Gain Greater Autonomy with Self-Service Marketing

With 86% (and counting) of people expressing their preference for self-service tools over interactions with real people, this advertising is making a big splash in the industry. Here's what you need to know about it. 

The Benefit of Self-Service Advertising  

One of the most significant benefits of self-serve ads is that they let business owners gain more control over their advertising since they arrange everything themselves. That includes gaining more insight through analytics to let you know which ads and ad placements work and using your own data and research to inform ad-targeting creative decisions.  

Other self-serve benefits include: 

• Increased transparency, both in the process and financially (no 'hidden fees' or negotiations) 
• Access to first-party data 
• It makes the process more scalable  
• Streamlines ad distribution, tracking, and invoicing 
• Target your audience easier 
• More flexibility and options 
• Make changes to your campaign at any time and without talking to a salesperson first 
• Manage your campaign content directly instead of having them created for you 

How Greater Control Gives You More Options  

The greater control you get from self-serve advertising platforms gives businesses more options, letting smaller companies manage based on their budget while letting larger businesses see impacts more directly. It is crucial to both ends of the spectrum (and everything in between), and here's why. 

Small businesses need more flexibility and options with their marketing budgets to compete with larger companies. With more than 54% having a documented yearly budget, their focus is to get the most return for their spending. Self-serve advertising allows you to oversee every inch of your ad and its delivery to ensure it's at the budget you need (no more, no less) while serving its purpose.  

For larger companies with much bigger budgets, it's essential to have more transparency. Not only does it drive value in advertising, but 74% of leading marketers say that access to transparent data would influence them to increase their ad spending by 50% or more if necessary. The reason for this is that bigger budgets already give you more options. However, they're not always the best options. With self-service advertising platforms, larger companies can oversee and manage every aspect of the process to inform decisions on decreasing or increasing their investments. 

Tips for Using Self-Service Advertising  

Despite how daunting it may be to expand into areas that are more unknown to you in marketing, you may find that self-serve advertising isn't as 'unknown' as you thought. If you have experience with digital advertising platforms like Amazon, Facebook, or Google Ads, then you've already worked with self-serve tools. 

Other self-service advertising platforms will utilize similar tools as you go through each stage of the process:  

• Selecting ad format, target audience, and relevant cities/regions 
• Deciding on the timing for when ads will appear 
• Uploading ads you've already created or creating new ones from scratch 
• Adding your ads to your cart and purchasing 

Here are some tips to ensure your self-service ads go as smoothly and efficiently as the process of creating and delivering them.  

Begin With Your Goals and Budget 

There's a reason goals can increase your chances of success by 376%. They get your entire team on the same page, influence what methods will be best to achieve said goals, and allow you to measure your level of success to inform decisions during the campaign and after its conclusion.  

Likewise, you must also begin by setting a budget. It doesn't matter how small or large it is; a reasonable budget in the early stages ensures that you're spending enough money to make the most of your ads and campaign while not spending too much and breaking the bank or making the investment less valuable.  

Know Your Target Audience  

Before entering the stage of 'choosing your target audience' for your ads on a self-serve platform, you must ensure you're up-to-date on who they are. Many businesses make the mistake of collecting consumer data early in their development and sticking to that data for years. However, consumer behavior changes a lot every couple of years—not to mention the dramatic changes in behavior since 2020. Experts recommend reviewing and updating your consumer personas at least every six months.  

Choose the Right Partner 

When you work with a media partner like McClatchy, you get more than the standard marketing tips and advice other agencies may offer. You get specialists who know the ins and outs of marketing strategies, ad development, and self-serve advertising platforms. In hopes of empowering advertisers with fully-integrated marketing solutions, McClatchy recently partnered with DanAds to develop McClatchy Ad Manager. Contact our team with questions about self-service advertising and how our new development can help you.