Chad Hamzehs

Traffic BlackBook
Ad Networks & Ad Server Tracking
Today’s Agenda
- Quickly Cover Ad Server Tracking

- Mention some of my favourite self serve and non self

serve networks

- How to deal with network reps

- Anything else you guys would like to cover related to

this call or otherwise
So let’s talk about Ad
Server Tracking
As you remember, we last discussed Direct to Site
media buys, insertion orders, and credit terms, but we
didn’t go into detail on Ad Servers, and really that’s the
best way to optimize and setup your campaigns with
media buying.
So let’s talk about Ad
Server Tracking
As I said before, an Ad Server is like your own personal
Google Adwords dashboard in a way.You serve, target,
track conversions, and split test from your Ad server.

You setup banner placement packages, rotate banners,

optimize, and much more within one interface.

If you’re going to get into media buying, it’s essential,

don’t try to do large buys or network buys without
one.
So let’s talk about Ad
Server Tracking
Since we want to always bill off our own ad server
numbers, we will want to have an IAB (interactive
advertising bureau, www.iab.net) compliant ad server.
There are free options but most publishers or
networks won’t let you bill off the numbers of a free
platform. And billing off their numbers is NOT advised.

Many times, an IAB compliant ad server will have a

minimum cost of $1000-2000 or more per month, just
for the server.
So let’s talk about Ad
Server Tracking
So instead of those companies, I use a popular ad
server company called:

• AdShuffle bills on a pay per use setup

• Depending on volume you will pay $0.06 - 0.04 CPM

• Pixel Tracking included up to 20% of ad serving volume.

If pixel tracking exceeds 20%, extra $0.05 CPM

• Great support!
Setting Up Buys in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com
Setting Up Buys in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

Once you setup an AdShuffle account, your first step is to

“Create an Advertiser”. Once you’ve done that, your
dashboard will look similar to this:

If you go with
AdShuffle, make sure
to go to the support
tab and read their
Advertiser Quick Start
Guide and Advertiser
Reference Manual.

They do a better job at

explaining the whole system
than I can do, but I’m giving
you the basic steps to get
your campaigns going.
Setting Up Buys in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

After that you will click on “Add Media Plan”

If you go with
AdShuffle, make sure
to go to the support
tab and read their
Advertiser Quick Start
Guide and Advertiser
Reference Manual.

They do a better job at

explaining the whole system
than I can do, but I’m giving
you the basic steps to get
your campaigns going.
Setting Up Buys in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

Your media plan is basically the outline of your upcoming

buy. It is just a general overview, think of it as a container
that will hold all your buys pertinent info.

If you go with
AdShuffle, make sure
to go to the support
tab and read their
Advertiser Quick Start
Guide and Advertiser
Reference Manual.

They do a better job at

explaining the whole system
than I can do, but I’m giving
you the basic steps to get
your campaigns going.
Setting Up Buys in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

Next step is to add your publisher.Your publisher is simply

the site that you’re buying off of. If you are working with a
new site, you will need to “create new publisher”.

Optional info,
I usually don’t fill
this stuff out
Setting Up Buys in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

After adding your publisher, you must assign that publisher to your
media plan. After that you will need to add a “package”. Packages
define how specific placements within them are served and counted.
Setting Up Buys in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

Next step is to “Add Placement”. Doing so allows you to specify details of the buy and the ads. Working with ad networks, some will want
1 placement per ad, instead of all ads of one size in one placement, so they can see which ad is performing best. When doing direct to site
put all sizes in one placement, and if you’re at the point of doing network buys, feel free to do that if the network is alright with it.

ROS is “Run of Site”. Remnant traffic.

For banners I select “Graphics” for the creative type.

I will select my ad size, and delivery method (usually iFrame
or Javascript)
Setting Up Buys in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

After that I will add my creative for that placement. Alternatively, you can add what’s called a “Targeted Creative Set”. This is
how you would specify on your end to only receive impressions based on country, state, DMA region, and even day parting. This
is great if you don’t want to just take your publishers word for it.You can specify a different destination url for each creative,
and if you wanted to also track via Prosper202 or Google A/B testing in addition to AdShuffle for some reason, you could
specify a custom url. AdShuffle also has what is called “Landing Page Groups” that allow you to rotate landers right from
AdShuffle and optimize based on conversions!

