While programmatic and social media advertising operate differently, marketers can leverage both to create an effective marketing strategy. In this blog, we will differentiate the two and discuss why integrating paid social advertising and programmatic media can result in a dynamic lead gen strategy.
What Is Programmatic Media?
Programmatic media has revolutionized the way businesses strategize and advertise. It allows marketers to serve their ads to the ideal target audience, boosting engagement and overall results. So, what exactly is programmatic media buying?
In an auction-style system, buyers can place bids in real-time through a demand-side platform (DSP) and pay only when someone clicks or views their ads. So, when a target consumer lands on a website, the auction happens then and there. With machine learning and set parameters, marketers can efficiently serve their ads to the right audience. Another benefit for advertisers is that they are given access to more data on ad performance, allowing them to optimize in near real-time.
In short, programmatic advertising involves employing automated technology to purchase advertising space, contrasting with conventional digital advertising methods that are typically manual. This approach relies on data analysis and algorithms to deliver advertisements to the appropriate audience, precisely timed and priced.
If you are interested in a robust strategy such as integrating paid social advertising and programmatic media strategies, contact us today.
The Similarities in Paid Social Advertising
While there is no direct connection between programmatic media buying and social media, these means of advertising work well together. However, there are some similarities. We know that programmatic advertising operates using real-time bidding and direct deals with trading partners. Social media advertising, on the other hand. offers a real-time platform with diverse ad formats - just no real-time bidding.
How Social Media Advertising Works
Social media advertising is a paid marketing approach where a marketing budget is used to create and run ads on various social platforms. Social media advertising gives marketers precise control over placement, timing, and specific audience segmentation, delivering immediate visibility. These ads can be highly customized and optimized for objects such as lead generation or website traffic. But by far the biggest difference between programmatic media and social media advertising is placements.
Social Media Ad Placements and Formats
Social media advertising placements refer to where you’re running your ads. A few placement examples include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X (formerly known as Twitter), and LinkedIn. The ad format refers to the type of ad your audience is viewing. For example, carousels, videos, display, audio, and more. The platform and formats you use all depend on your business and objectives.
If you’re in the B2B space and want to promote a white paper, LinkedIn may be the best platform. If you’re an e-commerce brand with a younger audience, it would be smart to leverage Instagram or Snapchat ads.
Integrating Paid Social Advertising and Programmatic Media
By integrating paid social advertising and programmatic media, businesses can complement their efforts, expand channel reach, and facilitate cross-channel remarketing. Individuals exposed to programmatic ads can be retargeted with relevant content on social media platforms to lead them down the sales funnel. Other benefits of incorporating both are engaging audiences across multiple touchpoints, cost efficiency, and accuracy in targeting.
By combining the strengths of programmatic media with the dynamic nature of social media advertising, businesses can conduct powerful and effective marketing campaigns that reach their target audiences across multiple channels. If you’re looking to leverage this holistic approach, our team at Concept can use both pieces to build successful campaigns across multiple channels. Together we can reach your desired audience and yield remarkable results. Let’s talk.