, the Director of Programmatic and E-Commerce Media at Exverus Media.
Seamless Advert Shopping for Expertise
One of many important causes for utilizing a DSP is that it makes your digital advert expertise simpler and less expensive. You possibly can management, observe, and maximize all of your digital advertisements in a single place. This implies you’ll be able to handle a complete advert marketing campaign throughout websites on one dashboard. For instance, you’ll be able to present somebody an advert on Google, then present them advertisements on Fb, after which throughout different websites they go to — multi function marketing campaign.
“The DSP we use most frequently is The Commerce Desk as a result of it permits us to activate and measure media campaigns on many various channels from a single platform,” says Edwards. “This protects us and our purchasers money and time, whereas clarifying beforehand hard-to-see patterns within the complicated buyer journey.”
Entry to Premium stock
DSPs usually have entry to a variety of advert stock, together with premium placements on well-liked web sites and apps, in accordance with Edwards. This implies you’ll be able to promote on many networks, together with all the main publishers. With an elevated variety of networks, you will have a extra international attain.
“This entry permits advertisers to achieve goal audiences throughout quite a lot of channels with added visibility, management, and alternative to optimize in direction of probably the most profitable techniques and placements,” he says.
Extra Management Over the Advert Expertise
Utilizing a DSP additionally gives entrepreneurs with extra management over the advert expertise in comparison with conventional platforms. That is particularly necessary in relation to model security.
“Programmatic platforms supply instruments to make sure advertisements are displayed in brand-safe environments pre- and post-bid,” says Edwards. “These parameters may also help defend a model’s repute by avoiding advert placement on inappropriate websites or inside unsuitable content material. Excessive-quality media placements yield stronger outcomes.”
Precision Concentrating on
Programmatic promoting means that you can goal particular audiences based mostly on numerous standards akin to demographics, pursuits, and habits, says Edwards.
“This precision concentrating on permits advertisers to achieve the fitting individuals, on the proper time, with the very best probability to finish the specified consequence, whether or not that’s buy, video view, obtain, or subscription,” he says.
Moreover, DSPs usually associate with third-party information suppliers, supplying you with higher monitoring and reporting capabilities than a single community often gives. And within the planning course of, the concentrating on choices are extra customized, which means you may get higher conversion charges.
Now that you recognize extra about DSP promoting and the way it works, let’s focus on the platforms that may show you how to do it.
7 DSP Promoting Instruments
- Foundation Applied sciences
- Google Advertising and marketing Platform
- Knorex
- Jampp
- Smadex
- MediaMath
- Amazon DSP
When selecting a DSP to work with, I like to have a look at what number of advert exchanges the DSP has entry to as a result of that impacts how many individuals you’ll be able to attain. I additionally like to think about value, coaching (full-service or self-service), assist, and ease of use. Listed here are a number of the finest DSP promoting instruments to select from:
1. Basis Technologies
Finest for: Giant or enterprise-level corporations
Foundation Applied sciences is an omnichannel DSP constructed to generate higher outcomes in your advert campaigns. In my view, the most effective options is that it makes use of AI machine studying to robotically analyze information from quite a few marketing campaign parameters to optimize your advertisements.
With this DSP, you’ll be able to goal hyper-local audiences throughout gadgets and a number of touchpoints. You‘ll additionally get entry to the trade’s main exchanges, together with 25,000+ viewers segments throughout over 30 completely different information suppliers.
Why I prefer it: Foundation Applied sciences harnesses the facility of machine studying to investigate information and automate processes. I additionally like how automated monitoring helps guarantee model repute and security.
2. Google Marketing Platform
Finest for: Small to massive companies or businesses
Google Advertising and marketing Platform is Google’s unified promoting and analytics platform for smarter advertising and marketing and higher outcomes. This DSP has a number of merchandise for each small companies and enterprise corporations, together with Marketing campaign Supervisor 360 and Show & Video 360 (previously DoubleClick).
With this product, it can save you time with cross-channel advert administration to maximise insights and optimize media and inventive efficiency throughout all of your digital campaigns.
