By Iryna Kozirevych
In the modern digital advertising landscape, creative skills aren’t enough — they must be supported by technical and data analysis expertise, and not only. Keeping track of all these tasks and accounts at once may be challenging, so more and more enterprises prefer to outsource Ad Ops.
This guide will provide you with valuable insights into Ad Operations outsourcing, cover the best practices, and explain how to understand that you need an Ad Ops expert.
What is Ad Ops?
Advertising operations, commonly known as Ad Ops, is everything related to managing and delivering online ad campaigns across different platforms in the programmatic buying landscape. Ad operations is a term that includes the duties of an account manager who is responsible for ad campaign management and all the complex processes in AdTech.
Ad Operations workflow entails a bunch of different tasks and isn’t limited just to campaign planning and implementation. It includes diverse tasks such as ad campaign management, platform administration, campaign measurement, campaign revenue optimization, inventory performance reporting, and monitoring. Every task has the same purpose: to achieve better ad campaign delivery and higher revenues for the ad platform owner.
What Do Ad Operations Managers Do?
The Ad Operations manager is responsible for structured planning, ad sales support, daily ad management, ad campaign trafficking, and optimization. To improve a company's overall sales and efficiency, Ad Operations managers regularly research, create, analyze, and improve ad campaign procedures, tools, and setup.
The business development team is responsible for onboarding new SSPs and DSPs partners to a company, and there comes the Ad Ops. This is why another important task of an Ad Operations Manager besides controlling the implementation of programmatic campaigns is the “post-sale” activity. They are also in charge of establishing relationships with the company’s partners. They also manage internal ad operations to best meet those partners’ needs.
Responsibilities of the Ad Operations Team
Optimize Ad Performance
One of the tasks of the ad operations team is to tailor ad campaigns to match the supply with demand by optimizing the inventory. It is no surprise that the more a company's supply matches the demand, the more there is revenue, which is the core and main goal of optimizations. Furthermore, the performance of the ad campaigns is sometimes determined by the timing of the placement. A good example would be the election of the US President in 2020 when revenues from all ad campaigns jumped dramatically. Advertising Ops should configure system settings so that the traffic reaches relevant partners, increasing the bidding and winning rates. Also, Ad Ops helps resolve any technical issues and requests related to the platform by reporting timely and accurately. Ad performance optimization performed by ad ops also helps to achieve the desired metrics and reduce advertising costs, as large numbers of campaigns do not guarantee large numbers in profit, but optimizations directly affect the revenues.
Strategy
In order to increase operational efficiency, the Ad Operations manager has to develop strategies for the improvement of ad campaign processes, tools, and setup. This implies implementation and fine-tuning of new ad campaigns with already existing partners, adjustment of the current ad strategies, and renewing ad campaigns with old partners.
Generate Revenue
Since digital Ad Ops are the ones who actually run ad campaigns, they also carry out the responsibility for increasing revenue generation. They specialize in yield management and revenue generation, so they always look for opportunities to achieve greater profits. However, there are some factors on which Ad Ops do not have any impact, such as the quality of the traffic.
Monitor the Platform
Every platform requires regular monitoring and analysis to identify and prevent issues before they arise and have a negative impact on the overall income. In case of any tech issues, bugs, or additional integrations to the platform, the Ad Ops knows how to report cases and follow up with the fix and/or implementation.
Maintain Business and Customer Relationships
In order to enhance sales of ad campaign KPIs, the ad operations specialist should manage and maintain relationships with the partners, keep the campaigns up to date, and negotiate the changes that can be implemented after the optimizations. In a programmatic environment, Ad Operations should review the inventory submitted by SSPs and make sure it meets the requirements of DSPs and adheres to the specifications set by the platform. Ad Ops also performs as client success manager, as they provide insights on best-performing inventory. This requires strong communication skills to better connect with publishers and advertisers.
