It is possible to understand a customer’s behavior from when they click on an ad until they place an order.

Thus, advertisers can release marketing campaigns, create targeted ads, and segment an audience. Yet, this is becoming a hard task.

Privacy laws are getting stricter and many users install ad blockers.

Anti ad software can seriously affect a marketing campaign. So advertisers need to understand how this technology works.

This will enable them to optimize their strategies.

First, they need to detect which users have an ad blocker installed. Knowing this, they can estimate the losses and prevent them in the future.

This approach can help optimize marketing efforts and improve a company’s performance.

How do websites detect AdBlock? This article analyses how such software works.

It is valuable information for advertisers who want to cut losses and boost revenue.

How does Adblock detection work?

The purpose of an ad blocker is to block advertisements when navigating web pages. They are browser extensions or plugins.

They filter different server addresses analyzing their patterns. They block communication with ad servers and hide site elements that display ads.

Some browsers block ads by default and users can add extra blocking filters. This is the case with Google Chrome.

The ad-blocking process starts as soon as the web page begins to load on the server. An ad blocker scans the website’s scripts and compares them to a database.

If it finds scripts that match those in the database, the software prevents them from loading. It works with a database of ad-related scripts and can understand where the annoying ads are.

The next step is to block them. The user will see a blank space instead of the ad design.

Why use an ad blocker?

Users install this software for a variety of reasons. They may have concerns about tracking processes and want to keep their information private.

In other cases, they want to avoid tiresome advertisements. Sometimes, they simply want a larger bandwidth.

There are some very popular ad-blocking software on the market. These include uBlock, Brave, AdBlock, and AdBlock plus.

Adblock detection: how to detect ad-blocking

There are methods to prevent advertisement blocking. Companies like Forbes and Business Insider use anti-Adblock methods.

This software works by analyzing a website and its scripts. Thus, it forms a previous image of what the web page will be like when loaded.

Once loaded, the software compares the expected page with the rendered version. If these don’t match, the website sends an anti-ad-blocking message.

The software throws a code that works as a ‘bait’ for ad blockers. This is a piece of code that appears to have advertising elements.

It is generally a hidden div. It contains a file, like ‘ads.js’, that’s usually the target of adblockers.

When the ad blocker ‘bites’ the bait, the system releases an ad blocker message alert. How does this work?

When a browser extension tries to block the “ad”, the bait modifies the rendering version of the site. This can help identify the presence of a plugin or extension blocking ads.

The ad-blocking tactics are usually shared across the web. This information can also be useful for creating baits.

The following is an example of a ‘bait’ code:

<divclass="banner_ad">...</div>.

By reading ‘banner_ad’ in the code, the browser will release an ad blocker. Many ad-blocking lists carry this text.

These lists include references to JavaScript files and CSS stylesheets.

Ad blockers compare a site’s scripts with the ones from this list. When it finds a match, it prevents the script from loading.

Yet anti-ad blocker software also uses this information to create baits. Anti ad-blocking works effectively and helps publishers mitigate their losses.

The first step is to detect where ad blockers are. After this, publishers can take different measures.

What measures to take after ad-block detection

• Ask for a voluntary donation to help create quality content.
• Ask users to white list the site or remove ad blocking for this page.
• Block access to the page’s content.
• Offer users a paid subscription free of ads.
• Offer an ad-free experience in exchange for social media engagement or email signup.

Anti-Ad-Blocking Scripts

Anti-Adblock technology has become a successful business. Many companies offer anti-ad-blocking codes, plugins, and apps.

However, it is still possible to find free options online. Next is a list of scripts that can be used to detect ad blockers.

Detectadblock

One of the easiest ways to detect an ad blocker is the use of ‘bait’. Sending a code that is similar to an ad-based script can reveal the anti-ad elements.

A piece of code that will trigger an ad alert is ‘ads.js’.

Detectadblock.com saves a piece of Javascript code and creates a hidden section (div) to a file called ‘ads.js’. It places this in the root directory o a user’s website.

Publishers insert the following piece of Javascript code into their HTML base:

<script src="/ads.js"

type="text/javascript"></script>

<script type="text/javascript"><br />

if(document.getElementById('RZfrHsidDwbG')){<br />

alert('Blocking Ads: No');<br />

} else {<br />

alert('Blocking Ads: Yes');<br />

}<br />

</script>

This code checks if there is a hidden ‘div’ in the targeted website, allowing ads to display. If there is not a ‘div’, this means that ads are blocked.

IAB Script

The Interactive Advertising Bureau aims to overcome the difficulties of today’s marketing. It consists of publishers and ad technology companies dedicated to research and development.

They have created the IAB ad-block detection script. This code has had successful testing on Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Explorer.

Readers can access the IAB description and installation instructions here.

How to recover revenue losses caused by ad blockers?

While ad blocking is an excellent tool, it may not be the best option for every publisher.

Every advertiser needs to consider today’s diverse market and its constant innovations. Thus, it will be possible to choose the best suitable option.

Here are a few ways a publisher can recover revenue in a post-ad-blocker world.

Ad Reinsertion

This allows publishers to display acceptable ads on sites using an ad blocker.

This may be the least ethical of all the anti-ad-blocking strategies. It ignores the user’s desire to receive no advertisements.

Ad reinsertion technology requires marketing companies to be whitelisted by ad blocker creators. This requires constant updating on the publisher’s side and it brings little benefit.

After all, if the user is choosing to install an ad-blocker, they won’t be likely to click the reinserted ads.

Native Ads

Native ads are an excellent option for optimizing a marketing campaign. They are well blended with the site’s content, hence they are hard to detect using ad blockers.

An example of native ads are the sponsored posts a person can see on Facebook. They work so well that they are being used by news websites and online magazines.

Though hard to detect by ad blockers, they are not impossible to find and may still get blocked.

Engage

Engaging with ad-block users can be an excellent strategy. Publishers can offer many options.

They can try to find out what specific ads the user is not fond of and provide a solution.

If the user has an interest in the content, publishers can offer an ad-free paid subscription. They can also ask for the user to ‘whitelist’ them.

If users dislike a specific advertising format, publishers can offer a new website version. It can display a page with vetted ads or ads subject to certain guidelines.

Ad-free subscriptions

This is an excellent approach for news sites or bloggers. A website with lots of content can use advertisements to get subscribers.

Publishers and blog admins can offer an ad-free reading experience for a subscription.

For these websites, content is the main product. Hence, users are likely to pay a subscription to enjoy this content ad-free.

Ending thoughts on how do websites detect AdBlock

Advertisers need to understand the user’s rights. Each user has the right to a superb web experience.

Today they have many tools to help them achieve this.

Before asking ‘How do websites detect AdBlock?’, it is important to understand why they appear.

What leads website users to install an ad blocker? What reasoning is there behind this decision?

By understanding this, advertisers can offer users the experience they deserve. In many cases, they can also offer the product the user is looking for.

But an aggressive marketing campaign can push the customer away.

The online advertising industry is responsible for scam popups, malware, and annoying ads. In this context, it is no surprise that users are installing more ad blockers by the day.

Ad-blocking software can bring benefits for both parties. Thanks to these, advertisers can understand a user’s preference.

They can provide a better experience and deliver personalized ad campaigns.

The best marketing strategy is to respect the privacy of the consumer. Customize the content and offer an outstanding user experience.

If you enjoyed reading this article about how do websites detect AdBlock, you should check out this one about what is AdTech.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like behavioral targeting, MVP tests, personalization algorithms, how to hire a web development team, software development budget, device fingerprinting, cross-device attribution, proof of concept vs prototype, and what is MadTech.

The post How Do Websites Detect Adblock? It’s Quite Simple, Actually appeared first on TMS.

Through DSP, advertisers can buy ad impressions on websites, mobile apps, and other platforms. This helps a brand get quality traffic quickly. Thus, they can achieve their marketing goals faster.

Demand-side platforms have evolved. They have developed according to the digital advertising market’s needs. Hence, in 2021 they are offering new functionalities and features.

Thanks to DSPs, advertising companies have access to a variety of marketing formats and possibilities. Some of these include refined targeting, enhanced security, reporting features, and intuitive interfaces.

These are key characteristics of a successful advertising campaign in the 21st century. Demand-side platform companies offer these features. Hence, this article intends to list the most important DSPs available today.

Demand side platform companies: what are they?

Demand-side platforms (DSPs) are web-based platforms. They are a part of the Programmatic Advertising Ecosystem and are integrated with ad exchanges and other sources.

Thus, advertising companies find in DSPs a vast inventory of digital ads. They can buy reliable and cost-effective ads through real-time auctions. “Real-time bidding” (RTB) is the process through which ads are purchased.

Instead of pushing ads into an unknown audience (as with GoogleAds) through a DPS, they can be sent to a qualified network. This network is formed by publishers distributed across different channels. These can be TV or radio programs and platforms such as Hulu or Netflix.

Thus, advertisers bet on different ads and optimization options. They can bid on videos, banners, native ads, etc. They can also optimize their campaigns through eCPC (effective cost per click) or eCPM (effective cost per mile).

By betting on eCPC, the advertiser is betting on its campaign performance according to the number of people that click on the ad. With the CPM approach, advertisers pay for every thousand impressions resulting from the ad. Choosing either option will depend on the product, campaign goals, etc. CPC might be a good option if the goal is to sell specific products, such as cosmetics, clothes, accessories, or electro domestics. If the goal is to bring quality traffic to a website to sell advertisements, then the second option is the best one.

Demand-side platform companies offer an effective solution. Marketers can see their campaign’s impressions and analyze the results. They can control how much to invest and in which exchanges. Also, it is possible to bid in real-time, track performance, optimize results, and manage multiple ads.

Programmatic advertising: what is it, and what is it for?

Programmatic advertising is the process through which a marketing space is bought or sold. Its scenario is the Demand-Side Platform (DSP).

The process is carried out automatically. It allows advertisers to sell and buy marketing spaces with little human interaction. This optimizes costs and time and helps reach multiple channels.

Programmatic advertising is present in many areas of people’s lives. In some cases, without them even realizing it. This process is present when someone watches a YouTube video or navigates a web page or a news site.

The first step to use this tool is to select the targeted audience on a demand-side platform. Then, AI places the bids. Real-time bidding happens in the seconds it takes to load a page. When the page is fully loaded, the rendered version will display the ad that won the bid.

Thus, the advertiser can reach various advertising tools and environments. These include videos, social media ads, television programs, and mobile phones.

For a person to succeed in programmatic ad campaigns, it is vital to understand how this process works. Next, there is a basic description of the programmatic advertising process.

Programmatic advertising step by step:

Step 1: A user enters a website.

Step 2: The user’s and website’s information is sent to an ad exchange platform.

Step 3: The information is matched against advertisers. Real-time bidding takes place in a few milliseconds.

Step 4: The ad from the winning bidder is displayed on the site.

Step 5: Engagement happens and possibly creates a lead.

Top Demand Side Platform companies

AcuityAds

AcuityAds facilitates real-time bidding and provides special targeting options. Its headquarters are in Toronto, but it has satellites in many cities. These include New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas.

With AcuityAds, brands have access to a comprehensive solution for their marketing needs. They can advertise through various screens and formats, thus reaching a wider Share of Attention. Advertisers and agencies can accompany customers throughout their purchase journey.

Through a programmatic platform, marketers can buy campaigns in different formats: Display, Social, Video, and Mobile. This platform runs on machine learning technology. It has partnered with Adobe and offers Adobe Audience Manager as a DMP.

It’s no coincidence that AcuityAds was chosen as the fastest-growing tech company in the US.

SmartyAds DSP

With SmartyAds DSP, agencies can run display, video, native, and in-app advertisements. They can run their campaigns on desktop and mobile devices.

This option covers all of today’s digital marketing needs. It is more than an advertising platform; it is an ecosystem. Marketers can find powerful ad creation tools, wide targeting options, and robust analytics reports.

The ecosystem consists of an ad exchange, a demand-side platform (DSP), a Supply-Side Platform (SSP), and a Data Management Platform (DMP).

As one of the best DSP companies, Smarty Ads offers extensive solutions for digital marketing.

Adobe Advertising Cloud DSP

This platform is designed to create all types of TV campaigns. It includes cross-channel and cross-screen integrations to reach a wider audience. This feature also helps target users through different devices.

Adobe Advertising Cloud DSP is well integrated with Adobe Analytics. Thus, marketers can analyze results for better campaign optimization.

Thanks to this platform’s broad reach, advertisers have access to more than 50 TV broadcasters. This, along with the Adobe Analytics integration, helps target customers beyond devices and cookies.

Beeswax

Beeswax allows marketers to run their own cloud-based bidder. This technology bids on different ads and marketing channels automatically. It takes part in the bidding process taking place while the page is loading.

This demand-side platform offers convenient pricing options. Smaller agencies pay a percentage of their bids, while larger companies pay a flat fee. Hence,  it is an excellent choice for small-budget projects.

Epom

Epom brings many options to the world of digital advertising. It offers marketers the possibility to run their own demand-side platform companies. It includes integrations with 36+SSPs and servers in over 36 countries.

Thanks to Epom, all advertising projects can use demand-side platform technology. It offers easy access to small advertising companies and large-scale cross-border marketing networks.

Epom includes tools to help achievement. Users can set out their campaign objectives and be whitelisted if they reach them. This creates the ideal environment encouraging users to meet their goals.

Amobee

Amobee is an independent platform offering omnichannel solutions. With Amobee, marketers can use interactive advertisements across different channels. They can advertise on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter.