Here I have specified a LP Group as my destination URL

In this example, there are 2 landing pages in my LP group, so those 2 will be rotated by AdShuffle when
the ads are served. Both are weighted evenly, and the LP optimizer is disabled for now. I only turn on optimization
once I have enough data, as I mentioned in the previous webinar.
Setting Up Buys in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

Next step is to add a pixel. I like to add offer specific pixels for a
campaign just so I can see what offer is producing the best. I will then
place these pixels myself or get my AM to do it if I am doing CPA.
Setting Up Buys in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

At this point it’s just a matter of sending your tags to your publisher
or rep.You just need to right click your package name on the left
sidebar, and click “Traffic Placements”.You’ll be given this screen:

Usually I download the html and send it, but you can also send direct from the interface. I do a test send
and open the HTML file that it sends just to make sure my rotations and such are working. If you specified
more than one creative per placement, then when you refresh you will see your ads rotating.
Optimizing in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

So, once the trafficker at your publisher gets the tags in place, then you will begin to see
impressions flowing into your AdShuffle interface. There are a few sections you can start to see
actual numbers in place which tell you what’s going on:
Optimizing in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

So, once the trafficker at your publisher gets the tags in place, then you will begin to see
impressions flowing into your AdShuffle interface. There are a few sections you can start to see
actual numbers in place which tell you what’s going on:
Optimizing in AdShuffle www.AdShuffle.com

Like I said before, I will usually not use AdShuffles automatic optimizer until I get 100 clicks or so to each
element that I want to optimize. Below is how the optimizer looks once you decide to implement it. Usually
I start my sliders at 90%, 5%, and 6 respectively. Also, I will optimize by conversions in the lower portion.You
can also choose to optimize by CTR.You can optimize both ad rotation and LP groups.You will be able to
see which offer converts best as long as you setup pixels for each. The optimizer will adjust weighting of the
banners, but you are also able to manually do this if that’s what you like. Base your decisions off your ERPM
(eCPM) per banner/lander in ad shuffle.
Couple More Things About AdShuffle... www.AdShuffle.com

- AdShuffle now has what’s called AdShuffle Exchange. AdShuffle says “The exchange allows
advertisers to bid on ad inventory across other ad exchanges operated by Google, PubMatic,
AdMeld and many other aggregation sources and websites.” As always though, check demographics
of sites and networks you’re buying from and do your due diligence first of course. It appears to
work on a bidding platform, so expect pricing to be higher than going direct in some cases. But it
seems that there won’t be minimums in place, so this could be excellent for those starting out.

- AdShuffle’s support and quick start guides are excellent to help you get going. AdShuffle reps are
really helpful so make sure to leverage them to help you if you have any issues along the way. Using
an ad server at first might seem daunting, but it’s a fantastic tool that is essential. Like anything else,
just takes a little bit of practice.You can do CPM, CPA, Fixed Rate, and CPC buys through it.You can
do traditional media buying and even search traffic through some exchanges.
Let’s Talk About Ad
Networks
2 main types of networks...

Self Serve Rep Assisted

2 main types of networks...
Self Serve Rep Optimized
• AdSonar • ValueClick
• Pulse360 • Tribal Fusion
• AdReady/Yahoo Display • Casale Media
• AdBlade • Marchex
• AdBuyer
Minimums negotiable (usually 2k-5k)
• Chitika
A good rep can make you successful
• AOL Ad Desk
Huge amounts of inventory
• AdBrite
Very limited restrictions
• AdEngage
• AdToll
• Etology

Low minimums
Lot’s of Inventory
Varied transparency
Ad Server not needed
2 main types of networks...
Self Serve Rep Optimized
• AdSonar * • ValueClick *
• Pulse360 * • Tribal Fusion *
• AdReady/Yahoo Display * • Casale Media
• AdBlade * • Burst Media
• AdBuyer * • Gorilla Nation (niche network)
• Chitika *
Minimums negotiable (usually 2k-5k)
• AOL Ad Desk
haven’t used but looks cool in beta so far A good rep can make you successful
• AdBrite Huge amounts of inventory
• AdEngage Very limited restrictions
• AdToll
• Etology *

Low minimums ($50-100 deposit)

