New figures suggest online advertising fraud is on the up. In the
US alone, online advertising fraud costs the industry an estimated $8.2bn a
year (IAB, December 2015). The biggest impact
is being felt on cost-per-thousand (CPM) programmatic display and video ad
buys, where advertisers are often being over-charged for bots and non-human
traffic.
When planning an online campaign, taking steps to dodge the
fraudsters and working out where you can secure your highest return is key.
There is little point in having a huge impression rate, for example, which in
many cases no ‘human’ will actually view. You should implement a strategy which
limits this type of deception and also minimises the human cost involved in
managing fraud prevention.
Online campaigns can deliver considerably more transparency and
traceability than more traditional forms of advertising. Direct actions,
including click through, sign ups and conversions are easily traced and should
be integral to measuring the success of any campaign.
So what steps can you take to avoid the fraudsters and maximise
the success of your campaign?
1.
Know
what you’re paying for. If you are paying on a CPM
basis, remember that an "impression"
is just a measurement of responses from a web server
to a page request from the user browser.
In many cases, therefore no person will actually view the ‘impression’.
2.
Trade on reliable metrics. Cost-per-lead or
sign-up, cost-per-click, cost-per-download, cost-per-install and
cost-per-acquisition all deliver real, tangible results. By selecting a pricing
model aligned to your end objectives, you will drive results and minimise the
risk of wasting money on non-human traffic. Campaigns calculated on these later
stage metrics are less prone to data manipulation and offer added transparency.
If you’re setting out on a branding
exercise, however, then a CPM campaign might be suitable. When agreeing the
budget, just remember that 1,000 impressions doesn’t = 1,000 views.
3.
Utilise
online tools that deliver insight and reliability. To stop sophisticated
fraudsters, your campaign should offer robust multi-stage validation, clear reporting and alerts. Ideally, each campaign should
have a core selection of live KPIs that allow you to measure each
placement’s ongoing performance. With instant alerts and live dashboards,
you'll have the actionable intelligence that's needed to identify fraud and resolve
the issue.
4. Reduce steps in conversion journeys. We discussed the importance of shortening
conversion ‘journeys’ in a previous post - Keeping it real (time). Clever creatives, including form banners
and form overlays, can significantly improve conversion journeys. They enable
you to, for example, offer a special promotion, capture a ‘sign-up’ within the
creative and then automatically log users into the advertiser’s site
to redeem the promotion. Even the most sophisticated fraudsters
have trouble penetrating creative conversion journeys as these forms help to
filter automated, non-human traffic and reduce the steps in the conversion
process.
5. Select a bespoke offering. Ensure your
provider understands your target well and can design and implement a highly
targeted, bespoke campaign. A tailor-made offering will help to safeguard
your campaign by ensuring it is viewed and actioned by your target audience and
by delivering real, precise data.
6. Secure the best price/performance ratio. When
choosing providers, ask about the success of other campaigns. Ensure you are
selecting a provider with the best technology and a proven track record that
can deliver a high return on investment.