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We remember the days when you had to purchase ads manually. Advertisers had to look for websites to buy ad space, communicate with website owners, and sign an agreement based on a media plan. Believe us when we say it was a drawn-out and frustrating process! Real time bidding (RTB) did away with all that, making it easier for companies to purchase ads online. Learn the answer to the question, "What is real time bidding?" and how to add RTB to your digital marketing strategy.
What is real time bidding in advertising?
So, what is real time bidding? Well, real time bidding is a type of programmatic advertising that lets you buy ads online in automated auctions. Unlike before, you don't have to communicate with publishers to determine how much these ads will cost or where they appear on a website. Instead, you can place as many ads as you like on as many sites as you like without any of the hard work.
How does real time bidding work?
RTB is a fully automated, lightning-fast process that lets advertisers bid on digital ad space in real time—often in milliseconds. Here's a breakdown of how it all comes together:
Supply Side (SSP – Supply-Side Platform)
Website owners (publishers) make their available ad space, called inventory, available through a supply-side platform. The SSP connects to an ad exchange and helps publishers manage, price, and sell that inventory.
Ad Exchange
The ad exchange acts as a middle man that facilitates the buying and selling process. It connects the SSPs (publishers) and DSPs (advertisers), enabling real-time auctions for ad space. Think of it as the digital auction house that hosts the bidding war.
Demand Side (DSP – Demand-Side Platform)
Advertisers use a demand-side platform to place bids on ad inventory across multiple publishers. The DSP evaluates each available impression and submits bids based on targeting preferences, audience data, and campaign goals.
In most cases, you won't be the only advertiser bidding for inventory. Other companies will want to purchase ads with publishers, too. So the advertiser that makes the highest bid is the one that has their ad displayed on a website. While this sounds like a manual process, it's not. RTB is fully automated, meaning bids and transactions happen in just a few seconds. Your DSP matches your bid to available inventory in real time, so you can purchase hundreds or thousands of ads automatically.
Real time bidding vs programmatic advertising
Real-time bidding (RTB) and programmatic advertising are often used interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same thing. Think of programmatic advertising as the umbrella term. It refers to the automated buying and selling of digital ads using technology. RTB is just one method of buying ad space that falls under the programmatic umbrella.
With real-time bidding, ad impressions are bought and sold in real time through live auctions. Each time a user loads a webpage, the available ad space is put up for bid, and advertisers compete for that impression. The process takes milliseconds, and the highest bidder gets their ad shown to that specific user. It's fast, data-driven, and designed to maximize relevance and return on ad spend.
Programmatic advertising, on the other hand, includes RTB but also encompasses other methods like programmatic direct and preferred deals. These approaches involve more fixed pricing or guaranteed impressions, often negotiated in advance, but still rely on automation to execute the buys. Understanding the difference helps marketers choose the right mix of automation and control for their campaign goals.
How can I optimize my content for RTB success?
Real time bidding is a fast and convenient way to promote your products and services to potential customers online. However, it's not the only way to achieve this goal. We think RTB advertising is even more effective when combined with search engine optimization (SEO) strategies:
On-page SEO
Optimizing website elements so your site appears higher in search results can also increase visibility. Gathering relevant keywords based on search queries, adding those keywords to content, creating meta descriptions, and updating links will help you rank higher on search engines and drive more traffic to your site. Use on-page SEO alongside RTB for greater reach.
Content Creation
Creating website pages and blog posts that inform, influence, and entertain your target customers is a fantastic way to improve your position on search engines like Google. Use content creation with RTB to get more value from your SEO and digital advertising endeavors.
Technical SEO
Upgrading the technical aspects of your website is also great for SEO. For example, optimizing your website for mobile devices can improve the user experience for smartphone users and boost your search rankings. Alternatively, you can work on page loading times to improve the user experience. When used with RTB, technical SEO can transform your digital marketing strategy.
Benefits of RTB ?
Real-time bidding (RTB) can be a game-changer for businesses looking to scale their digital advertising without the manual headaches. By automating the buying process and using real-time data to target the right audiences, RTB makes it easier to reach potential customers, optimize performance, and stretch your ad budget further.
No need to communicate with publishers
As previously mentioned, real time bidding is an automated process that doesn't require you to communicate directly with publishers. You don't need to agree on prices or work out the best places to position your ads. RTB does all the work for you.
RTB is Measurable
It's easy to measure programmatic ad campaigns with the latest tools and technology. Learn which ads resonate with audiences the most and which ads fail to make a splash. That can help you fine-tune your future campaigns and get more value from your digital marketing spend.
Reach Targets
RTB involves bidding on advertising space on a per-impression basis, meaning you pay for advertising based on the number of people who view your ads. That can help you reach more targets across the internet. While RTB provides many benefits, it can be difficult to execute. We discovered that 50% of marketers lack the expertise and knowledge to run successful programmatic ad campaigns. So our digital display advertising services prove useful for companies wanting to invest in RTB but don't know how to go about it.
How to set up a RTB strategy
You can create a new ad campaign by choosing a DSP like Yahoo! Ad Tech or Amazon DSP. (Remember, publishers will use an SSP to list ad inventory.) You will then set targeting parameters that let you reach potential customers interested in your products and services. For example, you can set parameters that target prospects in a particular region. Your DSP will determine a price to bid on ads, while a publisher's SSP will decide whether to accept your bid. An ad exchange such as Google Ad Exchange automates the ad buying and selling process. If RTB sounds complicated, that's because it can be. We recommend working with an expert to ensure your ads deliver the results you need.
How much does real time bidding cost?
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The cost of real-time bidding (RTB) varies depending on your targeting criteria, competition, and the quality of the ad inventory. Since RTB operates on a per-impression basis, you're only paying when your ad is shown to a user. Cost is typically priced through a cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) model. CPMs can range from a few cents to several dollars depending on the audience you're targeting and the demand for that inventory. The good news? You have full control over your budget, and thanks to real-time data, you can optimize your campaigns for better performance without overspending.
Ready to add RTB to your strategy?
Real time bidding is one of the most effective ways to get your brand's message out to the world. This automated process can place your ads in front of potential customers across the internet, increasing your visibility. While RTB is effective, it can be difficult to implement, especially if you have other tasks to focus on in your enterprise. Working with a full-service digital marketing agency like Symphonic Digital can improve your advertising efforts and increase SEO simultaneously. If you’re ready to get started with real time bidding, contact Symphonic Digital today!
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