Outsourced Ad Ops Team Vs. In-House Ad Ops Team
Running efficient ad campaigns is crucial for successful ad business functioning. To succeed, your team should be able to provide quick response, it should have deep expertise to continually increase revenues, plus it should have bulletproof troubleshooting. Building such a team might be quite challenging. So, before going ahead, you’ll have to decide which option is more beneficial for your business — an in-house team or an outsourced one. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Let’s take a closer look.
Benefits of In-house Ad Ops Team
It will be beneficial if you want to control the workflow
It will be beneficial if you have enough resources and time
Disadvantages of Having an In-house Ad Ops Team
It requires resources and time
Finding the right specialist can be challenging
Recurring costs related to employees' maintenance
Benefits of Outsourced Ad Ops Team
An outsourced team is more cost-effective than an in-house one
You don’t have to search for the right talent, deal with payrolls, etc.
You will have a specialized Ad Ops trained by professionals
Disadvantages of Having an Outsourced Ad Ops Team
There might be some miscommunication issues
Some companies may still require an in-house Ad Ops specialist to manage the outsourced staff
6 Good Reasons to Outsource an Ad Ops Team
1. You’ll save time for what matters
Taking on the responsibility of Ad Ops can be an unnecessary waste of time. Leaving this to the professionals will allow you to free up a big chunk of time to focus on your primary business tasks.
2. You’ll get access to expert resources
The digital ad space is full of complex systems and tools that require regular monitoring and maintenance. With a reliable outsourcing agency, you can hire industry experts with an appropriate skill set and advanced level of knowledge.
3. You’ll boost your revenue
If you have little or no technical knowledge, it may be difficult for you to design and execute ad revenue optimization strategies. To achieve the best possible results, you’ll need to measure each ad campaign element to make sure it performs well. An outsourced team of Ad Ops specialists will help you manage such tasks in the right manner.
4. You’ll trim your overhead expenses
Hiring people always brings a lot of expenses. With an outsourced specialist, you won’t have to pay for office space, technical equipment, health insurance, and other stuff.
5. You’ll get tech-savvy experts
It’s no secret that ad optimization processes require some technical knowledge. This involves understanding the fundamentals of languages such as HTML and JavaScript, as well as proper use of advanced tools such as ad serving tools and the ability to measure and analyze performance data.
6. You’ll stay up-to-date
Furthermore, keeping up with ever-changing industry trends can be daunting. However, there is a way out — a good outsourcing agency will help you hire the right specialist who is well-versed in cutting-edge techniques and methodologies.
Signs That You Need to Outsource Ad Operations
You’re not an ad operations expert
AdTech business owners usually don’t have much time since they are fully engaged in business scaling and networking. This means if you have other tasks on your plate, you won’t have enough time to dive deep into ad operations. As a result, you might be struggling to optimize ad campaigns without the necessary skills. Moreover, it can be challenging to even decide whether you’re recruiting the right candidate for the Ad Ops position.
You have lower ad revenue than what your competitors have
If your ad revenue is lower than the industry average, it might indicate improper ad operations management. By outsourcing Ad Ops you will be able to generate continually growing revenue.
You have no time for hiring
The recruitment process may require a lot of time. Finding the right talents and building a team from scratch is a time-consuming task. Moreover, you’ll have to invest some extra time in onboarding. On the other hand, with an outsourcing agency, you won’t need to hire people by yourself. Furthermore, an outsourced team of Ad Ops can hit the ground running and be immediately productive without training.
You need to reduce overhead expenses
We have to admit that it can require a lot of effort and money to find an Ad Ops expert because of the specialized nature of this area. With an outsourced team of Ad Ops, you’ll pay only for what you need. This means no overhead costs on training, equipment, employment packages, and so on.
You’re striving for innovation
After growing to a certain point, you understand that you need to move to advanced AdTech solutions for your business to evolve and promote technological innovation. But it’s not that easy to implement high-tech solutions without the help of an advertising operations expert.
You need 24/7 support
Most companies have fixed working hours; however, if your ad platform works round-the-clock, it needs round-to-clock support and management. Your ad platform is complex and multilayered, so something might go wrong at any time. In such cases, the best option is to outsource an ad operations team that will provide you with 24/7 tech support in urgent issues.
