Ad Serving

Ad serving delivers ads to users on various digital channels and platforms, such as websites, mobile apps, and social media platforms. Ad serving involves the technology and infrastructure that delivers ads to users and the measurement and reporting of ad performance.

Here's an example: Suppose you're running a display advertising campaign for a new product launch. Ad serving would involve tasks such as selecting the correct ad format, creating ad units, setting targeting parameters, and monitoring the delivery and performance of the ads.

What does ad serving involve?

‍Accurate targeting: Ad serving allows marketers to target their ads to specific audiences based on location, demographics, interests, and behaviour. This helps increase the relevance of ads and improve campaign performance.

‍Improved ad performance: Ad serving allows marketers to monitor the performance of their ads and make adjustments to optimise for better results. This can include changes to ad format, targeting parameters, and delivery frequency.

‍Scalability: Ad-serving technology allows marketers to manage large-scale campaigns across multiple platforms and channels. This helps maximise reach and improve campaign efficiency.

‍Ad rotation and frequency capping: Ad serving technology allows marketers to control the frequency at which their ads are displayed to users and rotate between ad creatives to prevent ad fatigue.

Ad serving is a critical component of digital advertising. It allows marketers to deliver targeted ads to users across various digital channels while providing the tools and insights needed to optimise campaign performance and achieve better results.

Typical ad-serving process

The process involves the following steps:

1. Campaign setup: The first step in ad serving is for the advertiser to set up a campaign. This involves defining the target audience, budget, ad creatives, and the channels where the ads will be displayed.

2. Ad is uploaded to an ad server: The ad creatives are uploaded to an ad server. The ad server platform stores and manages adverts across various channels.

3. The ad request is sent to the ad server: When a user visits a website or opens an app with ad space available, a request for an ad is sent to the ad server. This request includes the user's location, device type, and browsing behaviour.

4. Ad server evaluates the request: The ad server evaluates the request based on the criteria defined by the advertiser in their campaign settings. This includes the user's location, device type, and browsing behaviour.

5. Ad is selected: The ad server determines the ad that best matches the advertiser's criteria. This involves considering the ad format, size, and placement.

6. Ad is delivered: The ad server provides the advert to the user's device in real time. The ad can be shown in various formats, such as display ads, video ads, and native ads.

7. User sees the ad: The user sees the ad on their device. If the user clicks on the ad, they will be redirected to the advertiser's landing page

8. Ad performance is tracked: The ad server tracks the ad's performance in terms of impressions, clicks, and conversions. The advertiser uses this data to optimise the campaign and improve the ad's performance.

How does automation software support ad serving?

Automated Workflows: Marketing automation software can automate many aspects of ad creation and delivery, such as audience segmentation, ad scheduling, and reporting. This can reduce the time and resources required to create and manage ad campaigns, allowing marketers to focus on other business areas.

‍Personalisation: Marketing automation software can use data to create personalised ad content for each user without manual intervention. This can improve the relevance and engagement of ads, leading to higher conversion rates and increased ROI.

‍Optimisation: Marketing automation software can use data to optimise ad performance by testing and analysing ad content and delivery variations. By automating this process, marketers can quickly identify the most effective ad content and delivery strategies, leading to improved ad performance and increased ROI.

‍Integration: Marketing automation software can integrate with ad-serving platforms, such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads, to streamline creating and managing ad campaigns. This can reduce the time and resources required to create and manage ad campaigns across multiple channels and devices.

‍Reporting and Analytics: Marketing automation software can provide real-time reporting and analytics on ad performance, allowing marketers to quickly identify trends and make data-driven decisions about ad content and delivery. This can improve the efficiency of ad campaigns and lead to increased ROI.

Overall, marketing automation software can bring significant efficiency gains to ad serving by automating many aspects of ad creation and delivery, personalising ad content for each user, optimising ad performance, integrating with ad serving platforms, and providing real-time reporting and analytics.