The Evolving and Critical Role of Ad Ops Specialists

Ad operations — or ad ops for short — refers to the tasks and processes that support digital advertising. As a marketer, you can use ad ops to optimize your ads, deliver targeted marketing to your customers, increase referrals to your website and analyze your marketing material. Alternatively, you might have an ad ops department within your organization. In short, ad ops are an essential component of any marketing campaign. Here’s how ad ops have evolved over the last few years.

How Has Ad Ops Evolved?

Ad ops professionals used to perform A/B tests and get rid of malware and pop ups. In fact, ad ops was more of a technical role, rather than a marketing one. Today, ad ops teams use the latest marketing techniques to promote products and services. They research and execute new ad services. They schedule ad campaigns. They use analytics to track the progress of these campaigns.

An ad ops team is presided over by an ad ops manager, whose duties include, ‘scheduling and implementing advertising campaigns, monitoring requests from team members and coaching team members as needed.

New marketing trends have influenced ad ops teams. In recent years, the rise of programmatic advertising — a process where marketers use automated software to purchase digital ad space — has played a crucial role in the monetization of websites. Ad ops professionals use programmatic advertising to personalize a company’s marketing and reach more customers. Now, 96 percent of all marketers use programmatic methods to buy ads.

Why are Ad Ops Teams Essential?

Ad ops is an important position in advertising. Companies of all sizes are looking for ways to generate revenue from digital marketing, and ad ops professionals have the skills and expertise to make this happen. As consumers shun more traditional forms of digital advertising — banner ads, pop-ups, pop-unders, etc. — programmatic ads still have the power to turn prospects into bona fide customers and boost revenue, and there are lots of statistics to back this up. Seventy-six percent of marketers think mobile programmatic ads are important, for example.

Ad ops teams use programmatic ads to increase the visibility of a brand and provide companies with a steady stream of ad income. These professionals might use desktop ads or mobile ads — or a combination of both — to achieve this aim.

Why is Ad Ops Interesting?

Ad ops is a rewarding role. Professionals working in this field will develop coding skills and build an analytical skill set. They work with other marketing specialists, project management teams and sales staff. No two days are the same — ad ops is a varied role with lots of things going on at the same time.

How Do Companies Benefit From Ad Ops?

Digital ad spending will total $83 billion by the end of 2017, according to one study. As more companies invest in online marketing, ad ops specialists can expose their brand to a whole new audience and generate more customers. These professionals help brands to outrank their competitors and become market leaders in their niche.

The role of ad ops professional has evolved over the years. What started as a tech role has developed into one of the most important marketing jobs in the advertising industry, with more companies using ad ops specialists to manage their campaigns than ever before.

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