It has wide targeting capabilities and extensive features. It allows users to program cross-channel campaigns and reach a wider audience.

Although the retargeting features could be improved, Amobee offers an excellent solution for digital advertising. With this DSP, agencies can advertise on the most popular social media platforms. Marketers can optimize their marketing efforts by targeting users through different channels.

Criteo

Criteo is one of the best demand-side platforms. Around 18,000 advertisers use it around the world, and it serves over 1.2 billion ads a year. Marketers choose Criteo because it offers powerful video capabilities with desktop, mobile, and tablet options.

It also helps brands reach their audience by displaying interactive banners. The system generates banners based on the user’s browsing habits.

Brands and advertisers can use Criteo to launch CPM- and CPC-based campaigns. It offers unique features such as the “Criteo Dynamic Retargeting” service and the “Criteo Direct” tool.

Criteo is an excellent option for marketers to engage with their audience.

Applift

With Applift, brands can reengage with quality users. Its platform, DataLift allows marketers to reach one billion users through automated sources.

This demand-side platform allows advertisers to increase their returns. It provides access to marketing space across all the conversion funnels to optimize results. It uses first and third-party data and works with major companies, including Glu Mobile, Zynga, and Nexon.

Adelphic

Adelphic is the best option for brands who want meaningful engagement with their audience. It provides a self-serve solution for advertisers and agencies.

Marketers can create effective cross-channel campaigns and target their users without cookies. Adelphic targets users through unified IDs across different devices.

Adelphic is known for its innovative ad formats. It uses audio programmatic, digital out of home, and CTV.

Digilant

Digilant is a marketing platform that offers a comprehensive solution. Brands can connect with their audience and design efficient digital marketing strategies.

Advertisers can create self-sufficient campaigns using omnichannel solutions. Its MediaMath platform allows clients to run their own campaigns. This is very convenient for agencies who need to train different marketing teams. With Digilant, advertisers can instruct their team members and carry out a smooth marketing process.

Google Display and Video 360

Google Display and Video 360 is the ultimate advertising tool. This option takes demand-side platform technology to the next level.

This DSP represents the integration of the Audience Center, Campaign Manager, and Studio. Google Display and Video 360 offer the widest inventory reaching more than 800 million sites. The platform works with over 80 non-Google ad exchanges.

It offers native integration with other software, like Google Analytics 360, for a smoother marketing process. Real-time bidding (RTB) is based on intelligent automation for more effective bidding.

Google Display and Video 360 is the best option for companies that want to make their brands globally known.

StackAdapt

StackAdapt facilitates machine learning processes to provide a superb user experience. Marketers have access to many tools like ad buying plans, native advertising management, and cross-device campaigns.

With StackAdapt, companies can grow their brands using multiple channels and formats. They can choose from various ad types like native, audio, display, video, and TV ads.

This demand-side platform is based on three basic pillars: 1) planning, 2) executing, and 3) analyzing.

Facebook Ads Manager

In 2016, Facebook intended to release “Atlas,” a demand-side platform. But, they encountered challenges on data privacy and decided to hold off the release.

This turned out well for the social media giant. Now, they provide their own platform and ad spaces in a new Programmatic Marketing approach. This means Facebook offers its own inventory.

Using Facebook Ads manager, brands can advertise on Facebook and Instagram. Thus, they reach wide audiences with endless segmentation possibilities. It works the same as all demand-side platforms but offers its own marketing space.

Marketers can create campaigns, segment audiences, track results, and choose their budgets from their desktop or mobile app. It provides all the necessary tools for successful campaign performance.

A billion people make up the Facebook database of active users. Thanks to this, advertisers can reach a wide and thoroughly targeted audience.

Centro

Centro is a self-serve platform that allows marketers to buy ad spaces in real-time. It is the largest DSP based on Saas.

With this option, marketers can buy various ad formats and over 2,000 private deals. It boasts traffic safety features and protection mechanisms. Since it works with the CPM model, it is a great option for agencies looking to promote a brand.

Centro works well for those who want to avoid auctions. With this DSP, it is possible to buy inventory directly.

Thanks to these features, Centro is #1 on the G2 ranking. Centro focuses on specific niches like sports, finances, vehicles, and science and education.

Rocket Fuel

This is an AI-based demand-side platform that offers a thorough data analysis. The system calculates various parameters to estimate bidding amounts. It even considers many factors like weather, geography, visitor frequency, timing, etc.

This self-service DSP encourages marketers to manage their own campaigns. The AI system is helpful for both the marketer and the customer. Advertisers can optimize their marketing efforts thanks to the system’s predictions. Likewise, consumers find online advertising that matches their tastes and needs at the time.

Rocket Fuel also has a DMP (Data Management Platform) where advertisers can sell their collected information.

This DSP is committed to offering a people-based online advertising platform. Rocket Fuel’s AI system puts the right ad in front of the right person at the right time.

Simpli.fi

Simpli.fi has developed its own platforms. It offers SSP, DSP, DMP, and various data management technologies. Agencies can buy ad inventory on many exchanges, thus diversifying their budget.

It offers an excellent reporting solution with more than 60 report templates available. Advertisers can schedule and customize reports for a unique marketing experience.

Simpli.fi is an outstanding targeting tool. Brands can find their audiences using various filters like browser, intent-based data, device information, and geography.

Campaigns can be optimized through various tools. Some of these include frequency capping, IP information, and contextual keywords. A company can find its customers with look-alike and search-alike models.

With this DSP, it is possible to optimize campaigns by importing CRM data. Thanks to its many features, Simpli.fi is one of the best demand-side platforms available.

Xandr Invest

Xandr Invest was created in 2018 by AT&T. This platform focuses mainly on programmatic TV and inventory, including OTT and CTV. It boasts strong possibilities with desktop and mobile video ads.

This is one of the demand-side platforms that has it all: strong analytics capabilities, unique inventory, and precise targeting. With Xandr Invest, it is possible to reach 85% of Smart TV households.

It provides high-quality traffic and works with the most reputable publishing companies. They use their own database for audience segmentation.

Xander Invest is one of the top demand-side platforms in the market because it guides advertisers in every step of the marketing process.

Basis

Basis is an omnichannel DSP that provides a fast and reliable advertising solution. It provides an ideal platform to buy ad space across multiple channels and formats. It has its own marketplace of exclusive inventory, offering over 2,000 deals.

Everyone in the digital marketing business knows that safety is key. Basis’s managers are aware of this and, hence, partnered with the best safety providers in the industry. Fraudulent activity is constantly monitored and instantly blocked.

Basis is a user-friendly marketing platform with top security features. Its creators have made connections with the most reputable publishers over the past 15 years. Thus, Basis provides a top-quality demand-side platform.

MediaMath

MediaMath has partnered with thousands of developers and agencies. Thus, they can offer superb online advertising services and an outstanding marketing platform. It is owned mostly by employees and was created in 2007.

Online advertising has many pros and cons. One major disadvantage is that marketers cannot know in advance where the ad will be shown. Nor what ad will be displayed next to it.

MediaMath offers a solution to this problem. It guarantees brand safety by publishing ads only in a reputable environment. If one of the ads should be displayed next to offensive content, MediaMath offers marketers a refund.

A team of experts is available to provide support for marketers. Also, MediaMath offers a transparent platform with many customization options.

Fiksu

Fiksu provides access to high-quality audiences. It stands out among other demand-side platforms thanks to its connection options. This DSP connects publishers, brands, app advertisers, and audiences. Hence, it can provide a comprehensive marketing solution.

Agencies can find in Fiksu a large inventory, extensive database, and powerful optimization tools. All these combined create a unique advertising experience.

Many of the largest brands use Fiksu to promote their services. Some of these include Coca-Cola, eBay, and Disney.

Fiksu’s MDP uses big data to track audiences, optimize results, and integrate different platforms. Thus, advertisers can segment and refresh the audiences, reaching more new customers.

Finally, this DSP offers FreeMyApps, a platform where users can use gift cards to explore new apps.

Adform

Adform is an advanced digital advertising platform created in 2002. Built in Denmark, Adform now offers marketing solutions for agencies and brands.

This option helps marketers earn the best profit from their campaigns. The marketing process is easy to manage, thanks to its many perks. Automatic optimization and quick campaign approval are some of its most attractive tools.

With Adform, agencies can get top-quality traffic from various environments. It finds potential customers through tablets, desktops, and mobile devices.

The automatic optimization and bidding adjustments help agencies reach more people across different channels. Yet heavy traffic is not enough to make a brand successful. The secret is maintaining it. Adform ensures a stable traffic flow thanks to its reputable tech partners and vendors and RTB connection.

Amazon (AAP)

Being one of the digital era’s giants, Amazon could not be left out of the digital marketing race. Amazon Advertising Platform (AAP) is a powerful DSP tool. Thanks to this software, marketers can track the shopping behavior of Amazon’s users across many markets.

It is possible to track customer’s behavior in real-time. This helps create precise campaigns for the right customer and generates quality leads.

Known as the “dark horse” of the ad technology, Amazon has kept many AAP details confidential.

We do know that advertisers can use different formats like display, mobile, and audio ads. They can display their ads not only on Amazon but also on other platforms.

AdRoll

AdRoll helps to optimize marketing campaigns by reaching the right people at the right time. It uses over 37,000 brands and unifies different data and channels.

The app allows retargeting audiences through important platforms like Facebook or Twitter. Thus, they can understand a user’s behavior. They analyze a person’s activity like completed actions, viewed products, liked posts, etc.

In order to optimize marketing efforts, it is necessary to understand the sales funnel, e.g., the path a person takes before placing an order. AdRoll includes many tools for this purpose. Advertisers can use A/B testing, communication management, reporting features, and graphics.

The trade desk

With the trade desk, advertisers can launch campaigns on many devices. These include cord-cutting CTV.

This is a self-serve platform with more than 200 partners. Among those partners, we can find some of the most visited platforms: Disney, Hulu, Fox, Spotify, and ESPN.

The trade desk works for both experts and newbies, offering the main features of good demand-side platform companies. Advertisers can access RTB, multiple channels, data management, and powerful analytics features.

This option stands out from other DSPs thanks to its variety of options. It offers RTB, PMP, and direct ad purchasing. It includes excellent customer support to help advertisers make the best of their campaigns.

LiveRamp

LiveRamp has an identity resolution service that ties information to real customers. Thus, advertisers can run people-based campaigns on different platforms. Owned by Acxion, this DSP offers a comprehensive solution for omnichannel advertising.

LiveRamp works in many markets, offering superb advertising services. It allows customers to connect with services, products, and brands in a safe environment. It is one of the leaders in data and privacy protection.

Choozle

With Choozle, agencies can promote their services through powerful ads. It allows diverse formats such as display, mobile, and video. Thanks to its detailed database, this DSP brings maximum campaign optimization.

Choozle uses the consumer’s data to empower campaigns and helps get the best ROI possible. It is a powerful targeting tool that analyzes various parameters. This includes location, interests, behavior, and social information. Thanks to this, advertisers can optimize their ads and manage conversions effectively.

Choozle is the perfect option for beginners as it offers training resources. New players in the advertising industry can learn in the field with Choozle’s many tools.

Ending thoughts on the best demand side platform companies

Demand side platform companies are a key element of a successful business. Today’s audience has access to a variety of information. Hence, brands and businesses wanting to succeed need to optimize their marketing efforts.

DSPs offer a great solution for campaign optimization. These platforms use smart data management, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to provide the best service. Through a demand side platform, agencies can manage campaigns, optimize budgets, segment and target audiences, and analyze results. This can be done in various markets, ad formats, channels, and devices.

This article lists different DSP options. They are all excellent solutions for today’s marketing needs. Since each platform has its pros and cons, advertisers should research and choose the best option.

They must consider their objectives, type of products, audience location, available budget, and time frames. Every successful ad campaign needs careful planning and thorough analytics.

Demand side platforms offer real-time bidding, which allows brands to access the right marketing space. By placing the right ad at the right time, companies can improve their conversion rate. This is, undoubtedly, the future of digital marketing.

If you enjoyed reading this article about demand side platform companies, you should check out this one about cross-device attribution.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like what are third-party cookies, behavioral targeting, what is AdTech, MVP tests, personalization algorithms, how to hire a web development team, software development budget, financial projections for startups, financial software development companies, proof of concept vs prototype and what is MadTech.

The post Top Demand Side Platform Companies to Use For Programmatic Advertising appeared first on TMS.

The true value of a marketer is reflected in his/her capability to analyze results. Advertisers need to understand the different channels that bring traffic to a site. Thus, they can optimize the budget and get a better outcome.

21st-century marketers have endless tools available. This is an advantage but can also be a disadvantage. While they have access to many resources, it becomes harder to understand which marketing channels are bringing real value to a business.

The fact that people are using multiple devices for their daily online activities, makes this endeavor even more difficult.

Cross-device attribution has become a vital resource to assess a campaign’s performance. The same user can find an ad on one device, then take the following steps using their tablet, and finally finish the purchase on a laptop.

This article presents the benefits of tracking a person’s activity through different devices.

Definition of cross-device attribution

Today’s market presents opportunities like never before, but it also brings a high degree of complexity. This is why it is necessary to track cross-device activity.

Cross-device attribution studies a person’s behavior across different mobile devices. It helps to track a conversion path from the moment a person finds the ad till the moment when he/she places the order.

A customer may use multiple platforms to make a purchase or hire a service. These may include a desktop computer or a mobile device and different channels like social media and email.

By analyzing these conversion paths, businesses can understand their clients’ behavior and optimize their marketing efforts.

