What is Ad Operations and why it is so crucial for brands?

Ads play an integral role in the digital marketing landscape. They are a source of revenue as well as organic traffic. But that’s only possible when the ads are well-optimized. Here’s when the ad operations team comes into play. They undertake the responsibility of generating maximum benefits from ads, be it organic traffic or conversions. In this article, we’ll study several aspects of it in detail, starting from what online ads operations are, what an online ads operations team looks like, the scope, etc.  Let us begin by understanding the term a bit more before moving into the technicalities of the process.

What is Online Ads Operations?

Before we delve into the term ‘online ads’’, let’s understand what digital ads are. Advertising in the pre-internet era meant putting out ads on mediums like banners, newspapers, etc. With the advent of high-speed internet, online ads have surpassed traditional mediums regarding reach and return.  HotWired became one of the first companies to sell a ‘banner’ digital ad to AT&T.

Earlier, advertisers used to directly interact with the publishers for the ad spaces, but the process kept becoming tougher and tougher as the digital eco-space continued to boom. Moreover, not all publishers are tech-savvy enough to understand the nuances of this process, let alone handle it on their own. That’s when third-party institutions came into the market to take up the role of the mediator between the buyer and the seller.  Ad operation is the complete process that manages everything from buying ad space for an advertiser to making sure the ad is firing properly, earning revenue for their client. 

To put it simply, online Ads Operations is the technology that acts as a mediator between advertisers and publishers looking to sell ad space on their website. 

What is the Role of an Online Ads Operations team?

Buying digital ads is majorly an automated process that is better known as programmatic buying. In this, buyers bid on the available ad spaces in real-time at auctions conducted by ‘ad exchanges’. But it’s not so easy as it sounds; unlike real-world bidding, it requires proper knowledge of the digital ad space with all its jargon and technicalities. So the ad operations team buys the ads on behalf of their clients and provides them with a bundle of various platforms they can choose to showcase their ads. 

The ad operations team gets in touch with the publishers willing to sell ad spaces and guides them on what type of auctions they should choose for the sale based on its ads inventory. They also coordinate with the advertisers on which ad spaces to bid upon based on their predetermined goals.

According to industry analysts, the primary role of the Ad Operations team primarily lies in the pre-launch period. They ensure that the ad copy and the creatives adhere to the criteria of the different platforms. Based on that, they create pixels that they go on to place on the different platforms. 

The Ads operations team also keeps track of the ad or ‘ad campaign’, like placing it properly on the page and firing properly. In the next stage, they track the traffic of the campaigns using various trafficking strategies to make sure the advertisers are earning from the ads. 

In short, the major role of an online ad operations team is to ensure that the publishers are getting the best value from the buy by mapping the deal correctly. Further, they ensure that the advertisers are getting the best deals utilizing the available sources. 

Why Must Brands Opt for Ads Operations?

As digital advertising continues to evolve, more and more consumers are ditching the traditional means of digital advertising, like the ‘banner ad’,  ‘pop-under, ‘pop-up’, etc. Opting for ads operations can turn prospects to warm customers and boost overall sales and revenue. With a proper strategy at disposal, the ads operation team can significantly increase a brand’s visibility. The operations team can therefore build a successful stream of steady revenue for the company.

Conclusion

Digital advertising is the future, and with more and more companies investing huge amounts in digital marketing, it is becoming more challenging for brands to maintain a loyal customer base and reach out to a newer set of audiences. Often, businesses face difficulty in dealing with this cutthroat competition due to the lack of proper technical knowledge. What initially started as technical support has now evolved into one of the most crucial aspects of digital marketing. The specialized skill set of the team is making it easier for brands to launch successful ad campaigns. 

So if you’re own a startup having difficulty tackling the audience and reaching out on a broader scale, investing in a good ads operations team will surely help you in the long haul. Not only will you be able to see a drastic change in the audience and revenue generation, but you will also be free from confusing yourself with the various technicalities of the process.