Advertising as a small business can feel like trying to get into a country club, where just a few people have all the access. Tech giants like Google and Meta dominate the paid search and social advertising ecosystems respectively. And with publisher control over traditional advertising like cable TV, print, and billboards, it feels like you have to know someone to get a good deal. Fixed market rates for these mediums further complicate the ability for small and mid-size companies to navigate the marketing landscape.
Programmatic marketing is the one area that can level the playing field with an ecosystem built on open access to valuable advertising inventory. Programmatic advertising is a powerful tool for businesses of virtually any size to reach new customers. When paired with the right mix of fraud protection, low-cost targeting, and precision-targeted placements, businesses can advertise their products more efficiently than ever before. Programmatic marketing gives small businesses the opportunity to leave a similar impact as big brands who use this strategy like Nike or Coca-Cola.
Other accessible advertising mediums aren’t always what they seem. An option like billboard advertising may seem affordable on paper, but you have no way of knowing how many people actually saw your billboard. The billboard company will give you their estimate on the number of cars passing by and the average population sizes in those vehicles, and use this estimate to set your price, and offer you a deal of $5 CPM ($5 per 1,000 impressions).Well, when you figure that very few drivers are able to read and engage with a billboard, and half of passengers are on their phone while riding in a car, your true CPM might be $15-$20. Then, when you layer in the fact that perhaps less than 50% of the people seeing the billboard fit the profile of your target customer, your cost per 1,000 impressions could exceed $40!
With programmatic marketing, businesses of all sizes can make the most of their advertising dollars. With direct control over which zip codes your ads are seen in, control over the type of content you want your ad shown alongside, and the ability to tell a compelling story about your brand with animated creative; you can ensure you’re only reaching your target customers. leading advertisers like Awarity offer detailed reporting on campaign performance and accessible monthly minimums as low as $299/month. CPM’s can stay around $2-$3, offering an affordable, and highly efficient way for small businesses to build their brand, and level the playing field against large corporations. To learn more about how you can take advantage of programmatic marketing, visit our banner ads page.