This cross-device process can take place through different devices:

• Personal computers
• Smartphones
• Smart TVs
• Tablets

Only two decades ago, marketers’ work was much simpler. Most people had access to only a desktop computer. Thus, if a site had 500 visitors, analyzers could conclude that these 500 people were unique visitors.

Now, there is easier access to tablets, phones, laptops, and other devices. Every potential customer has access to at least a couple of these gadgets. Hence, it is harder for marketers to understand how many unique visitors a site has. The use of multiple devices throughout a conversion path presents a challenge for marketing professionals.

Cross-device attribution reports allow an advertiser to track different devices and identify them with the same user. Thus, it is possible to create a user’s profile, understand his/her behavior and create targeted marketing campaigns.

The essence of cross-device attribution is to attribute one single conversion path to different devices.

The advantages of cross-device attribution

An advertiser needs to properly assess a campaign’s performance to optimize results and manage the budget.

Every business needs to invest a fair amount of money to have an online presence, attract traffic and boost their products. Hence it is important to decide exactly what funds to allocate and where. Advertisers can run a variety of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google ads. They can even choose their targeted audiences and stipulate minimum and maximum spending.

When running a campaign, advertisers have a wide range of options to make. By analyzing cross-device conversions, they can make the right choices and optimize the expense/profit ratio.

Cross-device attribution helps to overcome today’s challenges. This tool integrates the different paths a customer takes when visiting a site or placing an order.

Cross-device attribution options

Thanks to this tool, marketers can:

• Drive users to high-conversion platforms. Marketers can analyze a person’s profile and behavior across different devices. Then, they can lead them to those places where they’re most likely to buy.
• Measure true ROAS and LTV. This helps you understand your users’ lifetime value. Thus, you can estimate the profitability of your marketing budget.
• Create a continuing message. When you understand a conversion path through different mobile devices, you can create consistent messages. Send your customers different messages across devices and create relevant communication.
• Prevent duplication. Siloed ads lead to reputation damaging, overexposure, poor engagement, and waste of resources.
• Make efforts count. Cross-device attribution provides a holistic view of the marketing process. It helps a business achieve more conversions.

Generally, the user doesn’t make a transaction the first time he/she sees an ad. There is a whole journey between the first contact and the moment when the user makes the desired action (buy, subscribe, download, etc.)

To accompany the user in this journey, advertisers can use three different types of campaigns:

Upper-funnel campaign: This campaign mostly involves video ads.

Mid-funnel campaign: These are ads on websites and mobile devices which users can respond to.

Retargeting campaigns: These are created for the user to make a transaction.

Through these approaches, conversion may happen in any of the user’s multiple touchpoints. These can be Google search, ad response, or retargeting.

By using cross-device attribution reports, advertisers can analyze these touchpoints. Hence, they can understand exactly when the lead was converted and what tool throws better results.

Cross-device attribution brings advantages to customers as well. An online shop uses gathered data to create a targeted marketing campaign and increase sales. So, customers have access to promotions and ads featuring their interests.

Utilizing resources such as device fingerprinting and cookies can be useful in creating personalized campaigns. However, this strategy needs to be carefully designed. It is important to consider current privacy regulations like CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act). Advertisers should be ready to provide information if requested. They should include opt-in and opt-out options in every campaign.

This creates a reliable environment where providers, marketers, and customers can receive benefits.

Cross-device attribution: how does it work?

How does cross-device attribution work? How to follow a person’s journey across the web and through separate mobile devices?

The success of this approach relies on the tracking of a laptop, phone, tablet, or any other device to identify a user. Thus, experts can draft a person’s profile and predict their behavior.

There are two ways to identify a user through cross-device activity: Deterministic and probabilistic matching.

Deterministic matching

This approach is mostly used by large platforms like Twitter and Facebook. It is based on the comparison of different pre-defined variables: IP addresses, phone ID, email, and other device data.

A clear example of deterministic matching is the email address. A person doesn’t use a Gmail account only for sending and receiving emails.

The web is plagued with plenty of free software and resources for a reason: registration. Many people use a Facebook or Google account to create a profile or log in to a platform. Thus, no matter what device they are using it is possible to track them.

Probabilistic matching

This approach is based on probability. There is a piece of code (usually JavaScript) that collects information from the device.

This information is compared with a database of profiles and analyzed according to different algorithms. Thus, the system creates a digital fingerprint for a device.

Probabilistic matching tracks the following parameters:

• Language settings
• IP addresses
• Location
• Device ID
• Interests
• Web history
• Browser settings
• Operating system

This option avoids legal privacy issues because it tracks the device’s information. This is anonymous data. Probabilistic matching offers a fairly clear picture of the conversion point.

Hybrid options

In some cases, it is possible to use both methods in different parts of the process. You can use data from partners for a deterministic approach albeit matching is only probable. You can also use a deterministic approach to complement your probabilistic-based strategy. Thus you can achieve more accurate results.

The importance of cross-device attribution

The world is full of online and offline consumers connecting to brands in different ways. As technology develops, the market grows in complexity. In this context, probabilistic and deterministic matching are useful tools.

Cross-device attribution is an excellent solution for 21st-century advertisers. This will never be a perfect tool yet it can be improved.

Marketing campaigns based on data collection can be very effective but it is important to consider the updates in privacy laws. These will stipulate what information can be collected with or without consent, and what information cannot be collected at all.

But where to store all this data? How to sort it? The increasing need for cross-device attribution reports is creating a demand: the data-management platforms.

Thanks to these, marketers can organize and activate information from different channels and devices. They can understand their audience and create more effective advertising campaigns. All in all, this is a great tool for leading users across different devices until conversion.

If you enjoyed reading this article about cross-device attribution, you should check out this one about what is AdTech.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like behavioral targeting, MVP tests, personalization algorithms, how to hire a web development team, software development budget, financial projections for startups, financial software development companies, proof of concept vs prototype, and what is MadTech.

The post Why cross-device attribution is important and you should use it appeared first on TMS.

Search engines such as Google have changed the world of information. Many people have access to a smartphone with limitless information within easy reach.

Almost anyone can run a Facebook or Google ad campaign. This generates a highly competitive environment.

In this context, it is hard to stand out among competing companies. This is an ever-growing challenge for advertisers and marketing experts.

Today’s advertising companies have to find new ways to reach their targeted niche. Luckily, they were able to find an interesting solution: individual ad targeting.

This has been the standard method for digital advertising since the mid-2000s. It works based on web cookies.

Yet, as years pass, the use of cookies is being limited. Users can delete cookies or install an ad blocker on their web browsers.

Also, there are new privacy laws such as GDPR and CRPA. Marketing professionals can no longer rely on cookies like they used to.

So, advertising companies needed a new way to track customers’ behavior across the web. Hence the creation of device fingerprinting.

What is device fingerprinting?

Device fingerprinting works in the same way as with people. A person’s fingerprints are unique and can identify their identity.

It is possible to do the same with devices.

Device fingerprinting allows the collection and storage of a person’s information through their devices. It is also known as canvas, browser, and machine fingerprinting.

There is a key difference between the use of cookies and mobile device fingerprinting. While the former stores the data on the user’s side, the latter stores it on a server’s database.

The device fingerprint is created by analyzing different characteristics of a mobile device. These include IP address, browser version, language settings, operating system.

The unique combination of these factors establishes a unique device ID. With this ID, any entity can create a profile of the mobile device and the owner and track it across the web.

Cookies are usually stored in the user’s browser and users can delete them at any time.

However, device fingerprints can remain stored by the server. They are also used to track a person’s behavior.

Device fingerprinting relies on the probability that a mobile device with certain characteristics is the same one that appears on other occasions with the same characteristics.

The information advertisers use to create a device fingerprint

The process of mobile device fingerprinting relies on data collection. This can be:

• language settings
• hardware
• screen resolution
• installed plugins
• color depth
• operating system
• time zone
• browser versions
• browser extensions

They also track whether the device has the “do not track” function enabled. Although nobody respects this.

The following data is often used for browser fingerprinting:

• Timestamp
• IP address
• List of mime-types
• HTTP request headers
• Silverlight data
• User-agent string
• Plugins
• Installed fonts
• Time zone
• Flash data provided by a Flash plugin
• Operating system
• Device language settings
• Screen resolution

The uses of device fingerprinting

Mobile device fingerprinting was firstly used to prevent piracy and deceit.

Anti-fraud companies use this resource to prevent credit card fraud. They also identify devices that have involvement in fraudulent transactions.

Now, device fingerprinting is for online tracking. It is possible to identify a person by tracking their activity on multiple devices.

For this reason, it has become a valuable tool for advertising companies. They can use this information to target potential customers.

By using web cookies and device fingerprints, marketers can design more effective ads. Thus they can reach those people who are most likely to buy their products or services.

The following are some examples of how to use mobile device fingerprinting.

Tracking and analytics

Device fingerprinting has one very common use. This is to analyze results and track an ad campaign’s performance.

It is also an excellent tool to track users and understand a website’s audience. For example, to track new and returning visitors.

Fraud prevention

Device fingerprints help to prevent and identify bank or credit card fraud. Device IDs are unique, so it is possible to identify a device involved in a deceitful transaction.

A transaction made from the same device can be tracked even if they use a fake IP address, a proxy, or a different credit card.

Identify e-commerce fraud

Device fingerprinting is useful for e-commerce owners. Thanks to this tool they can identify an order placed by a swindler and cancel it if necessary.

Device fingerprinting use in AdTech

People use the internet for all sorts of things. For shopping, research, entertainment, and other online services.

For this purpose, they use different devices. This creates a challenge for brands that need to connect with potential customers.

Higher privacy protection supported by new regulations makes tracking a more challenging endeavor.

From the 2000s and on, data collection for advertising purposes occurred through cookies. But these have limitations.

Cookies can be blocked or deleted. But a device fingerprint is much harder to remove.

Thus, advertising companies prefer to use device fingerprinting.

Moreover, this technique is more effective than cookies. It provides an accurate profile for online users.

Advantages of device fingerprinting over cookies

Disadvantages of cookies for tracking purposes:

• Cookies make ads more recognizable. It’s possible to block ads with blocker software.
• Cookies can be easily removed by users.
• Cookies don’t provide a reliable way to track actions through mobile devices.

Why use device fingerprinting? – 4 reasons

1. Device IDs form the basis of tracking ads. However, this method does not track the overall performance of a marketing strategy.
2. Many advertising companies cannot support the integration of advertising identifiers. Hence, it is difficult to track the success rate of an ad.

They cannot determine who the user is and if they placed an order from the ad.

3. People are online most of the time performing different activities through multiple devices. Thus, it is difficult for brands to connect with current and prospective customers.
4. Due to increasing privacy regulations, people are deleting cookies and installing ad blockers. This makes cookies less effective and can negatively affect a business’s ROI.

If cookies don’t provide the desired results, an advertising company can use device fingerprinting.

This technology tracks the unique device ID and identifies the customer. This makes advertising much more effective.

Device fingerprinting: How does it work?

The information to create a browser fingerprint is collected online. When a user logs in to a site, a special tracker collects all the device’s information.

When someone enters a website, there are a variety of elements such as HTTP headers or Javascript. These can track the device’s characteristics (operating system, font system, etc.).

This helps to show results according to the device’s screen resolution, language settings, and location.

Javascript scans these attributes. It uses them to adjust the page format, to decide which languages to show and which products to display.

If accessed through a mobile app, the site will show its version for smartphones. If accessed from LA, the site will show the products that are closest to your location.

Browsers act like “user agents”. This means they act on behalf of the user, i.e., the person who is visiting the site.

The browser “reads” the characteristics of the device and uploads the corresponding site. Web developers use this data to provide visitors with a better user experience.

Every browser has a unique agent user string. This helps the server understand which browser is trying to upload content.

This is the basic principle of device fingerprinting. After this, the process is like a game.

The more information a browser gathers on a device, the better the advertisers can create a person’s profile. Then it becomes easier for them to target people with the correct product.

Running a device fingerprint system requires large storage space. This is because it stores the information server-side.

Unlike cookies, device fingerprints are not distributed back to the browser.

This technology offers companies an incredible advantage. It is almost impossible to prevent device fingerprinting.

Many websites use a form of device fingerprinting without the owner even knowing it. If it has Google Analytics installed, the tracking system analyzes where visitors are coming from.

This tool helps to understand which devices visitors use, their location, and more. This is valuable data that a website owner can analyze and use for their business strategy.

Ending thoughts on device fingerprinting

As time goes by, technology evolves. The digital advertising industry is becoming more challenging and complex.

Advertisers and marketers are dealing with a market formed of different generations. People who grew up with a black-and-white TV and children who were born with a tablet in their hands.

The new technologies and gadgets are challenging every person on earth. Especially those who profit through online services.

Users are becoming more unpredictable and tracking more complicated. Advertisers find a solution to these challenges thanks to device fingerprinting.

They can fill the gaps in their marketing strategies. As a result, they boost their business and increase revenue.

This system works by gathering the device’s data instead of the user’s. This means that privacy laws are not violated.

The GDPR lists some information gathered by device fingerprinting as personal data. It is advisable to consider this when implementing such a strategy.

If a marketer wants to target a person, and not a device, then using cookies is the only solution. But this strategy has limitations and it may generate privacy issues.

If the online advertising industry can follow Google’s lead in creating a more transparent cookie system, then this might be the best approach. It would offer a good solution both for companies and internet users.

In conclusion, device fingerprinting is a great alternative for advertising strategies. It allows for the collection of a device’s data.