Lot’s of Inventory
Varied transparency
Ad Server not needed
2 main types of networks...
Self Serve Rep Optimized
• AdSonar * • ValueClick *
• Pulse360 * • Tribal Fusion *
• AdReady/Yahoo Display * • Casale Media
• AdBlade * • Burst Media
• AdBuyer * • Gorilla Nation (niche network) *
• Chitika *
Minimums negotiable (usually 2k-5k)
• AOL Ad Desk
haven’t used but looks cool in beta so far A good rep can make you successful
• AdBrite Huge amounts of inventory
• AdEngage Very limited restrictions
• AdToll
There are tons of other networks.You will always hear about
• Etology * new secret traffic sources. Some might be good, others not.
Only way to know is to test. The idea of this course isn’t to list
a bunch of random traffic sources. I want to make sure I am
Low minimums ($50-100 deposit) speaking from experience. If you would like just a massive list
Lot’s of Inventory of places to buy traffic, go here:
Varied transparency
http://www.3things.be/internet/useful-list-of-online-advertising-
Ad Server not needed platforms/
Although I’ve mentioned a few
recommended networks, I’ll
cover the ones which I’ve done
best with personally, and which
are the simplest to setup, have
CPC options, and low
minimums....
Quick Notes About My Recommended Networks
Self Serve Networks

Pulse360
• $50 minimum
• Very few restrictions
• Advertise by Channels or Sites
• Publishers such as CNN, CBS,
Fox, Weather Network & more
• Conversion Tracking
• minimum CPC can vary, some
placements very expensive
• They have a CPA setup as well

Best Practices Starting Out

• Target a specific category or even better a specific placement and make ads tailored to them and their demographics
• Try to take proven ad copies and proven campaigns. I recommend this for most network buys
• Once you start spending more, get a rep
Quick Notes About My Recommended Networks
Self Serve Networks

AdBuyer
• $10 daily minimum
• Few restrictions
• Audience score targeting
• Conversion essential
• minimum CPC vary, dCPM pricing

Best Practices Starting Out

• Use the audience score function to start
• Bid high and budget low. This tends to get more volume without breaking the bank
• Once you start spending more, get a rep
Quick Notes About My Recommended Networks
Self Serve Networks

AOL (AdSonar/AdDesk)
• $100 minimum
• Massive amounts of inventory
• Fully transparent placements
• Conversion Tracking
• CPC start at 0.25-0.30
• AdSonar is text ads, AdDesk has
banner inventory. AdDesk in beta,
they say they will have search
inventory too

Best Practices Starting Out (I am yet to use AdDesk as there are restrictions on CDN CC, so my suggestions are for AdSonar)
• CTR is a challenge on AdSonar. They will recommend you bid on broad channels or placements and drill down but I have found
better success taking proven campaigns and copies over to AdSonar and finding very specific placements that have high relevancy
to my offer/campaign. Write your ads for maximum relevancy. Keep creatives fresh.
• They have restrictions when it comes to re-bills and such so beware.
• AdDesk shows potential, and they have useful reps. I will test there soon with proven campaigns. I’d imagine drilling down and
making ads relevant would be best here as well.
Quick Notes About My Recommended Networks
Self Serve Networks

AdBlade
• $50 minimum
• Large Reach
• No transparency
• Conversion Tracking Essential
• CPC start at 0.50
• CPM start at 2.50
• Image/Text ad hybrid. 100x75
delivers most volume
• LP and offer must be FTC compliant
Best Practices Starting Out
• AdBlade can deliver a LOT of volume, but it’s pretty much non-transparent.Your rep is essential, make sure you let them know
your CPA goal, so they can attempt to pixel optimize towards that
• $100-500/day budget is recommended here but you can go lower if needed, but makes it tough to optimize. Test small and scale
from there.
• Again, use proven winners if possible. Ad format is “similar” to Facebook, so use shocking images if possible. Rotate creatives and
aim for high CTR of course.
Quick Notes About My Recommended Networks
Self Serve Networks
AdReady/
Yahoo Display
Network
• $30 daily minimum
• Large Reach through Y!
• Limited transparency
• Conversion Tracking Essential
• CPC & CPM
• Great display ad builder
• LP and offer must be FTC compliant
http://yahoomydisplayads.adready.com

Best Practices Starting Out

• Again, try to target exact demographics and avoid Run of Network. Try to target the channel which makes the most sense, since
our transparency is limited.
• Start low on budget and bidding and increase slowly, similar to Facebook
• Ideally you will be taking proven winners over here, but minimums are low so it can be used for testing. Use their conversion
tracking for channels or Run of Network, especially if you are using their RON for testing, which again I don’t recommend. Go
targeted
With these networks, you can use Propser202 to see
live traffic coming through SpyView, but for real
tracking here, use conversion tracking pixels provided
by the network. For AdBlade & AdBuyer it is essential.
The ads which are most profitable for these networks
will typically be shown in best position.Your CTR
combined with your bid will dictate profitability and
eCPM for the network.
Now let’s cover non-self serve ad networks...
These are Heavy Weight Networks Like....
... and niche networks like
A few things about these types networks....
- Your rep is absolutely essential to your success
- You will be placing 2 pixels. One will be the traffic
networks pixel, and one will be your ad server pixel
- That said, use an ad server

