In marketing? Here are 4 things you need to know about the latest in ad tech

Hearing the term “ad tech” makes most people think of data science and complicated formulas. While there’s a kernel of truth to this, ad tech is so much more. Over the last few years, it’s attracted a lot of outsiders, and the result is a much friendlier set of tools with an agency-esque ease of use.

Because of this, we’re now seeing companies and people move closer together in advertising transactions, eliminating barriers and unnecessary middlemen.

Ad tech opens you up to many opportunities. You now have a greater, more valuable ability to optimize, analyze, and offer companies behavioral data on the people who matter most to them. It’s still about targeting an audience — just across multiple touchpoints and platforms, with far richer data.

As long as you understand where you fit in this new digital landscape, you should be fine. But it takes a shift in focus, and you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the advancements and trends in this emerging industry. Here are four essentials you must keep in mind:

1. Multichannel integrations are critical

Technology has done more than take business virtual, allowing you to work whenever and wherever with whomever you like. It impacts the way people buy products or services, providing them access across multiple channels at any time of day. That means you must change the way you talk to people by integrating marketing campaigns across these channels to facilitate real-time conversations with them.

2. Pull rather than push

If you’re still funneling resources into push transactions, you’re wasting your time. People use search to research products or services prior to purchase, making push strategies less effective. In fact, trust in traditional advertising methods has dropped anywhere from 20 to 25 percent in just three years, so it simply doesn’t hold the same sway as before. Plus, there are much more engaging options to pull people toward you, and they often convert at a much higher rate.

3. Engagement throughout the customer life cycle is crucial

A business professor of mine would say, “What’s the difference between sales and marketing? Sales earns money; marketing burns it.” Not any longer. Previously, we found ourselves serving a strict external role, making noise to bring people in the door. With ad tech, you’re now able to engage throughout the entire customer life cycle, turning every interaction into truly trackable revenue-generating activity.

4. Technology must be integrated into marketing decisions

It’s no longer possible for technology to be outside of the ad buy, campaign, or effort. People now expect interactive experiences that are seamless, from the first interaction to the final purchase. Embrace ad technology in every marketing decision you make. Even legacy media has embraced ad tech as a means of proving value and gaining better efficiency.

Ad tech moves fast, providing the ability to pivot multimillion-dollar campaigns at a moment’s notice — something that those in ad tech have worked hard to make a reality the last few years. As ad tech groups seek to provide the next great iterations of their products, it’s vital to maintain an open communication channel so developers are satisfying real needs — and you’re able to execute as effectively as possible.