It also offers the advantage of storing this information on a server’s database. When using this strategy, it is important to consider the legislation that protects users’ privacy.

If you enjoyed reading this article about device fingerprinting, you should check out this one about what is AdTech.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like behavioral targeting, MVP tests, personalization algorithms, how to hire a web development team, software development budget, financial projections for startups, financial software development companies, proof of concept vs prototype, and MadTech.

The post Here’s Why Device Fingerprinting Is Useful in AdTech appeared first on TMS.

Cookies have been in use since the late ’90s. Yet many people do not understand the different types of cookies and what they are used for.

Understanding third-party cookies is a vital step in protecting online privacy. Advertisers and publishers also need to know the future of, and alternatives to, third-party cookies.

With the passing of new legislation, the phasing out of third-party cookies has begun. By 2022, all major internet browsers will block all third-party cookies.

This will have a huge impact on advertisers and publishers.

What will happen to digital advertising? How will this affect businesses, advertisers, publishers, and users?

Read on to find the answers to those questions. But first, what are third-party cookies?

What Are Third-Party Cookies?

There are two different types of cookies on the internet. There are first-party cookies and third-party cookies.

Both of these cookies observe user behavior. But there are some major differences between who uses them and what they are used for.

First Party Cookies

Image source: madmartech

First-party cookies are placed on the website by the owner. They collect user data and use it to remember website configuration.

They track and remember things like:

• language preferences
• login details
• products added to a shopping cart
• user preferences
• user settings

First-party cookies enable the owner of a website to provide a good user experience.

For example, a customer browses an online store and places a product in the cart, then they exit the site. When they return to the site, they see that the product is still in the cart.

They are experiencing the benefits of a first-party cookie.

Third-Party Cookies

Image source: madmartech

Third-party cookies are also called tracking cookies or targeting cookies. They’re placed on a website by someone other than the website owner.

They are set up by a third party, thus the name.

Third-party cookies track the same information as first-party cookies, sometimes more. All the tracked information goes to the third party.

But third-party cookies are not there to provide a good user experience. They are mostly used for advertising purposes.

Information that third-party cookies collect includes:

• age
• gender
• user-behavior

Third-party cookie data identifies users online and reveals their likes and dislikes. It provides powerful information useful in enhancing online marketing.

Online advertising is the most common use of third-party cookies. It uses the data to create user profiles and then present personalized ads.

Third-parties can add cookies to a webpage through tags. These tags are sometimes connected to an advertisement but not always.

Differences Between a Third-Party Cookie and a First-Party Cookie

First-Party Cookie

Who sets it?

It is set by the owner of the website. It is supported by all browsers.

What do they track?

They only track the user on the domain that created the cookie.

What is their purpose?

Their purpose is to give users smoother site access. They remember login information, site preferences, etc.

Can you disable first-party cookies?

Users can block and delete them but it may result in a bad user experience.

Third-Party Cookie

Who sets it?

A third-party cookie is set by a third-party server. It is set by code loaded onto a publisher’s site.

They can be from ad servers, social media sites, live popup chats, and more.

What do they track?

They track users across many domains.

What is their purpose?

They enable adware to retarget potential customers with personalized ads as they move from site to site.

Can you disable third-party cookies?

Many browsers are now blocking third-party cookies by default. Users can also delete and block them on a regular basis from the browser settings.

From any browser window, go to settings and click on the privacy or security option. Users can also use private or incognito mode to block cookies during a browsing session.

What Are Third-Party Cookies Used For?

Advertisers use third-party cookies to learn about user’s browsing and online behavior.

They collect data about which websites users visit often. They record what purchases they have made and what products they have shown an interest in.

For example, users go to a website. They show interest in a product by clicking on it and reading the specifications.

They exit the site and go to another site that has nothing to do with the product. The current website shows advertisements for the product they showed interest in.

This is the result of a third-party cookie.

Examples of Third-Party Cookie Use

The most common third-party entities are social media sites, advertisers, and marketers.

Here are some examples of how third-party cookies work:

• A customer goes to bestbuy.com and looks at a product. A third-party cookie tracks, collects, and analyzes their activity on that website.

They leave bestbuy.com and go to a completely different website. On the second website, they see advertisements for the product or similar products to the one on BestBuy.

This means that both BestBuy and the second website load a piece of code from an ad server. The code from the ad server is from a different domain making the cookies third-party cookies.

• An advertising service (for example, Google Ads) creates a third-party cookie. This allows them to monitor which sites a user visits.

Then it shows advertisements based on the collected data.

• You visit a website that has a Facebook “Like” button. Although you don’t click it, it contains a third-party cookie that stores information.

That information helps identify different users and tracks which websites they go to. Then if they go to Facebook, the user will see personalized advertisements.

How Are Third-Party Cookies Created?

Third-party cookies are created when a request is sent from the web page to the third party’s server. The requested file may be an actual advertisement or it can be a file with a tracking pixel.

A tracking pixel is invisible to the user but collects data even when there are no click events.

One basic way a third-party cookie is created is when a website requests a third-party service. One example is an integrated live chat pop-up.

For live chat to work, websites request a script from a service provider. The script loads the live chat file.

The user’s web browser receives the file with the live chat and some third-party cookies. Before the user notices, third-party cookies are collecting information about them.

Any request from a third-party domain can put cookies in web browsers. It can be from a script, image, fonts, CSS files, etc.

As the web page loads to retrieve the data, it assigns a cookie to the user at the same time.

Examples of Third-Party Services That Leave Cookies

Several third-party services leave cookies in web browsers. Here are a few examples of the main services that do so:

Ad Retargeting Services

Ad retargeting means following previous visitors to websites around the web. They show advertisements for products that the visitor has shown interest in, or has interacted with previously.

Retargeting efforts work across social media platforms, email, and more.

Website owners place an invisible tracking pixel on their site. When their site loads, it sends a request to the ad-retargeting server.

The ad-retargeting server then assigns a cookie to the user. Then it can track the user and retarget them on other websites.

Social Buttons

Social media buttons allow users to log in, share, or like social media content. These buttons place cookies on the user’s device.

The social media platforms then track the user. They also collect information about their online behavior.

When users open a social media platform, they see ads based on the data collected.

Live Chat Pop Ups

As discussed above, live chat pop-ups also leave cookies in a user’s browser. These cookies help streamline the user experience.

For example, when a user visits the same chat box it identifies the user. It also remembers the conversation history.

Are There Benefits to Third Party Cookies?

Third-party cookies mostly benefit advertisers. They allow advertisers to understand users better and know what interests them.

Then they can display individualized ads. Some users prefer this.

Since they have to look at ads anyway, they prefer them to be relevant to their individual needs.

Users benefit more from first-party cookies. The first-party data collected from cookies is responsible for user comfort.

They provide a better user experience and allow users to get results faster.

The benefits of third-party cookies for advertisers, publishers, and users are as follows:

Benefits For Advertisers:

• Internet users see relevant ads which motivate them to click on them. This generates more advertising revenue.
• Enables a wide range of online advertising methods.
• More efficient, easier, and collects more data than first-party cookies.

Benefits For Advertisement Publishers:

• Easy to implement because the work third-party server does the work.
• Visitors see relevant ads which encourage them to click on them. This increases the revenue publishers get from ads.
• More efficient than first-party cookies.
• Third-party advertisements are not hosted on the publisher’s web server.

Benefits For Users:

• Personalized advertisements only show products users have an interest in. This makes the internet seem individualized.
• Website operators must be transparent about how they use third-party data.
• Many web browsers allow users to block third-party cookies.

The End of Third Party Cookies

As noted, the phasing out of third-party cookies has already begun. There are various reasons for this.

One reason is that advertisers and publishers have to combat ad blockers. These and other methods disable cookies from tracking and collecting user data.

Another reason is the increase in mobile website browsing.

It is more difficult to track users across several devices. Which means that advertisers are receiving an incomplete picture of users.

A third, very compelling reason, is the growing awareness of privacy issues associated with third-party data. Many new regulations are seeking to protect the personal data of website users.

Examples of new privacy regulations include:

• The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
• The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union

These regulations change how advertisers and marketers manage, trade, and use consumer data. There are civil and criminal penalties if websites do not offer transparency.

They must notify users of the presence of cookies, the data they collect, and who they share the data with. Users must also have a way to opt out of cookie data collection.

The upcoming ePrivacy Regulation will likely put more restrictions on the use of third-party cookies. Thus, it is difficult for advertisers to use them in their current form.

Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple’s Safari now block third-party cookies by default. Google announced that Chrome will block cookies by default in 2022.

This may be because 90% of their revenue comes from advertising. Without the information from third-party cookies, their advertising revenue could be negatively affected.

Until then, Google are taking steps to reduce the invasive aspects of third-party cookies to consumer privacy.

Is Online Advertising Doomed?

For users surfing the web, the end of third-party cookies might bring an end to personalized ads.

But for advertisers and publishers, the effect will be much greater. There will be much volatility in the digital advertising industry.

Publishers will take a big hit.

Advertisers will not be able to target consumers with as much accuracy. Thus, the price per view will decrease and with it the revenue of publishers.

Many wonder if online advertising is doomed. The answer is no.

Money always wins and advertisers will find other ways to continue their work. There are already several alternatives to third-party cookie data collection.

Even now, new methods are being tested.

Digital advertising will experience big changes. Bit publishers and advertisers will adapt and solutions will emerge.

Publishers could create their own ad solutions based on information received from customers.

Advertisers and publishers may need to work more closely together. This will allow them to produce targeted ad campaigns.

Other solutions include the following:

Relying More on First-Party Data

With third-party cookies gone, the data from first-party cookies will become more valuable. First-party data collects information such as email addresses and previous purchases.

Brands will need to find ways to collect data straight from users. That information will enrich the data collected on them and boost marketing campaigns.

They will also need to share the data across the brand. This will ensure that all channels receive accurate information.

Some ways to collect first-person data include:

• Email login before sharing free content
• Direct contact through email or text messaging
• Guided selling experiences that ask for customer input
• Post-purchase and customer surveys

Shift to Contextual Advertising and Content Marketing

Contextual Advertising displays ads on websites based on the content of the website. It allows advertisers to show Pay-Per-Click ads on websites that rank for similar keywords as theirs.

For example, if an ad is for car equipment, it will appear on websites with car equipment content.

People-Based Targeting

People-based targeting views online user behavior across devices. It channels but does not store any information that could lead to identifying the user.

Before, people-based targeting was best used within specific websites like Facebook. Here people are happy to provide personal information.

Nowadays, marketers can use a people-based targeting method to understand person insights better.

One suggestion is to pair this method with automation. Thus it’s possible to deliver personalized, relevant, and tailored ads to users.

Effects of the Elimination and What Actions to Take

The elimination of third-party cookies will impact the digital advertising industry. It will also change the way the internet is used as a whole.

It will affect users, publishers, and advertisers.

Users might not receive as many targeted advertisements as before. However, that might be an agreeable compromise to keep personal information private.

Publishers might take a hit in revenue. This is because advertisers will pay less for less targeted ad campaigns.

Advertisers who have thrived on personal information for targeted ad campaigns will have to adapt. Advertisers may also worry about how to navigate the upcoming changes.

The loss of third-party cookies will bring challenges. But it will not end digital advertising as a whole.

There are several alternative advertising methods that marketers can fall back on.

For instance, they could combine tools such as first-party cookies with contextual advertising and people-based targeting. This will help marketers to forge ahead while respecting privacy rights.

The best thing for marketers to do is implement these advertising strategies now. Then when more changes come, they can adapt with ease instead of falling behind.

They should also stay up-to-date with any new developments regarding third-party cookies. Any new policies will then not negatively affect their business.

Ending thoughts on what are third-party cookies

In conclusion, what are third-party cookies? They are a tool used by advertisers.

They collect user information from website visitors for online advertising purposes. They enable cross-site tracking to determine a user’s behavior.

New legislation seeks to protect consumer’s personal information. As a result, third-party cookies are being phased out.

No doubt, time will show that advertisers will find new ways to advertise.

Users will be happy that their personal information is protected. Publishers will also fare well as they are the link between advertisers and clients.

The future holds changes regarding the use of the internet and personal information. As these changes come, let’s strive to benefit users, publishers, and advertisers.

If you enjoyed reading this article about what are third-party cookies, you should check out this one about what is AdTech.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like MVP tests, personalization algorithms, how to hire a web development team, software development budget, financial projections for startups, financial software development companies, proof of concept vs prototype, and behavioral targeting.

The post What Are Third-Party Cookies and How They Work in Advertising appeared first on TMS.

Digital advertising is a large business as many want to take advantage of a global audience. As digital advertising grows, so does the need to make sure that the adverts are effective.

No one wants to waste money on bad advertising.

However, the more opportunities for digital advertising, the more opportunities there are for fraud. Thus, the need for ad verification arose.

Both marketers and publishers want ad campaigns that are effective, reach the target audience, and do not send the wrong message. This is where ad verification comes in.

But what is it and why should you care about it?

What is Ad Verification?

Digital advertising campaigns used to be quite simple. Websites were cleaner and there were fewer advertisement formats.

In general, when a business placed an ad online, it was almost certain to get views.

Nowadays, there are several thousand websites and different ad formats. Not to mention the many hackers that create havoc for advertisers and campaigns.

This means that even when advertisers spend money on a digital ad, viewers don’t always see it. To overcome these challenges, businesses turned to ad verification technology.

This checks their advertisements for any discrepancies that hinder optimal delivery. The ad verification process checks the quality and visibility of ad impressions in real-time.