- With the larger networks especially, you won’t have much

transparency on where exactly your sites are placed
- Ideally you have already proven your demographics and site
categories by going direct to site, and can now negotiate for traffic
that fits in the channels targeted at your demographics
- CTR is typically lower here, difficult to get above 0.45% in many
cases. Offers which lend themselves to direct linking are suggested
(as we discussed in webinar 4)
A few things about these types networks....
- They are usually a large collection of sites. Larger networks
comprising of 15K+ sites

- Similar in this sense to GCN except daily budgets will be typically

much higher, and you will use your ad server to monitor and your
rep to optimize
- Pricing is normally CPM, CPA, or dCPM. dCPM is a dynamic CPM
which can vary over time depending on your campaign performance
and other advertiser bids.

- Niche networks will provide more transparency and a smaller

network of sites which can mean less risk.

- Don’t choose a network that won’t do pixel tracking and

optimization. Any reputable network should allow it.
A few things about these types networks....
- You’ll be choosing your network based on the rep. They are
essentially driving your campaign.You want a smart and experienced
rep that can hit your CPA goal within 10 days spending $500/day, for
example.

- Typical daily budgets will be $500-1000, high barrier of entry

- Don’t necessarily expect to be fully optimized back to your CPA

target within the first $3,000-5,000
“Grilling” the Rep!
Before starting a network buy, there are a few things
you should be asking your network rep:
• Find out if they work with a lot of direct response advertisers.
Make them understand that you will be watching ROI closely.
• Which verticals are they strongest with and which are
performing best on their network.

• How long do they foresee hitting your CPA goal and what daily
budget will be needed for that? Tough to get a concrete answer but
they should have an idea (50% of CPA goal within 5 days and 100%
within 10 days is ideal but campaigns will always vary)

• Are they brokering traffic through exchanges or does the majority

of their traffic come from a network of direct sites? Ideally it’s the
latter.

• Let them know you will be split testing 3 ads per offer, that have all
performed well ideally. They may have different recommendations here.
You shouldn’t have to test more than 4 per offer.
• The rep should be eager to run your campaign and have a good idea of how long
it will take to get optimized.
“Grilling” the Rep!
Before starting a network buy, there are a few things
you should be asking your network rep:
• You should be talking to a few networks and base your decision off
how knowledgeable and confident the rep is in answering your questions

• Call the networks initially and speak to a rep right away. This
will save you lot’s of time and you’ll be able to sense any
hesitation in their voice and see if their answers are natural.

• If you decide to go ahead and have all your IO terms in place,

including your CPA goal, make sure you hold them accountable to
how long they’ve said that they can hit your CPA goal. I lost a lot on
one buy because I trusted the rep a bit too much. If you have a
proven offer and funnel then they should be able to optimize fairly
quickly.

• If you start the campaign with a particular network, make sure you
place both the network and ad server pixels, and start monitoring as
traffic is coming in. Stay in touch with your rep regularly. Keep an eye out
for banner CTR of less than 0.15%. If you see that, ask about your placements
and channel relevance.
My Suggestions for Large Networks
- Take your time choosing a network based off the rep. If you go
to any conventions like AdTech, quiz reps in person, and make
sure you have your CPA goal in mind.

- Try to use proven performers. This reduces your risk and the
amount of spend needed to hit your CPA goal. Use large direct
sites rotating offers if you want to test, or of course self serve
platforms.
- I don’t recommend remnant traffic on the big networks,
especially to test. Don’t sign IO’s with more than a 24 hour out
clause here.
- If you’re just starting to go over to networks, consider niche ad
networks. Lower minimums, and they have more experience with
specific demographics and niches
My Suggestions for Large Networks

- If you have a successful international campaign, go that route.

- If you’re new to media buying and display advertising I would

suggest staying away from large networks for now, and focus on
direct buys. Test remnant on direct sites per webinar 4. This’ll give
you experience in using your ad server, and getting good at
demographics/media planning research.
- Sometimes on niche networks you can specify only a couple
sites to get placements on, this is an easier way of managing your
first few network buys.
 Networks can provide an enormous amount
of inventory but there are pitfalls. Conversion rates
and ROI can vary greatly from one day to the next. I
recommend only taking proven winners over to these
networks as it is less risky and easier for you to
identify if your rep is doing their job efficiently.