The 6-Step Onboarding Process for Digital Programmatic Ads With Zoe Marketing

Targeted digital ads, or programmatic ads, help drive impressions, clicks and awareness with a highly aligned audience. And Zoe Marketing & Communications is ready to make your programmatic ads campaign a reality.

If you've signed on with Zoe — or one of our sister companies, Metro Parent in metro Detroit or Chicago Parent in Chicagoland — we know you're ready to get your programmatic ads up and running. And we're here to help.

This blog breaks down our programmatic ads onboarding process clearly and concisely. We'll outline the six steps we address with clients just like you each year:

1. Who you’ll be working with and how to reach them
2. Data you’ll need to supply for programmatic ads
3. How ad content ideation/art selection works (and how often it needs updating)
4. Google Analytics access
5. Deadlines and why they matter
6. Pivots and reports on programmatic ads

The Zoe team is committed to your success and making the process as stress-free as possible. Here’s how it works.

Step 1: Who you’ll be working with and how to reach them

You’ll have 2-3 contacts in the programmatic ads process. You'll receive email addresses for each. And you can reach out to any of them with questions; they'll point you in the right direction.

1. Your marketing strategist

This is the person you signed on with. They'll reach out to you first to get insights into the audience you're trying to target. (More on that in step 2.)

2. Your marketing analyst

This person will reach out to you to get — or arrange to create — your ads in the required sizes.

3. Your content editor (possibly)

Depending on your marketing plan, you also might work with a content editor. They'll help you craft your campaign message and make it successful.

Step 2: Data you’ll need to supply for programmatic ads

Think about who you want to reach. After all, you want to ensure your programmatic ads reach the best possible audience.

"Targeting" that audience is serious business. We target the people most likely to use your service or frequent your business, so more of them will convert and become your customers.

We'll ask you questions to help hone in on the right audience. Two common factors include:

1. Demographics

Focus on people most likely to fit the characteristics of your ideal customer:

• ZIP codes/geographic region
• Household income
• Number of children in the household
• Ages of children
• Education level
• Martial status
• Gender

2. Behavior

This separate category isolates information based on people's online habits. For instance, if you're focused on outdoor activities, you could select options like "kayaking" and "gardening."

Step 3: How ad content ideation/art selection works (and how often it needs updating)

Ad sizes

We need — or will help you create — six key ad sizes: 

• 300x250 pixels
• 728x90 pixels
• 320x50 pixels
• 160x600 pixels
• 300x600 pixels
• 300x50 pixels

This variety helps your programmatic ads get more clicks — and gives more flexibility on where to serve those ads.

These ads are all about your message, so that message is essential. That means focusing on content and art (read our blog about creating successful digital ads to learn more).

Content (the words)

Short, punchy and to the point: That’s the name of the game. Three lines of text, max, is all you need. We'll help you craft a message that delivers. The two most important factors are:

• Value proposition: This is where eyes go first. What are you offering? What makes you different? Why should someone click?
• Call to action (CTA): This is the action you want people to take. It should create a little urgency. For instance, "Click here," "Learn more" or "Buy now."

Art (the look)

Be prepared to supply your logo. As far as other images or color schemes/aesthetics, our creative team will help you create an impactful ad that complements your landing page.

Updating ads

It's important to update those ads every 30 days — 45 max. It's a balancing act: You want repetition because folks usually don't click the first time. But if they see the same ad too many times, they'll develop "ad blindness” and tune you out.

Our team will work with you on these monthly updates, whether it's getting new ads from you or us creating a new concept for you.

Step 4: Google Analytics access

Another quick step is to grant Zoe “viewer” access to your Google Analytics, or GA4.

During the metrics reporting stage (step 6), we’ll access your data to determine which ads are driving the best traffic to your landing pages.

We look at page views, time spent on page, conversions and more.

Step 5: Deadlines and why they matter

Programmatic ads are a pretty quick turnaround — depending on how much help you need. Here are the two common scenarios.

• "I already have my ads created, and I know who I want to target": We can get your campaign live within 3 business days; sometimes less.
• "I need help creating my ads, and/or I'm figuring out who to target": We can turn these campaigns around in 5-7 business days, depending on your responsiveness.

Deadlines are vital. We want to deploy your ads on the timeline we set when we decided to move forward as marketing partners. 

We'll work with you if you miss a deadline to get your campaign live ASAP. But remember, staying on schedule is vital to keep your momentum going — especially for monthly updates.

Step 6: Pivots and reports on programmatic ads

We need at least 30 days to get data on how your ad campaign is performing and how people are responding. We need to wait to get feedback from the internet.

When to expect reports

Reports provide vital updates. They cover significant insights, such as what ZIP codes are clicking on your ad most and helpful demographic information. You’ll receive reports:

• Quarterly for a 12-month campaign (every 3 months; 4 total reports)
• Twice for a 6-month campaign (every 3 months; 2 total reports)

No news is good news

Things are on track if you don't hear from us much in between reports. We guarantee a 0.10% clickthrough rate. So if that's happening, we'll keep watch and make pivots if needed.

Pivots are part of the process

Programmatic ads sometimes surprise us. If we don't see the expected results, we'll make tweaks — such as a color or copy change. This is normal, and we'll contact you as needed.

Next steps for your Zoe programmatic ads

The programmatic ads process for Zoe Marketing & Communications is direct and streamlined. With the six steps outlined above, you’ll be able to approach this onboarding with ease. And if you have any additional questions, our team is here to support you.

Not yet a client, but curious how we can harness targeted ads for you? Talk to us. Zoe’s team will help you explore whether it’s the best fit for your business.

And, if you’re already using programmatic, learn how to take your targeted ads to the next level:

• How do I create successful digital ads that drive conversions?
• What is a retargeting campaign in digital marketing?