It makes sure that an advertisement appears on the right website, at the right time, and at the right spot. It ensures that the advert is seen by real people in the correct context and by the target audience.

Why are Ad Verification Solutions Important?

Ad verification solutions are very important to protect marketers and their ad spend. But it is also important because it protects advertisement publishers.

Ad verification protects in eleven main ways:

• It protects the brand image of a business
• It boosts ad campaign performance
• It makes sure that their advertising dollars are well spent
• It makes sure the brand is safe from unwanted content associations
• It ensures a quality impression
• It protects from potential consumer privacy conflicts
• It protects ads from websites with bad UIs
• It prevents fraudsters from interfering with advertisements
• Ensures that a digital ad matches the specified terms for an ad campaign
• Surveys ad exchanges and ad networks to uncover ad buys that do not meet the standards of the advertiser
• Provides advertisement reporting

As digital advertising gains traction, so does advertisement fraud. Some set up fake websites and simulate a large amount of traffic so advertisers pay to display ads there.

Or hackers redirect users to a different location after clicking on an advertisement. This reduces the amount of income the business gets.

Other problems include ad placements being near offensive content. This affects the brand image.

Or the placement of the ad is such that it is not being viewed or it does not capture consumer attention. It’s clear that many problems can arise when it comes to online advertising.

The digital advertising industry wants to optimize its ad spending. So their focus is on creating new ad quality standards.

They are also determined to make digital advertising transparent and accountable.

Verification companies help marketers make smart decisions with their ad spend. They help advertisers navigate privacy legislation laws.

They also build confidence in the digital ecosystem. Ad verification could change how marketers buy media and how advertisements are valued.

How Does Ad Verification Work?

Ad verification works by deploying verification tags or beacons inside the ad markup.

The verification tag analyzes the content of the publisher’s page, the location of the ad, and how many viewers see it. Then, it sends a report to the advertiser or agency so they can analyze the data.

The point of ad verification is to have an impartial third party verify the delivery of the ads. In general, the advertiser will have a separate login than the verification vendor.

Or sometimes it is more seamlessly integrated with a demand-side platform.

Ad verification cannot prevent advertisements from showing up in undesirable places. But it can fend off hackers, frauds, and publishers with little visibility.

It’s possible to block tracked ads from showing up on certain pages. This happens if a page does not have the right context according to the parameters laid out for an ad campaign.

Those parameters include the geographical location and the surrounding content. Ad verification helps the ad campaign in its early stages by blacklisting pages and publishers known for low visibility or fraud.

Ad verification companies provide regular reports of the data collected from tracked advertisements.

These reports highlight the blocked pages and ad calls. This allows publishers to troubleshoot or adjust ad placement.

Who Benefits from Ad Verification?

Verifying ads protects marketers. It helps them use advertisers’ money in the best way possible.

But it also benefits publishers in various ways.

How Advertisers Benefit:

• It protects their marketing budget
• It ensures that campaigns are as effective as possible at capturing consumer attention
• It ensures that ads are being displayed according to an agreed-upon contract
• It encourages publishers to be honest and transparent about their website traffic

How Publishers Benefit:

• It gives them better control of the advertisements they run on their website
• It helps minimize the risk of running fraudulent ads on their site
• It protects their users from any unnerving and harmful experiences. Thus, it fortifies the relationship between website owner and viewer
• It provides an automated ad quality enforcer

Because of its security measures, ad verification protects advertisers, publishers, and internet users.

What Ad Verification Offers to Ad Impressions

Brand Safety and Brand Suitability

It is important to understand the difference between brand safety and brand suitability. How does it affect you?

Brand safety is a strategy to prevent negative brand perception. It is a proactive strategy.

It seeks to avoid harmful influences and associations from neighboring undesirable content.

Brand suitability takes a different approach. The brand suitability strategy focuses on understanding the context of ad placements.

It involves understanding where ads will appear, how viewers will interact with them, and how they engage the audience.

Ad verification companies have established categories. These categories help advertisers to define content that is undesirable for their brand.

This ensures that their ads are not displayed next to such content. Some of those categories include:

• Adult content
• Copyright infringement content
• Weapons
• Violence
• Hate
• Profanity

Fraudulent Activity

Fraudsters have taken full advantage of digital tools. Fraudulent advertisements and traffic have plagued the internet since its beginning.

All involved in marketing should eliminate malicious ad content as fast as possible. This is because it impacts revenue and trust.

Ad verification helps manage the risk of running fraudulent ads.

It protects publishers from running the ad and potentially hurting their viewers. It also protects advertisers from fraudsters diverting consumer attention to other places.

Fraudulent activity affects both direct and exchange campaigns.

Publishers are the last link between marketers and clients. So their load is greater in minimizing malicious ads.

Publishers are also responsible for third-party and direct campaigns. Some fraudulent activities include:

Hidden and invisible advertisements

Hidden advertisements are invisible on the website. But the ad impression is still reported.

Impression Laundering

This fraudulent activity conceals the real website that is displaying the ad.

Ad Hijacking

Also known as advertisement replacement. This means that malware hijacks the ad slot on a website.

It displays an ad and generates revenue for the attacker instead of the owner of the ad or the owner of the website.

Click Hijacking

This is similar to ad hijacking. An attacker hijacks a user’s clicks.

Popunders

This attack uses pop-unders. These are similar to pop-up windows except that they appear behind the main web browser instead of in front of it.

So the advertisement appears behind the main window.

Bot Traffic

Botnet traffic consists of compromised computers or a set of cloud servers and proxies. The bot traffic generates revenue by faking clicks and gaming attribution models.

Fake Users

Fraudsters can use desktops, laptops, and mobile apps to imitate human activity. They build large audiences of fake users.

Fake Installs

Fraudsters use install farms to imitate human activity. They use teams of real people to install and interact with apps.

Attribution Manipulation

Malicious pieces of code run programs or perform an action. They send clicks, installs, and in-app events that never actually happen.

They are sent to an attribution system and take false credit for user engagement.

Viewability

Viewability refers to whether the ad is in a viewable space of the browser according to pre-established criteria. This may include the percent of ad pixels or the length of time the advertisement is in viewable space.

Viewable space does not necessarily mean that the ad is above the fold. It means that the ad is in a spot where the target audience will view it.

For example, if the target audience is interested in the content at the bottom of the webpage, then place the advert there. The ad will have a better impact if it is near relevant content and if it is where the audience is spending more time.

There are several tactics that help place advertisements in the most impactful location. Using geo-targeting for mobile-based audiences is one.

Geo-Targeting

Geo-targeting is also known as Location Verification. It is a powerful way to personalize advertisements and achieve a higher level of views.

It can place ads at the point of sale where it influences customer behavior. It is an advanced marketing strategy that drives in-store conversions.

It involves identifying the location of the audience and placing ads in front of them that relate to that location.

Accepted methods of geo-targeting:

• Human review. This is based on serving locations and is primarily used for following-up
• Use of site registration and other data provided by the user that contains location information
• Third-party Geo Vendor IP datasets with appropriate exceptions and conflict resolution procedures
• This includes agents that execute complex page functions.

But it is difficult to use as a stand-alone method.

What a Verification Company Should Offer to Digital Advertising

No single service provider can provide complete protection. It is also unrealistic to expect all the parameters above to be measured for each campaign.

However, an ad verification service should help with ad campaign planning and quality. It should also assist with ad tracking, ad data, and other services.

Ad verification integrates with all aspects of digital marketing. So it should provide an all-round service that keeps advertisements running smoothly and efficiently.

A high-quality ad verification company should provide the following services:

Ad Quality Monitoring

Ad quality monitoring ensures that viewers have a pleasant, engaging, and safe experience. A high-quality service should monitor the many aspects of advertisement quality.

This includes creativity, privacy protection, data leakage, operational issues, and more.

Mobile Ad Management

Mobile devices are like a whole separate world from laptops and desktops. They are more vulnerable to issues due to their interface, apps, software, and more.

Issues include MRAID malware, auto-redirects, auto-downloads, phishing, pop-ups, VPAID errors, and more.

Quality services will prevent these issues from damaging advertisements. They will also make sure that users have a good experience.

Malware Protection

Quality verification services should identify and prevent malicious activities that compromise advertisements. Scanning the rotating ad tags can prevent malicious activity.

The Verified Opinion on Ad Verification

Advertisement performance and brand imaging are under attack by multiple factors. Some factors that affect the performance of an ad and a brand’s image include:

• Fraudulent activity
• Placement next to inappropriate content. This may cause viewers to associate the brand with that content or think the brand endorses it
• Placement in a space that is not viewable to the target consumers

Ad verification stands up to and helps conquer these challenges. It also provides many benefits.

They include:

• increases the performance of advertisements
• places ads in viewable spaces
• makes sure advertisements are surrounded by appropriate content
• ensures ads display according to an agreed-upon contract
• prevents fraudulent activity
• makes efficient use of marketing budgets
• encourages website traffic transparency

Ad verification is part of a movement to eliminate harmful and fraudulent ad activity. It helps to make better use of ad space.

It is important because it protects advertisers, publishers, and viewers.

If you enjoyed reading this article on ad verification, you should check out this one about what is AdTech.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like MVP tests, personalization algorithms, how to hire a web development team, software development budget, financial projections for startups, financial software development companies, proof of concept vs prototype, and behavioral targeting.

The post How Ad Verification Works and Why You Should Care appeared first on TMS.

This term describes the concurrence of online marketing and advertising technologies.

The term was first coined back in 2015 by marketer consultant David Raab. He shared a MadTech chart on Twitter, noting that it combined marketing and advertising technology.

For example, it brings together the personalized, individual reach of MarTech with the massive data pools of AdTech.

Marketing and advertising businesses used to exist in parallel yet separate worlds. Each offered unique tools and results.

But things started to change. Even a fully integrated MarTech stack can’t deliver a consistent customer experience.

Advertising still plays a major role in a customer’s brand experience. Moreover, advertising itself has become more personalized and interactive.

Consumers don’t make a distinction between marketing and advertising interactions. Neither should marketers.

The solution is MadTech. The convergence of digital advertising technology and marketing technology.

It helps companies deliver a unified, consistent, and personalized experience across all touchpoints.

In the following section, take a dive into what MadTech is, how it came to be, and whether it is here to stay.

Why Was MadTech Created?

Many companies struggle to integrate data and technology in their marketing departments. It is not the only challenge there is.

An even a bigger one is integrating MarTech with AdTech. It is, however, inevitable and it has a very appropriate name: MadTech.

AdTech is an umbrella term for advertising technology. It includes software and tools used by advertisers, ad agencies, publishers, and other industry players.

These help with the strategic planning and management of advertising or monetization activities. Its purpose is to research audiences and deliver targeted ads.

MarTech (marketing technology) is the term for the software and tech tools marketers leverage to plan, execute, and measure marketing campaigns.

MarTech tools automate and streamline marketing processes. They help to collect and analyze data and provide ways to reach and engage with the target audience.

No wonder, then, that these two terms often appear next to each other. MadTech is a transition from subsequent to concurrent communications. 

In the past, the communication line from the brand to the customer was a direct one.

The brand was often presented to the customer via television, radio, and print. It was also presented via outdoor advertisements and at the point-of-sale.

Now, digital media enables the simultaneous communication of story elements that form a single concept.

The driving force behind MadTech is the same as the one pushing for MarTech integration. Technology enables marketers to meet the customers’ expectations.

It does so by providing customer data, greater analytical processing capability, and expanding channels for customer interaction.

The Elements of MadTech

MadTech is a mash-up of MarTech and AdTech. It is easy to guess that it consists of elements of marketing, advertising, and technology.

Originally, AdTech took care of advertising and MarTech looked after marketing. Those two existed at the same time but at different stages of the sales funnel.

With time, however, the line separating them became more and more blurry.

AdTech helps advertisers to create, execute, manage, and measure all advertising activity. It does this across multiple channels, such as websites, social media, and apps.

It involves acquisitions, views, impressions, and other measurable data related to ads and ad campaigns.

MarTech aims to enable marketers to build, roll out, and manage marketing activity. This includes A/B testing, email marketing, social media management, personalization, user feedback, and web analytics.

Online marketing and advertising consists of a few specific technology platforms.

AdTech Stack

The following are technology platforms that make up the AdTech stack:

DSP (Demand-site platform)

A DSP is a system for advertisers to buy and manage ad inventories from multiple ad sources through a single interface.

It uses intelligent software to bid on inventories using an auction process. This makes the buying and selling of ads cheaper and more reliable.

SSP (Supply-side platform or sell-side platform)

SSP enables web publishers and digital media owners to manage their advertising inventory. They can fill it with ads and receive revenue.

The SSP allows publishers to sell their impressions to the right buyers at the maximum price.

Ad exchange platforms

These facilitate the buying and selling of media advertising inventory from ad networks. Prices for the inventory are determined through real-time bidding.

Ad network

At the most basic level, they pool inventory of unsold ads from publishers and sell it to advertisers. They earn money by taking a cut of ad revenue, sometimes marking up inventory before selling it

Ad server platforms

These manage and run online advertising campaigns. Ad servers are responsible for making instant decisions about what ads to show on a website.

They then serve them and collect and report relevant data (impressions, clicks, etc.).

SEM (Search Engine Marketing) platforms

These promote websites, improving their visibility in paid search engine results pages (SERPs).

MarTech Stack

The following are technology platforms that make up the MarTech stack:

Web-analytics tools

They analyze the data from a mobile app or a website to discover how visitors interact with a website. They measure the effectiveness of marketing activities and improve the user experience of a website or app.