The flexibleness is the standout function of this DSP. You should use third-party options and integrations so you’ll be able to select the capabilities that finest show you how to handle and measure your campaigns.
Why I prefer it: Google’s merchandise are designed to work collectively, but additionally give the flexibleness to make use of third-party options and server to server integrations.
3. Knorex
Finest for: Mid-sized to massive promoting businesses
Knorex is a common promoting platform that automates customized advertising and marketing throughout channels, gadgets, and advert codecs. You possibly can market on Google Search, CTV/OTT, DOOH, and social media multi function place.
This DSP additionally makes use of AI to study from previous information to foretell and regulate advert budgets dynamically in real-time to drive greater effectivity.
Why I prefer it: Knorex values safety, providing quite a lot of model privateness and safety instruments out of the field.
4. Jampp
Finest for: Corporations searching for a cellular DSP resolution, akin to gaming or fintech apps
Jampp is a DSP that leverages distinctive contextual and behavioral alerts to ship prospects and in-app purchases via programmatic promoting.
The important thing options of this platform are person acquisition, app retargeting, geolocated advertisements, dynamic advertisements, and predictive bidding. What I like most about Jampp is its give attention to mobile-first advertisements.
Why I prefer it: Jampp’s app retargeting helps re-engage present prospects and makes use of their earlier habits to foretell whether or not or not they may convert.
5. Smadex
Finest for: Corporations needing a mobile-first DSP resolution
Smadex is a cellular DSP engineered for development. The platform makes use of a mixture of its personal programmatic promoting know-how, machine studying, and first-party information.
With this platform, you’ll be able to attain international audiences at scale and re-engage audiences with its retargeting capabilities.
Why I prefer it: Smadex values safety simply as a lot as serving to your model scale. The platform is a registered member of TAG (Reliable Accountability Group) within the US and holds an IAB (Web Promoting Bureau) Gold Standard certification.
6. MediaMath
Finest for: Mid-sized to massive businesses that desire a customized resolution
MediaMath is a customizable DSP that gives manufacturers with a myriad of choices for managing their campaigns. Decide to make use of their built-in artistic instruments to run advertisements on their server, or select one among your individual. You possibly can even use APIs to run on prime of your core basis.
Why I prefer it: The customization is the platform’s best function, for my part. MediaMath’s product will not be a one-size-fits-all DSP. Manufacturers can tailor their parts to construct an promoting resolution that fits their wants.
7. Amazon DSP
Finest for: Ecommerce manufacturers that wish to promote on Amazon (and Amazon-owned websites)
Amazon is likely one of the world’s largest on-line retailers, so it’s no shock that manufacturers would wish to faucet into their promoting viewers. Each advertisers who promote merchandise on Amazon and those that don’t can use Amazon DSP.
They provide two choices: self-service and managed service. With self-service, manufacturers are in full management of their advert campaigns. Those that are new to programmatic promoting or want steerage are suggested to make use of the managed possibility; nevertheless, that comes with a $35,000 minimal spend.
Why I prefer it: You don’t need to be an Amazon vendor to make use of its DSP. Amazon DSP can drastically enhance model consciousness for sellers on and off Amazon.
My Takeaways About DSPs
After researching DSPs and speaking to the consultants, my greatest takeaway is that they’re one of the best ways to handle your whole advert campaigns throughout channels in a single place.
Nonetheless, utilizing DSPs will not be a “set it and neglect it” type of resolution. Entrepreneurs should nonetheless be concerned within the bidding and concentrating on course of to make sure they’re getting probably the most ROI out of the instrument.
While you select a DSP, be sure to perceive what number of stock sources it accesses, which third-party information integrations it gives, and what concentrating on standards can be found. To efficiently run programmatic advertisements on a DSP, you will want to achieve international audiences with customized advertisements. Whereas utilizing a DSP simplifies paid advert administration, it received’t substitute buyer analysis and having a transparent concept of who your audience is.
Editor’s be aware: This submit was initially printed in February 2021 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
