Advertising

Take the Decision Fatigue Out of Your Ad Mix

Deciding whether to test a new ad channel is made simple with this rubric

Take the Decision Fatigue Out of Your Ad Mix

4 Min Read

Marketers have a lot of options when it comes to ad platforms, with new opportunities popping up regularly. It can seem like a full-time job just to keep track of the shifting tides of advertising platforms, but it doesn’t have to be. With some organization before launching into a test, marketers can save themselves unnecessary time exploring platforms that won’t work for their goals or won’t fit into their overall ad mix. Eric Hatzenbuhler, MNTN’s Senior Digital Marketing Manager, joined MarTech to discuss the questions he asks before making a leap. 

A delicate balance between testing new platforms and optimizing the tried-and-true ones

“There are so many options and we have so little time….As the landscape continues to evolve, what to do with our time and our marketing ad dollars?” Hatzenbuhler began. With TikTok and other new platforms making headlines regularly, it can be hard for marketers to determine what is worth exploring or if their time is better off focusing on the platforms that have delivered results previously. How can they maximize their impact and make the most out of their ad budgets?

Create a rubric before leaping to a new platform

Hatzenbuhler shared a tip that makes it easy to determine whether the newest platform is worth a test. “One thing that I think is key…is just creating a structured approach. A consistent rubric will really help you evaluate and answer these questions on an ongoing basis…I’m sure we’re all familiar with setting out our annual media plan…and then something pops up. A new feature is released within an existing platform or a new channel finally becomes big enough that it’s hard to ignore anymore and then we sort of ask ourselves ‘what do we do?’”

Hatzenbuhler shared the questions he uses to evaluate new platforms in his role at MNTN:

  1. Do our prospects use this channel?
  2. What audience targeting capabilities do I have?
    • Can I reach my target personas/ prospects?
    • Can I retarget site visitors?
    • Can I target my ABM lists?
  3. Do we have existing assets to run on this platform?
    • Do we need to create new assets for a test?
  4. Is it brand safe?
  5. How much time/ knowledge is needed to maximize performance?
    • Do you need to adopt an entirely new skillset or leverage existing skills? 

Any test requires clear success metrics

While a rubric is essential to determine whether to run a test or not, that’s only part of the equation. It also needs to be clear whether a test was successful. “It’s important to establish those primary KPIs from a measurement standpoint before you begin the test. This is going to vary a lot depending on the platform and it should vary depending on the platform,” Hatzenbuhler said.

He advises that marketers should enter into these tests with the strengths of the channel or platform in mind. If they decide to test Snapchat, measuring the effects on general awareness is a great KPI. For a platform like MNTN, which is a stronger performance channel, a marketer should keep in mind their main performance KPI, whether that’s CPA, ROAS, or another key metric.

Connected TV hits the mark

Hatzenbuhler then provided an example, applying the rubric to a channel that’s been successful for his team: Connected TV. His team uses MNTN Performance TV to run their CTV advertising efforts and has seen great success, even beating out their paid search efforts. And it makes sense, according to his rubric.

Connected TV is a wide-reaching platform (most people watch TV) so MNTN’s B2B audience is available. And the Performance TV platform allows for sophisticated ways of reaching them, from retargeting to ABM options. His team has access to video assets that can be used across the CTV platform as well as social. Plus, CTV is brand-safe, especially thanks to Performance TV’s Living Room Quality inventory. This means that an ad will only appear within content that is served on a TV screen, is on a top-tier network, and is non-skippable.

Not only that but CTV is a seamless addition to an ad mix. It’s easy to set up–plus, Performance TV auto-optimizes throughout the campaign so Hatzenbuhler and team can focus their time on other efforts. 

Watch the Full Webinar

To learn more about determining whether to leap or linger when it comes to new ad channels, check out the full webinar here.