CRM platforms

These store and manage interactions a business has with current and potential customers.

Social media management platforms

Users can build, schedule, and measure the performance of social media activities and posts.

SEO and content optimization tools

These help marketers to improve their ranking in search engine search results.

CDPs (Customer Data Platforms)

Keeps user data in one place. Companies can access that information to implement personalized marketing strategies across multiple channels.

Personalization software

This creates personal website experiences based on user preferences. It helps organizations to meet their customers’ needs more efficiently and increase customer satisfaction.

It is often used by product and development teams to maximize a website’s performance. Also to convert website visitors into buyers.

CMPs (Consent Management Platforms)

These present consent options to visitors of websites and mobile apps. They capture consent about the use of personal data and the authorized vendors.

They then relay that consent profile to relevant ad tech vendors in the ecosystem.

MadTech – Is It Here to Stay?

Image source: digitalkites.com

The idea of marketing has changed significantly in recent years. Buyers have smartened up and are not impressed by hyperbole in advertising.

Exaggerated claims no longer wield influence. This is due to the constant scrutiny of the social media crowd.

There has been a transition to a new marketing era. Here, complete transparency is the only road to success.

Wrapping untruths in fiction does not accomplish anything anymore. Marketers can only succeed if they present facts coated with emotions.

Another challenge for marketers is the demand to have real-time communication with brands and businesses. It is no longer enough to put up some billboards and show customers a few TV ads throughout the year.

Each technological platform involves collecting and processing massive amounts of data.

MadTech has begun to gain momentum as it responds to the needs of present-day marketers. It can integrate AdTech and MarTech into one seamless unit.

It means that businesses do not control the whole communication supply chain. Nor the processes involved in creating and dispensing communications to the customers.

Digital advertising allows for interaction and dialogue between marketers, customers, and the media. In a sense, the three become partners (or even co-creators) in the advertising experience.

So, to answer the question: yes, MadTech is a reality and it is here to stay.

Benefits of MadTech

Present-day marketers can reap multiple benefits from MadTech. Consider the following:

A Conglomeration of Both Worlds

Both MarTech and AdTech require the collecting and processing of huge amounts of data.

MadTech allows marketers to learn about and track market needs. It combines marketing and advertising into one unified category.

Increased Personalization at Scale

With MadTech, publishers can use customer information to create and roll out personalized ad campaigns. That encourages relationships and moves leads across touchpoints.

Improved Media Planning and Buying Insights

MadTech allows marketers and advertisers to better understand, assess, and measure their media buys, ad inventory, and outreaches.

With better metrics, comes effective ad campaigns. These will consequently lead to growth in acquisition and revenue.

The MadTech stack informs media buys. This enables marketers to make an emotional connection with customers.

It helps in customer identification and engagement at a more detailed level.

Simplifying Your Tech Stack

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of MarTech and AdTech options available.

It is also easy to amass unnecessary solutions. But this results in disjointed data, confusing processes, and misunderstood customers.

MadTech solves this problem by providing a unified and comprehensive platform. It fills publishers’ data collecting and targeting needs.

Making Use of ML and AI

Machine learning and artificial intelligence play a huge part in MadTech.

Take as an example Amazon’s ‘anticipatory shipping’. It uses machine learning to package items for certain areas even before a customer has placed an order.

Breaking Down Data Silos

AdTech and MarTech are both driven by data. MadTech helps in eliminating data silos.

With that singular platform comes a more centralized and connected organization. It makes valuable customer data accessible across departments and campaigns.

For instance, it can combine customer data (first-party data) from various MarTech platforms with advertising channels data (third-party data). It then creates audiences to perform people-based marketing.

Final thoughts on MadTech

Technology is shaking the advertising, marketing, and media worlds to their core. The lines between them have blurred and are disappearing.

Technology, advertising, and media converge and change the way customers “consume” content. The crisscrossing of advertising, media, and technology is echoing throughout the marketing world.

It changes the way marketers advertise. It affects how media platforms relate to customers and advertisers.

MadTech makes it possible for anyone with a budget to gain equal access to data and delivery. This is because they are available as external services.

The only difference between marketers will be the decision-making. Those who make smart decisions about what messages to deliver to which customers, when, and via which media, will succeed.

This will bring back to the fore all the essential marketing skills. Skills such as branding, creative development, positioning, and value.

MadTech is not an invention. It is an answer to the need that has evolved in recent years.

Reliance on data and the connection between marketing and advertising have prompted the emergence of MadTech. MadTech handles the evolution of modern-day marketing.

If you enjoyed reading this article on MadTech, you should check out this one about proof of concept vs prototype.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like MVP tests, how to hire a web development team, software development budget, financial software development companies, software development outsourcing trends, business pivot examples, lean software development principles and personalization algorithms.

The post What Is MadTech and How It Came to Be appeared first on TMS.

Before the advent of behavioral targeting, it was hard to predict the success of an advertising campaign. Companies would create ads and marketing messages that failed for no apparent reason. This was due to marketers failing to display relevant ads that appealed to the interests of potential customers.

The development of web tracking technology made it possible to track the web browsing behavior of individual users. This resulted in the birth of behavioral targeting.

Behavioral targeting led to the use of personalized ads. This was done by pairing user contact data with real-time info about the online behavioral data of individual users on websites and apps.

This article will define behavioral targeting, discuss its benefits, and explain how it works.

What Is Behavioral Targeting?

The behavioral targeting process utilizes third-party cookies and tracking pixels. It involves displaying relevant content based on a customer’s online footprint. This means that the type of marketing messages a customer sees depends on their internet activity.

Behavioral targeting makes online advertising a flexible process. For example, two visitors may be using a particular site, yet they both are shown completely different ads. This is because behavioral targeting operates based on an individual’s behavioral data. Such data may include:

• What users are doing in an app or website
• What users are not doing in an app or website
• How users interact with ad campaigns on various web pages, etc.

This is the kind of behavioral data that is at the heart of personalized marketing. This type of data hints at a user’s purchase intent and helps to drive engagement. Such data helps you to speak directly to prospects that are more likely to want your goods and services. 

Essentially, behavioral advertising depends on the user’s online behaviors, such as:

Most-Visited Web Pages

A users’ interests may be discerned by knowing what websites they return to the most.

Page Dwell Times

The time spent on a particular site is a good indication of how absorbed the user is with the site content.

Ad and Link Clicks

The ads and links users click are good indicators that they may be interested in similar topics or products. Such behavioral tracking enables advertisers to leverage targeted ads.

Web Search Queries

Collecting information about what users search for online can reveal much about their purchase intent. User search behavior-tracking gets your goods and services in front of potential customers.

Especially in the late stages of the marketing funnel. For example, If a user googles a solution to a problem and your product is a good fit, your marketing message will be displayed.

Website Interactions

It’s important to harvest data about which types of content on your platform fosters higher engagement.

Do your users interact more with videos vs the other data content of your site or app? Rich media, perhaps? Tracking user to platform interactions will tell you how to approach website personalization.

Purchase Histories

Tracking a user’s purchase history is a great way to generate leads. This is because knowing what a customer previously bought is a good way to identify their interests. This is particularly beneficial for E-commerce companies.

With behavioral targeting, marketers have access to a wealth of consumer data. This data is used to drive traffic via personalized ads and an improved user experience.

Behavioral targeting empowers publishers and advertisers to create new business in multiple ways. For example, a customer searches Amazon for mobile devices but does not make a purchase.

When this customer visits other websites, Amazon’s advertising network will show ads for mobile devices. This increases the likelihood of the customer taking the desired action.

What Are the Benefits of Behavioral Marketing?

Before behavioral targeting, digital advertisers relied solely on contextual targeting. This is where customers would see ads related to the keywords and topic of a site. For instance, a kitchen knife ad on a cooking website.

Contextual targeting is still useful. But, successful behavioral targeting is much more powerful. It boosts the user experience of a website or app, which adds to customer loyalty.

Behavioral targeting may be data-focused, but it’s better than the abstract number systems used in some industries. Focusing a campaign on targeting behavioral patterns, benefits the customer and the advertiser.

Here are a few of the benefits of behavioral advertising.

Customer Re-Engagement

Behavioral targeting helps companies to reconnect with visitors that have abandoned their site. This is called re-engagement.

Behavioral targeting maps the user’s previous on-site interactions with products and services. To reinstate the relationship, personalized content is marketed to the user on different sites.

Personalized Advertising

Behavioral marketing makes for tailored or personalized advertising. This means companies can advertise to users based on their online activity. This increases the customer experience and the sales of the company.

Caution must be exercised to prevent ads from looking like an invasion of privacy, as this could hurt sales. For example, an ad that mentions a user’s wedding plans may appear overly personalized. This could make a customer feel like someone is collecting information they shouldn’t have.

Higher Number of Ad Click-Throughs

Behavioral targeting gets consumers to click on your ads by making them relevant. Personalized/ relevant ads capture the viewer’s attention much more than generic ads do. This helps to move them along the purchasing pipeline.

Initiate Long-lasting Communications

Behavioral targeting enables the engagement of specific segments of your audience. For instance, you may create newsletters for visitors from a specific country.

To gain their trust, let them take a look inside the newsletter and invite them to subscribe to the service. This approach initiates long-lasting communication with more consumers from your target audience.

Building Trust Through Retargeting

This involves the targeted advertising of goods repeatedly across various websites. This is based on the Rule of Seven marketing principle.

This principle states that prospective customers need to see a product ad 6-8 times before they buy. Such repeated exposure builds familiarity, familiarity builds trust, and trust drives conversions.

Bait Indecisive Prospects

Some consumers may indecisively browse through your site’s product offerings. Behavioral targeting helps to hook them via discounts, incentives, and personalized product offerings.

Improved Profits

Behavioral targeting results in higher profits, sales, and repeat customers for companies. Personalized recommendations increase the chance of consumers requesting more information about products.

Improved Metrics for Advertisers

Behavioral targeting helps make ads more interesting, relevant, and personalized. This leads to greater consumer satisfaction, which in turn, increases the CTR, conversion rates, and the ROI of the advertiser.

Improved Ad Experiences

Consumers don’t like when companies have their personal data. But, when surveyed they indicate a dislike for generic ads. Behavioral targeting helps marketers build detailed profiles about users. This ensures only relevant emails and ads are forwarded to consumers.

More Efficient Online Shopping Process

When consumers see online product ads that suit their needs and click them, they are redirected to online storefronts. From there the item can be added to the cart with only a few simple clicks.

Increased Exposure To New Products

Behavioral targeting helps to promote new products. New products that relate to the consumer’s browsing history will be included in the personalized ads he/she sees.

The shopping experience is improved when consumers can get access to the latest versions of products at the right moment. This impacts the marketer’s profits, website traffic, and popularity. 

How Behavioral Targeting Works

How does behavioral targeting work? The behavioral targeting process involves 4 steps to create a personalized ad experience. These include:

Collecting Consumer Data

• The first step in making behavioral targeting work is collecting consumer data. This can be done by collecting cookies about a user’s online patterns. Cookies are collected when a user visits a new site or sets up an online profile. Cookies are either stored temporarily on the user’s memory drive or permanently on their hard drive.

• Apart from data collected by DMPs and other AdTech platforms, data is also collected from registered user profiles. When registered users purchase from an online store, their purchase and site navigation history are stored by the vendor.

• A third way to collect and track consumer data is by Internet service providers (ISPs). These may perform deep packet inspections to identify the websites visited by registered users.

Creating Detailed Profiles

• Step 2 involves creating a big data/ personal profile for each user. These profiles include cookies and other data that map a consumer’s viewing history and online actions. This gives marketers insight into the user’s interests and shopping habits.

Segmentation

• Step 3 is about sorting users into categories based on their data profiles. Consumers may be segmented into groups like:

• Frequent travelers
• Antique lovers
• Shoppers who frequent a specific product category, etc.

This step enables websites to determine which ads to show different audience segments.

Application Of Collected Data

• At this stage, targeted advertising campaigns are developed and implemented. This is what causes relevant content to reach online users.

What Kind Of Consumer Data Are Data Management Platforms Allowed To Collect?

There are many sources from which consumer data can be collected. These include:

• Mobile apps
• Websites
• CRM systems, etc.

There are four types of consumer info that data management platforms can collect.

Website Cookie Data

This is data on how visitors interact with websites. A wealth of information can be collected as visitors spend time browsing a site. This includes:

• Pages visited
• Duration spent
• Country/ region

Website cookie data provides insights that are useful in boosting marketing success rates.

Mobile Device Data

Mobile devices are the most popular gadgets for accessing apps and sites. This makes cookies stored on these devices are invaluable to tracking consumer behavior. A mobile device provides critical data about a user’s:

• Communications
• Activities
• Mobile purchases
• Search and navigation history
• Social media clicks
• Check-ins, etc.

Geographic Location

Identifying where consumers come from is important to delivering relevant ads. DMPs are useful for recording and identify where a visitor’s IP address is from.

Demographics

In behavioral targeting, DMPs and other marketing programs collect demographic segmentation data, like:

• Gender
• Age ranges
• Interests, etc.

This information is used to create more personalized campaigns. Successful behavioral targeting relies on a quality data management platform to gather data.

Behavioral Targeting VS Contextual Targeting

What are the differences between behavioral targeting and contextual targeting?

Contextual targeting only shows users, ads that relate to the content of the site they’re on. This method does not take customer information into account. This means the ads visitors see may not always be relevant to their interests.

