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For a small business, marketing isn’t just about growing profits, it’s about survival. One of the biggest challenges small businesses face is getting the most out of a limited advertising budget. Luckily, there’s a smart solution.
Programmatic advertising helps stretch every ad dollar for maximum impact. By using data and automation, it helps small businesses compete with much larger ones. Let’s take a look at how programmatic can help small businesses grow:
Taking a Multi-Channel Approach
One of the best things about programmatic advertising is how easily it delivers messages across many different platforms. Today’s consumers use all kinds of devices—laptops, tablets, phones, and even smart TVs. In 2023, North American households owned an average of 13 connected devices, and that number keeps rising.
Programmatic advertising makes it easy to reach people on all of these devices at once. Instead of running separate campaigns for each platform, advertisers can show ads wherever their audience is spending time. This helps create steady visibility and builds brand awareness naturally over time.
The more often someone sees your brand, the more familiar and trustworthy it becomes. That trust leads to better-quality conversions, customers who actually understand and believe in what you’re offering.
A multi-channel strategy can also save money in the long run. By reaching users more efficiently across platforms, people tend to convert faster. That means fewer total ads are needed to get results, making each advertising dollar go further.
Bidding Smarter, Not Higher.
Small businesses can’t outspend huge corporations for top ad placements, and they don’t need to. In digital advertising, success doesn’t come from spending the most money; it comes from spending it wisely.
Strategic bidding focuses on guiding consumers through the buying journey. Instead of paying big money to show your ad to everyone, programmatic platforms use data to target the right people at the right time. That means lightly introducing your message first, building interest, and then following up when customers are ready to act.
Small businesses can also explore private marketplaces (PMPs): special ad exchanges that focus on niche audiences. While the cost per placement can be a bit higher, the competition is lower and the audiences are more relevant, which can actually save money over time.
Another key to success is keeping a steady monthly budget. Consistent spending helps programmatic systems learn and improve over time. When performance spikes, budgets can automatically shift to focus on what’s working best, while still running smaller campaigns to attract new leads.
With programmatic advertising, this kind of flexibility and responsiveness happens in real time. No guesswork, no wasted spend.
Real-World Examples in Action
Genius Monkey has worked with many small and mid-sized organizations that achieved impressive results using programmatic technology. Here are a few examples:
Canales Furniture
This family-owned furniture store relied mostly on word-of-mouth marketing, but wanted to reach more customers online. As a brick-and-mortor store, foot traffic would be the most important metric to grow.
Using programmatic display and video ads, they were able to precisely target their ideal audience. Since 2018, Canales Furniture has seen a 900% increase in in-person visits and an 887% increase in website traffic, showing that even traditional stores can thrive in the digital world.
Freed-Hardeman University
With graduate enrollment dropping nationwide, this Tennessee university turned to programmatic display ads to reach potential students. Hoping to increase website visits and applications, Freed-Hardeman launched programmatic display ads focused on student prospects.
Within just one month, targeted website visits increased by 108%, with faculty members remarking that site traffic was “crazy.” Nine months later, the cost-per-conversion dropped 89%, and the Director of Admissions praised the campaign for attracting “high-quality leads – the right-fit students who needed to find us.”
Trees for the Future
This nonprofit recognized the power of digital programmatic, but initially struggled to navigate the complexities of online advertising. Hoping to to turn one-time donors into monthly patrons, Trees for the Future eventually signed on with Genius Monkey for audio and display ads.
After launching its first programmatic campaign, donations rose 46%. After one year, 75% of all website visitors were arriving via programmatic ads. By optimizing spend toward mission-driven donors, the organization was able to maximize its impact without increasing their budget.
The Right Partner for Every Budget
Reaching the right audience at the right time is the key to efficient marketing. Genius Monkey has been a leader in precise programmatic targeting since 2010, helping businesses of all sizes get more out of their ad spend. If you’re ready to start increasing conversions, it’s time to get in touch with Genius Monkey!
