In programmatic advertising, purchasing decisions for each advertisement is carried out by algorithms within milliseconds. Working with the right Demand-Side Platform allows the marketing team to inject its efforts elsewhere in a campaign, including strategy and messaging.  

When seeking the right DSP, there are a number of critical points to acknowledge. First is the quality of inventory and making sure there’s transparency. How technologically efficient is the platform, for example, when acquiring ad spaces or tracking campaigns? How costly is the handling of data? Companies should also look out for a DSP partner who is trustworthy and responsive. In this article, we’ll discuss the route to discovering the right Demand-Side Platform.

Suitability To Advertiser’s Needs

In a world where competition is high for the best ad spaces, a DSP is a marketer’s blessing. First, it’s a matter of finding a platform with access to the most relevant inventory supply sources in accordance with the advertiser’s goals. The DSP will then connect advertisers to contextual ad inventory supply sources – the space where bucket-loads of publishers have made their supplies available. Here, advertisers can programmatically buy ad inventory placements across a multitude of publisher’s websites and mobile apps. DSPs work synchronously to help the advertiser place automated bids for these spaces, improving time- and cost-efficiency. 

Companies should find DSPs that effectively integrate ad exchanges, enabling billions of micro-transactions between DSPs and SSPs across the digital advertising ecosystem. So it’s in a company’s interests to find the right one that improves access to the source of relevant inventories appropriate for its campaigns. It allows greater access to those sources that match campaign expectations. 

Data   

The usage of data is a critical component of effective digital marketing. Advertisers require DSP partners with the ability to harness third-party data to forecast the relevant audiences within real-time bidding campaigns to ensure efficiency and improved ROI. The best DSPs will provide a number of audience segments within their platform. 

The right DSP needs to have connections with all of the brand-safe supply of data available. It shouldn’t favor one data supplier over another, but instead, have good unique data sets. Data is pivotal in the programmatic ecosystem, so finding a DSP partner that maintains this approach is key. In addition, a DSP partner that has the ability to test, learn, and iterate data in real-time means an advertiser has the accessibility to react and respond to new data instantly.  

DSP Partner Support And Platform Costs

Identifying the level of support that a platform provides should also be taken into account. Support can be varied in the forms in which it is delivered. While entry marketeers might require a greater level of support, it’s common for established agencies or marketing managers to require technical support as well. As such, understand whether there is a cost or limitation to the support that is offered. A good DSP will also communicate the frequency of updates to the platform, and how reactive it is to deliver advertiser feature requests or technical assistance. 

A DSP will inevitably carry a cost for running campaigns, and these costs vary. Generally, platform costs are influenced by the devoted budget to be spent through the DSP. The platform fee is usually translated as a percentage of a CPM bid, but oftentimes, DSPs require a minimum monthly or annual spend, a commitment of some form, or a flat fee. It is then the advertiser’s duty to measure the percentage of the CPM cost that will go into the inventory bid, and how this may affect ROI. In the context of trust, this is also a moment to consider when choosing the right DSP partner, as it is not unheard of for hidden fees to be laced within the CPM bid. 

When You’ve Found A Potential DSP Partner

Costs of switching between DSPs are considerable, and the DSP that may initially seem like a suitable option may not work out in the long run. So, when considering the prospect of a new DSP partner, rather than switching a whole repertoire of campaigns, it’s worth testing one or two. In this context, see it as a learning curve shaped by new discoveries and fresh target audience insights – the results may be eye-opening!

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