Behavioral Targeting shows users ads that fit their interests regardless of the content of the website they are on. When it comes to ad relevance and user experience, behavioral targeting is superior to contextual targeting.

Behavioral advertising’s only downside is that it requires investing in a reputable DMP for data collection. But, contextual and behavioral targeting aren’t completely exclusive. Behavioral targeting can be used to improve contextual targeting ads.

Ending thoughts on the importance of behavioral targeting

Behavior-targeted ads improve a company’s ROI, click-through, and conversion rates. Today, behavioral targeting is critical to a company’s marketing success.

Overusing a customer’s personal information is risky. But, this doesn’t hinder the effectiveness of behavioral targeting.

If you leverage the behavioral targeting principle, you will attract and secure your customers. So, use a reputable data management platform to collect behavioral data and segment your audience. By doing this, you will reap increased profits and conversion rates on your onsite and offsite marketing campaigns.

If you enjoyed reading this article on behavioral targeting, you should check out this one about personalization algorithms.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like MVP tests, how to hire a web development team, software development budget, financial projections for startups, financial software development companies, proof of concept vs prototype, and lean software development principles.

The post What Is Behavioral Targeting, How It Works, And Why It’s Important appeared first on TMS.

The advertising industry is built on technology. Advertising campaigns integrate marketing technology every step of the way.

It plays a key role from design to deployment.

More customers are going online every day. Advertising technology, or AdTech, is more important than ever before.

The concept of advertising technology has been in use for a while. But in recent years its importance has grown.

Savvy ad agencies are quickly realizing they must include AdTech or die.

In this information age, businesses must have partnerships with AdTech companies. Digital advertising efforts make them far more attractive to their target audiences.

To fill that demand, ad agencies have learned how to utilize customer data. They make their resources count, getting the most bang for their buck.

More and more companies are seeing the value and investing in AdTech.

But what is AdTech? How can it work for your business?

This article will make you an expert on advertising technology.

What is AdTech?

To use AdTech effectively, one must thoroughly understand it.

Advertising Technology refers to software, programs, or tools used in digital advertising efforts. AdTech software targets, delivers, or analyzes data to make digital marketing successful.

AdTech includes the entire ad campaign process. Even selecting the topic of an ad and its target audience is part of AdTech.

AdTech solutions help to maximize the results of ad campaigns. They do this through data.

Knowledge is power. AdTech gives businesses the knowledge they need to see the big picture related to an ad campaign.

This bird’s-eye view is possible because AdTechnology makes daily tasks more efficient. It optimizes targeting audiences, delivering campaigns, and studying feedback.

There are no active processes that AdTech cannot boost. Whatever ad space is being used, AdTech will enhance it.

You may have heard about two common methods used by the AdTech industry. These are programmatic advertising and omnichannel marketing.

There are other online advertising tools, but these are the most critical to know. To better understand AdTech solutions, one needs to understand these two terms.

• Programmatic advertising specifically reaches target audiences. This is unlike traditional methods of advertising, like billboards or TV commercials.

Programmatic media buying ensures that money isn’t wasted. It only advertises to customers who don’t fit the target demographic.

• Omnichannel marketing uses all forms of technology to reach customers. This marketing strategy includes mobile, video, desktop, and more.

It analyzes how customers have interacted with the brand. No matter their methods, digital advertising will reach them.

The company and AdTech campaign must be in sync. If the company’s objectives don’t match the methods, it will not succeed.

The algorithms used to manage advertising campaigns are flexible. They are customizable and change to meet the needs of each individual campaign.

This means data collection comes into play quicker. The business can then reap the benefits.

The AdTech Ecosystem

AdTech Ecosystem (or AdTech Landscape) is a piece of terminology even broader than AdTech. It includes all AdTech solutions, industry players, and the connections between them.

Its strength lies in finding the right data. With enough data, it can personalize ads to suit each customer.

The more data available the more effective and engaging marketing strategies become. Having found the most efficient advertising content, the AdTech ecosystem allows it to be tested and scaled effortlessly.

The AdTech landscape makes a loop of advertising supply and revenue-generating demands. It builds this loop on finding and examining user data activity.

Here are the critical components to a good AdTech landscape:

Ad Server

The ad server’s role is to deliver ads to publishers’ websites. Its vital role is evident by how much of the AdTech industry uses it.

Publishers, advertisers, ad networks, and even ad agencies all rely on ad servers. It is a key part of their content delivery network.

Demand Side Platforms (DSP)

These help users to purchase inventory from ad exchanges and supply-side platforms (SSP). They use a custom-designed user interface for the task.

DSPs are critical for any real-time bidding (RTB). During RTB the DSP acts as a receiver for browser ad requests.

Supply Side Platforms (SSP)

Publishers often sell ad space directly, but there is often leftover space. This leftover space is often called remnant inventory.

SSPs automatically sell these remnants to DSPs in the programmatic ecosystem.

Agency Trading Desk (ATD)

ATDs are a collection of tools from media agencies. Their purpose is to improve planning, buying, and managing advertisements.

It’s best to think of them as a simplified DSP. They handle some of the same responsibilities.

Agency Trading Desks are a good option for anyone who can’t yet invest in a DSP or in-house team.

Ad Exchange

During real-time bidding, the ad exchange acts as the link between buyer and seller. Large AdTech providers use them to match a demand-side platform to a supply-side platform.

Advertisers and publishers can’t expect to have direct access to an ad exchange. Still, their ad inventory will usually pass through ad exchanges.

Data Management Platform (DMP)

In the digital advertising industry, these platforms are warehouses. They store third-party data on users.

Not only that, but they can cross-reference it with databases in SSPs and DSPs. This results in a high-quality user profile.

These profiles then inform targeted ad campaigns.

Customer Data Platform (CDP)

CDPs are similar to DMP, but they are not limited to only third-party data. They also collect first-party data, which is data provided by consent from the user.

This information is also called PII (Personally Identifiable Information). Using PII, the CDP creates individual customer biographies.

Information includes known name, company, email, etc.

Inventory and Ad Quality Scanning Tools

These tools ensure that data security is maintained. They also help to address any unwanted themes before they hit a marketing campaign.

This safeguards the reputation of the companies involved.

Why Is User Data Important For AdTech?

AdTech can only be successful if there is enough relevant data.

Digital advertising can be expensive. So you’ll want to make sure any investment made returns the desired results.

To make sure of that, it’s necessary to first have the data to make ad targeting count. This is a demanding process that requires logistic and technical skills.

That’s where AdTech companies come in. They can leverage their powerful collection of data for your ad placements.

They’ll focus advertising messages to reach only the users who are most interested.

A great supplier is aware of its audience. They are well versed in their customer’s behaviors and interests.

Third-party data vendors enable advertisers to purchase ever more accurate advertisements. The right ad makes it to the right audience.

To do this, SSPs gather and analyze data from your digital channel visitors. The number one source of data in the entire AdTech economy is the customer.

The consumers themselves don’t need to do anything special. They go about their business on a site.

Behind the scenes, algorithms collect, save, and examine the customer’s behavior while there. Collection of data occurs in two ways:

• First-party – You collect the data yourself
• Third-party – You buy the data from someone else

Real data taken from real people allows the best possible product delivery.

It also facilitates exact ad targeting. The ad is therefore shown to those who definitely want to see it.

This ensures the best possible ad revenue results.

Does AdTech Cost Money or Make Money?

The 21st century is an ever growing digital age. The consumer is spending more and more time online and using digital media.

AdTech is the best way to monetize that increased traffic. It increases user engagement with an ad on all platforms.

The AdTech solution can transform a business’s current customers into more profit. It also puts them ahead of competitors who refuse to adapt to new technologies.

Advertising technology is money-generating by nature. It has a proven method of monetizing.

Every party involved can take a cut and come away with a profit. Still, nothing is foolproof.

AdTech isn’t something that one can jump into without preparation. It is costly to begin and requires extensive technical skills.

There is a huge amount of data and computing involved. The reason for AdTech’s success is the clear distribution of responsibilities.

This balance between players was one of the key innovations brought about by AdTech. There are three major players:

• Advertisers – Owners of the advertisements themselves. DSPs are the middle man between advertisers and the Ad Exchange.
• Publishers – Owners of the space for the advertisements (ad inventory). SSPs are the middle man between the publishers and the Ad Exchange.
• Ad Exchanges – The mediator between advertisers and publishers. The Ad Exchange uses both DSPs and SSPs to communicate with all parties involved.

Their goal is to connect advertisers and publishers.

Business models and monetization types vary in each situation. Regardless, all three parties share fees. The system is mutually beneficial for everyone involved.

Some of the most used monetization models include:

• Cost Per Impression (CPI) – Advertisers only pay when customers click on an ad.
• Cost Per Action (CPA) – The basis of this advertising cost is user actions. Two examples are:
• Cost Per Sale (CPS) – Payment is given for each sale.
• Cost Per Click (CPC) – This is a risk-sharing method. Typically it’s used for context-based content.
• Cost Per Lead (CPL) – Ad content is brought into contact with users. Payment occurs for each lead made.

Reasons Why AdTech Matters to Digital Advertising

AdTech’s value is critical for all parties involved. Ad agencies or businesses looking for an advertiser must understand why it matters.

Only then can it be properly explained to potential clients and decision-makers. Here are six major reasons why AdTech is necessary:

Measures Performance

When a marketer is almost ready to launch their campaign, they must first check and test it.

To make an informed conclusion about their campaign, they need the right data. Numbers like impressions, conversions, click-through rates, and more are key.

No piece of data is useful unless it’s been carefully analyzed and attributed. Only then will it contribute to the campaign’s success.

Demand-side platforms report this information in real-time. All the data is available in the same interface for analysis at any time.

Targeted Advertising

AdTech allows something that was once only a dream for advertisers in the past.

Advertisers can deliver ads directly to the target audience. Not only that but the ad placement can have perfect timing and context.

Marketers save resources and effort. Publishers can monetize their assets.

In turn, consumers receive the promotions that make the most sense for them.

User Tracking Between Devices

90 percent of users start a task on one device and then finish it on another. It’s difficult for advertisers to keep track of these users.

This is especially so if it is a shared device. AdTech platforms solve this problem with user data.

It allows a business to understand its target audience. It can even tell the individual users apart.

With this understanding, advertising and marketing campaigns succeed. No matter what device the user may be using.

Optimizes Bids For Maximum ROI

No matter where you buy ad space it’s critical to monitor the situation. It’s important to know how the campaign is performing to know what the return on investment is.

An ongoing campaign that is not monitored may cut into the campaign’s return. As a result, the company’s bottom line will suffer.

Using advertising technology can automate this process. Businesses can use AdTechnology to improve their bids.

This type of technology gets rid of time-consuming work. It also increases the return on investment (ROI) and will generate revenue.

This added ROI can free up company resources for digital marketing, video advertising efforts, and more.

Omnichannel Marketing

This is a new kind of marketing strategy. It uses many different channels to encourage interaction between brands and potential customers.

This variety of marketing is seamless. It creates a unified experience for users across all channels.

Their advertising experience will match offline and online. Stores, websites, and social media platforms are all used.

Omnichannel campaigns use many different kinds of devices to advertise to the user.

As an example, a promo code from a TV ad can be downloaded from a mobile app. This method creates a strong brand image no matter how the customer interacts with it.

Ending thoughts on what is Adtech?

Advertising technology is expanding at a breakneck pace. There’s no evidence it will slow down.

It has changed ad campaign targeting forever. As it continues growing, ad agencies must take advantage of these new opportunities.

AdTech’s success is due to the array of tools that work together to make a single, powerful framework. It uses automation and cooperating processes to increase the effectiveness of audience targeting.

More than ever before, it’s possible to accurately deliver ads.

Adtech isn’t magical. It all comes down to knowledge and the skill to use it, which you now have from this guide.

If you enjoyed reading this article on what is AdTech, you should check out this one about proof of concept vs prototype.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like how to hire a web development team, software development budget, financial software development companies, software development outsourcing trends, business pivot examples, and lean software development principles.

The post What is AdTech and Why It’s Important For Agencies appeared first on TMS.

More importantly, the people behind them come from every sort of background.

How successful a business will be is not easy to predict. Only 30 percent of seeded startups manage to obtain further funding.

It is therefore critical to understand what makes a startup succeed. No one wants to end up in that 70% without the funds to build a successful business.

What Makes a Successful Startup?

For a business, the end result depends on having the right ingredients.

Being in the right place at the right time helps. Hard work and teamwork are also key.

But the most critical component is to give the world something it hasn’t seen before. Your idea, product, or service has to stand out.

It is possible to learn from trial and error how to make a business unique. Yet this also comes with the risk of learning things the hard way.

Instead, consider the success stories below. These examples give insight into why some startups grow while others wither.

These are real-life examples of how all the ingredients for success come together. They offer invaluable data for any new startup.

34 Successful Startups to Learn From

Airbnb

Encourage word of mouth

The first in our list of successful startups is AirBnB.

Recommendations play a huge role in business, and also in society. Many day-to-day conversations are about things people love, things their friends should try.

This is the form of free advertising that AirBnB used to find its success. It provided a service that people loved.

As a result, their customers wanted to share AirBnB with others. Word of mouth was more valuable to AirBnB’s business than any other form of advertisement.

Uber

Solve a problem

Finding and flagging down a taxi is frustrating. There may be no taxis nearby, they might not see you, and they might choose a different passenger instead.

Uber saw that situation and founded a business aimed at fixing that problem. Customers loved that startup for making their day easier.