Best Practices for Outsourcing Ad Ops by Attekmi Team
First and foremost, you should identify your goals and requirements. For instance, you may need to outsource ad inventory monetization or go for outsourced ad production. What next? Here are some best practices to follow.
Choose the right partner
The identified requirements will be your guiding light, but it’s also essential to pay attention to such criteria as industry experience, types of services provided, technology stack, client references, business model, size of the team, etc.
Integrate properly
After you select an Ad Ops outsourcing partner, you need to integrate it into the existing business processes and technology infrastructure. Have your documentation ready, clearly identify everyone’s responsibilities, start with smaller tasks, check in regularly to detect any potential issues on time, and treat your outsource experts like a part of your internal team.
Track the right performance metrics
Select KPIs according to your goals and make sure to monitor them continuously. This way, you will be able to identify weaknesses and opportunities and optimize your processes accordingly.
Ad Operations in Programmatic Advertising
Digital Advertising Operations cover different systems that enable you to create, implement, manage, and adjust ad campaigns. These can be either non-programmatic or programmatic systems. You may have a blend of both direct-sold campaigns and programmatic ones on your platform. However, statistics show that programmatic has become a larger piece of the puzzle.
According to US Programmatic Digital Display Ad Research, advertisers increased their spending on programmatic digital ads by 10.4% in 2020. And numbers continue to grow. In 2021, ad spending is expected to increase by 24.1% and reach $81.5 billion. Quite impressive since this is 86.5% of total digital ad spending!
Role of Ad Ops in a Programmatic Environment
Programmatic advertising helps the buying and selling processes of ad inventory using technological platforms such as ad exchanges, ad networks, ad servers, DSPs, and SSPs. Together, they automate the procedure of bidding, purchasing, and placing ads. Ad Ops role is to follow up on all these processes with the existing ad marketers.
In a programmatic environment, the main goal of ad operations managers is to make sure that the ad campaigns work properly and to search for ways to increase their performance. The main aim is to increase revenue while maintaining a seamless user experience.
Outsourcing Ad Ops for White-Label Ad Exchange
Since ad business owners often don’t have enough resources and expertise to cover all advertising needs, there may be some areas representing a challenge. Thanks to white-label advertising, you don’t have to be an expert in everything to ensure smooth business functioning. So, you might have a question: what does white label mean?
What is White Label?
White label is a concept that assumes that one company can produce a product or service, and the other can sell it on its own behalf. Here arises the next question: what is white-label marketing? White-label marketing encompasses many things — from ad campaigns and reports to ad products or even re-brandable advertising platforms. Moreover, white-label services help businesses create, manage, and implement various digital marketing campaigns. A significant advantage of white-label branding is that it is time- and cost-effective in terms of production.
We Offer Outsourced Ad Operations Services
Having your own ad exchange platform (like a solution from Attekmi) will allow you to expand your business, generate the maximum potential ad revenue, and become one of the most in-demand full-service ad exchange platform owners.
But how to manage the ad exchange platform if you don’t have enough expertise for this? On the one hand, you can hire an in-house team of Ad Ops specialists; on the other hand, you can save time and money by outstaffing heavy lifting tasks to Ad Ops. At Attekmi, we provide such services. To best meet your needs, we accurately select specialists who will manage the platform and work explicitly for you. The best part is that we are in charge of the recruitment process. This means we will provide your potential employees with everything they need — salary, training, equipment, employment package, and so on.
The Last Word
For business owners, Ad Operation outsourcing is a way to focus on their primary needs, increase revenue, and remain competitive without diving too deep into technical nuances. Therefore, instead of solving all the tasks and challenges on your own, you may want to build a partnership with an ad outsourcing team — tips provided in this guide will help you.
And if you are in search of an additional income source, consider choosing Attekmi solutions. Apart from starting earning on media trading quickly, you will benefit from outstaffing services so that your solution will always deliver effective performance.
Contact us and we’ll select the right Ad Ops that meet your qualification requirements and particular business needs.