Blog

Maximizing ROI with Programmatic Data: Best Practices for Advertisers

May 21, 2023 Author: Mario X. Carrasco

Digital media buyers constantly seek ways to maximize return on investment (ROI) for their clients' digital advertising campaigns. But, achieving this goal is often easier said than done, as numerous factors can influence the results of a digital campaign.

Nevertheless, there is a powerful tool that can level the playing field – programmatic data. Below I explore best practices for using persona-based audience data to improve ROI and drive optimal digital campaign results.

Understanding Programmatic Data

Before we dive into best practices, let's take a moment to define programmatic data. Programmatic data is the foundation of programmatic advertising, which is the process of buying and selling advertising space in real time using automated systems. This data can include everything from basic demographics like age and gender to more complex data points like interests, behaviors and purchase intent.

Programmatic data enables advertisers to target their ads to specific audiences automatically so advertisers only spend money on what’s working instead of buying in bulk and having inventory left over. This precision ups the odds of reaching the right people on their preferred devices at the right times. But advertisers need access to high-quality, persona-based audience data to make the most of programmatic advertising.

What is Persona-Based Audience Data?

Persona-based audience data is a type of programmatic data that uses customer personas to help advertisers target their ads to specific audiences. A persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer based on real data and insights. Persona-based audience data helps advertisers get beyond mere data points to how people actually live and be more intentional in their ad targeting. Doing so not only maximizes ad spend but also creates a better experience for the ad receipt because they aren’t served an irrelevant ad.

Programmatic Data Best Practices

Using persona-based audience data can help you create more relevant ads, improve targeting, and drive better campaign results. Here are some best practices for using persona-based audience data to maximize ROI:

Use Audience Segmentation to Improve Targeting

One of the key benefits of persona-based audience data is that it allows you to segment your audience into smaller, more specific groups. This can help you create more targeted ads tailored to each group's specific interests and behaviors.

For example, if you're advertising a new athletic apparel line, you might create different ads for people interested in running, yoga, or weightlifting. By targeting your ads to specific interest groups, you can create more relevant ads that are more likely to resonate with your audience.

Test and Refine Your Audience Segments

Once you've created your audience segments, it's important to test and refine them over time. This means tracking the performance of your ads for each segment and adjusting as needed.

For example, you might find that your ads perform better for certain age groups or that certain ethnic groups are more responsive to your ads. By tracking your performance data and adjusting your audience segments, you can continue improving your ads' targeting and effectiveness.

Use Lookalike Audiences to Expand Your Reach

In addition to targeting specific audience segments, you can use persona-based audience data to create lookalike audiences. Lookalike audiences are groups of people who share similar characteristics to your existing customers, allowing you to expand your reach to new, qualified audiences.

For example, if you have a group of customers interested in hiking, you might create a lookalike audience based on their interests and behaviors. By targeting this lookalike audience, you can expand your reach to new people likely to be interested in your product.

Use Zero-Party Data to Improve Personalization

Zero-party data is data that customers intentionally and proactively provide to a company, such as preferences, opinions, and purchase intentions. This permission-based data is highly valuable because it allows advertisers to create more personalized experiences for their customers.

Using persona-based audience data combined with zero-party data, advertisers can create personalized ads with a look and feel that resonate with consumers. For example, if a customer has indicated a preference for eco-friendly products, you might use that information to create ads featuring your company's sustainability initiatives.

Using zero-party data also allows you to build stronger relationships with your customers by showing that you care about their preferences and needs. By providing personalized experiences, you can increase customer loyalty and improve customer lifetime value.

Measure and Analyze Your Results

Finally, it's essential to measure and analyze the results of your campaigns to determine what's working and what's not, and programmatic puts all those metrics in one place for easy tracking. By tracking metrics like impressions, click-through rates and conversion rates, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions about your future campaigns.

Persona-based audience data is a powerful tool for maximizing ROI with programmatic advertising. By using audience segmentation, lookalike audiences, dynamic creative optimization, and data analysis, advertisers can optimize their targeting and creative elements to create more personalized and effective ads that yield better results and achieve desired business outcomes.

This blog post was originally published on MediaPost.