Now Uber is providing its service in cities all over the world. 93 million people use Uber because it found a problem to solve.

37Signals

Experiment With Variety

Like so many other businesses, 37Signals made web applications. What set it apart was its dedication to making a variety of simple and focused apps.

37Signals went from a cash-strapped startup to having a fleet of useful apps, both free and paid.

That experimentation eventually led to the Basecamp app. This app became so successful they named the company after it.

Only by experimenting with many different apps did they finally find success.

Whatsapp

Focus on the Product First

Whatsapp wasn’t conceived of as a business. Jan Koum and Brian Acton put their energy into making the product first.

Only later did they think about a company. This was how Whatsapp became so successful.

Their revolutionary product created their startup, not the other way around. Whatsapp was the first mobile messaging app that could compete with SMS.

In 2020 this user-friendly app had revenue in the area of 5 billion USD. Not bad for a business started in 2009.

PureStorage

Look For The Need

As IT technologies grow, so too do the industries that support them. Like a house supported by a foundation, IT technology is built on data storage and analytics.

Pure Storage used that need and based its business around providing that foundation.

Its business produces flash drives with a storage capacity of 250 terabytes. It also makes the software that connects these drives to the cloud.

This means incredible speeds of data transfer for virtual servers.

Pure Storage provided a high-demand product for the IT industry. Doing so won them the title of “Innovation of the Year” from The Wall Street Journal.

Stripe

Do It Easier

Sometimes the service or market you want to break into is already well-established. As was the case with the payment services.

Stripe made its mark by making the process of payment easier. They focused on giving small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs an easy way to collect payment over the internet.

No more cash needed, no need to handle clunky cards. Even the process of fraud protection was made easier with machine learning.

Now Stripe works with widely known brands. These include Airbnb, Booking.com, Lyft, Shopify, Salesforce, Target, and DoorDash.

Robinhood

Include Everyone

The stock market is an intimidating thing and exceedingly complex. In the past, few people participated in it.

Those that did might have even hired someone else to do it. Robinhood entered the arena with the motto “investing for everyone”.

What had once been a difficult activity was now cheap and affordable. Everyday people could now trade stocks with the best of them.

Robinhood is now worth $11.2 billion and is rushing to hire in order to keep up with its own growth.

Groupon

Digitally Upgrade

Our grandmothers used to clip coupons out of a newspaper or magazine to save some money. Groupon took an old-style solution and launched it into the 21st century.

Now, without the risk of papercuts, users can access an almost unlimited number of deals. No other ‘coupon’ business can compete against this successful startup.

Houzz

Fill The Gap

Houzz’s future founder and co-founder, Adi Tatarko and Alon Cohen wanted to renovate their home. They grew frustrated with how few online resources were there to help.

That gap was an opportunity. Using a small group of fellow parents they built an empire.

Now their marketplace/community/directory services company has more than 40 million users. It employs a thousand people and is worth $4 billion.

Airtable

Empower Your Customers

Airtable was founded in 2013 to do something that seems simple. It combines spreadsheets with an online database.

Founders Andrew Ofstad, Emmett Nicholas, and Howie Liu knew what their customers wanted. So they made a sophisticated productivity tool that they could share.

The database was easy to access for all. Their customers could now create workflows and share them with each other.

Their customer’s efforts now pushed the business toward success.

Kaltura

Tailor Your Business

Kaltura ensured its success by giving customers an experience tailored to their needs. It’s an open-source video platform that hones in on enterprise, education, and media.

It offers specific features and functions designed to meet the demands of each sector it caters to.

More than 300,000 organizations use Kaltura. This includes Groupon, Bank of America, Harvard, and HBO.

Atlassian

Build A Driven Work Culture

This software company is well known for its business software. Its products are designed so teams of all sizes work faster and better.

But that isn’t what made it successful. Atlassian is a company people love to work for.

It encourages a positive work culture. That same culture is what they promote in their business software.

A mission-driven work culture significantly improves performance.

Instagram

Fuel Your Startup In Your Freetime

Instagram wasn’t designed through exhaustive R&D and market research. Two guys made it on the weekends.

Originally named Burbn, it was born in 8 short weeks. Its founder, Kevin Systrom, built the entire thing during his free time.

Instagram is now a household name rivaling any social media platform.

Mailchimp

Make Your Brand Known

Since 2001 Mailchimp has been handling email marketing automation successfully. Multitudes of businesses use it to deliver billions of emails each day.

This wasn’t achieved overnight. Mailchimp worked tirelessly to increase its brand name year by year.

It used online and offline approaches to secure media coverage and internet traffic. Now Mailchimp generates $700 million every year.

GitHub

Apply customer feedback

Github provides a web-based hosting service for developers. As its business grew, so too did requests from its customers.

Github found its success by listening to customer’s feedback on how to improve.

The first request was for private repositories, safe places to store code where it can’t be seen or stolen. Github listened and provided those repositories.

Github is well known for perfecting its products by listening to customer feedback.

Epic Games

Keep Building

Founded in 1991, Epic games created the Unreal, Gears of War, Shadow Complex, and Infinity Blade games series.

In 2017 it became a household name with its insanely popular Fortnite Battle Royale game. It used that momentum to keep building.

It leveraged its newfound popularity to secure more investments. Then it expanded its Unreal Engine offerings, branched into e-sports, and launched its own online game store.

Epic Games used their first success to push their company to many more victories.

The Honest Company

Be The Face Of Your Brand

Jessica Alba founded The Honest Company in 2011. It produces green hygiene and cosmetics for children.

She personally promoted her products by using them at every opportunity. Whenever possible she used her time to communicate face-to-face with customers.

Though one might not have the initial fame of Jessica Alba, her strategy can work for everyone. Personally promote your brand through example and customer interaction.

The Honest Company succeeded with that approach in Silicon Valley. Iconiq, Capital, and Lightspeed Venture Partners all are investors in its success.

Taboola

Give Your Customers Control

Taboola stands out among successful startups. Though there are other content-discovery platforms, Taboola excels.

It provides recommendations based on what the customer is currently viewing.

Not only that, but the users can customize those suggestions themselves. Taboola puts its customers in control of the process.

With a revenue of $100 million and only 120 employees, Taboola has one of the highest revenue rates per employee in the world.

Doordash

Connect Groups Together

Since 2013 Doordash has had only one goal, to connect restaurants to their customers.

Four Stanford students with experience from Facebook, Square, Vevo, and eBay put their expertise to use. They built a digital bridge.

Now, this food delivery service is connecting millions of hungry customers to restaurants. Its service reaches all across the United States and Canada.

This startup now operates in 4,000 cities and delivers for more than 340,000 stores.

Slack

Try Something Different

Slack could be the most successful side project in history.

Its founder, Stewart Butterfield actually wanted to make a game. It had been his dream for decades.

During those decades, he created a side project, Flickr. That side project became so successful that he sold it to Yahoo for a fortune.

At that point, he realized it was his side projects that would make him successful, not his dream.

Following the success of Flickr, he created his next startup. Slack was born and is now a billion-dollar business communication tool.

It is proof that sometimes we need to set aside our long-term goal and try something else.

Square

Use What People Already Have

Square started as an idea when its future founder, Jim Mckelvey tried to make a $2000 transaction. The sale didn’t go through because the seller couldn’t accept credit cards.

So he and co-founder Jack Dorsey (founder of Twitter) combined their efforts to provide a solution. That fix was Square’s first product, “The Square Reader”.

This device used what everyone already had, a cell phone’s audio jack. Using what was already in everyone’s possession is how Square found its success.

BrightInsight

Do The Busy Work

Biopharma and MedTech companies are overwhelmed with data. They have data about patients, drugs, and devices.

This all needs analyzing, storing, and using. It is a massive amount of time-consuming work.

That’s where BrightInsight comes in.

It has become the go-to for healthcare providers swamped by information. BrightInsight’s success comes from handling the busy work so others don’t have to.

Angry Birds

You Only Need One

The creator of Angry Birds tried many times before they created a game that hit it big. Big enough to start a business with, big enough to create a franchise around, and big enough for a movie deal.

The lesson is that even if you fail many times, you only need to succeed once.

Voxy

Niche Can Be King

This mobile app is built to help Spanish speakers learn English with tiny, daily lessons. Voxy stays focused on its target audience – Spanish speakers.

By focusing on one market Voxy has polished and perfected its offering. Now its presence in the market is huge, with over 3 million users and $15 million secured funding.

Linkedin

Network

Reid Hoffman had worked at SocialNet and PayPal. During his time at these businesses, he made many contacts and friends.

In late 2002 he used his network to recruit a team of old colleagues. By May 2003 that team had designed and launched LinkedIn out of his living room.

He once again pulled from his vast network of contacts to find customers. 350 of his personal contacts were the first to create profiles on the site.

Though it had slow growth at first, by the end of the year it had attracted the attention of Sequoia Capital. From there it obtained the venture capital it needed to become the success it is now.

WeWork

Even Tiny Opportunities Add Up

WeWork, one of the most valuable startups in the world, almost didn’t exist.

Originally, Adam Neumann sold padded baby clothes called Krawlers from a small office in Brooklyn. The building had more space than his Krawler’s needed.

He saw a tiny opportunity to make some cash on the side. He and his co-founder leased that extra space at a cheap rate and opened a green co-working space.

Soon enough, that co-working space became a company worth selling. With the money they gained, they founded WeWork.

WeWork exists because they took the opportunity to make use of a little surplus office space.

Lyft

Keep Expanding

Lyft had an uphill battle to success. Its main competitor, Uber, was already well established.

Lyft’s only hope was to spread its service as wide as possible. Founded in San Francisco in 2013, it expanded to more than 30 US states within one year.

In 2014 Lyft drew attention from investors like Alibaba, Third Point, Horowitz, and Founders Fund. The total investment was $250 million in venture capital.

Since then, Lyft has continued its expansionist business model. It is laying the groundwork to spread to international markets.

Lyft has gone a long way from its roots in San Francisco.

Netflix

Invest in Research

Founded in 1997 by Mark Randolph and Reed Hastings as a media service provider.

The business has changed over the years. It went from a DVD mailing company to a digital media provider.

But one thing stayed the same. It cares about customer’s demands.

It dedicates massive resources to customer research. This information helps it to provide the most user-friendly experience possible.

Studying its consumers has paid off. In 2018 the company earned over $20 billion.

TechCrunch

Be High-Quality, Be Consistent

TechCrunch played a huge role in making blogs a legitimate form of journalism.

Its massive base of loyal readers was only possible because it put out consistent, high-quality content. Subjects included everything in the tech and business world.

That regular addition of great content resulted in enormous growth and brand awareness.

Eventually, TechCrunch created the CrunchBase database. More than half a million startups and entrepreneurs utilize it.

Confluent

Create A Template For Others

Confluent is an event streaming platform. It allows easy access to many types of data in real-time.

As an example, it allows users to buy groceries in an app. Then right away it alerts store workers to gather the order together for pickup.

But Confluent can be used for many situations and many types of businesses. The template is useful in many situations that require streaming of data.

Zenefits

Be the Organizer

HR departments and managers have a huge amount of data to keep track of. Hiring, salary, and insurance records to name a few.

Zenefits is a company designed to manage that information for other businesses.

They use cloud-based software that provides easy access, storage, and organization of data. It is accessible from anywhere on the globe.

Founded by Parker Conrad in 2013, Zenefits went from an unheard-of startup to a giant worth $650 million in one year. One of its many Silicon Valley investors is Andreessen Horowitz.

ByteDance

Diversify Globally

This tech company, founded by Yiming Zhang, manages many different content platforms. Toutiao, a popular news aggregator in China, and TikTok are two of its platforms.

Its success lies in focusing on global growth and diversifying its products to reach further afield.

Even now ByteDance is attempting to expand into the United States. It is recruiting from companies like Facebook and Snapchat.

Calm

Consider Your Customer’s Health

Calm has made its mark on the world by staying focused on its customer’s wellbeing. This business is a global health and wellness brand founded by Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew in 2012.

It has apps for health, sleep, meditation, and relaxation in both the App Store and Google Play store. Its apps have achieved over 50 million downloads.

It also creates audio content specifically for mental fitness. Its content strives to improve even serious health challenges.

Stress, anxiety, insomnia, and depression are all tackled by its products.

Khan Academy

Inspiration Can Come From Anywhere

The last one of these successful startups is Khan Academy.

Sal Khan got a backhanded compliment from his cousins while tutoring them. They said they’d rather see him online than in person.

That simple statement could have so easily been ignored. Instead, Sal Khan used it to inspire a tutoring empire.

He started by creating short YouTube clips teaching subjects like biology and art. Soon the video tutoring took off.

He quit his job and now employs more than 100 people. This experience is proof that even an insult can be the idea that makes you a success.

Learning From Successful Startups

Success comes from a diverse range of circumstances and backgrounds. But all successful entrepreneurs had to face a learning curve to find success.

There were problems that needed solutions, processes to improve, and goals to meet. To overcome these challenges, all the successful startups above needed a long-term vision.

They had to budget their time, manpower, and resources for the long haul. They also had to avoid focusing on quick revenue.

To help a startup thrive, it’s vital to look at success stories like these and learn from them. Apply the lessons from them and soon you might even be listed among them.

If you enjoyed reading this article on successful startups, you should check out this one about startup consultants.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like IT outsourcing companies in the USA, financial projections for startups, startup advice, startup press kit examples, nearshoring, Berlin startups, types of investors, share options, London startups, gifting shares, best startup books, and IT outsourcing services companies.

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