Google Ad Manager (GAM) is like the Coca-Cola of publisher monetization. Sure, it has competitors, but it still dominates the market in usage and name recognition. And it has widespread appeal for a range of different customers. In fact, it’s reported that a whopping 81% of publishers use GAM to monetize their digital properties.
The question now is: Why?
We know GAM is a service that publishers can use to manage direct and programmatic ad inventory across exchanges and networks. It comes in a free version for small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as a paid version — Google Ad Manager 360 — for advanced ad targeting and reporting.
But what’s so great about GAM that makes publishers across industries flock to its platform?
Let’s break it down. Here’s a look at the biggest benefits of Google Ad Manager for publishers.
1. Manage all your ads one from place
GAM is a centralized hub for digital ad sales and management. That means publishers can use it to handle nearly all of their campaigns, including website ads, mobile apps ads, video ads, and native ads.
Since GAM is a Google solution, it’s also synced with Google’s whole product suite, including its AdSense network, AdMob mobile monetization platform, and Ad Exchange marketplace. If you’ve made all your direct sales but still have available inventory, for example, you can use GAM to turn on Ad Exchange and backfill ads — so you can keep driving revenue.
2. Choose from of range of ad trafficking and delivery options
GAM gives publishers the tools to traffic and deliver ads according to their campaign needs. For example, you can set goals for impressions, clicks, conversions, and budget. And you can establish certain time frames and frequency caps so you don’t over-serve your ads to target audiences.
You can also set so-called protections for your campaigns to control which ads are delivered in which contexts. Say you’re running a campaign for Coca-Cola and Diet Coca-Cola. If you don’t want ads for both to appear on the same page at the same time, you can exclude competing inventory and even ads from other brands in the same market.
3. Access robust campaign reporting
GAM is known for its comprehensive analytics and campaign reporting. With GAM reporting, publishers can view performance by specific dates and break down data according to a range of factors like geolocation, age, device type, ad format, and traffic source. Publishers can also use GAM to share reports with colleagues and stakeholders directly from the platform.
With this reporting data at their fingertips, publishers have the power to optimize their campaigns and test new ideas for increased revenue. In fact, GAM will even automatically suggest opportunities for optimization and experimentation. All you have to do is apply the suggestion and keep tracking your results.
4. Forecast performance for greater efficiency
What if you could predict how many impressions your campaign will serve before you launch it? With GAM forecasting, you can.
Ad Manager lets you run traffic and inventory forecasts to predict how line items or campaign specs will perform. Basically, GAM uses historical data and seasonal trends to estimate how many impressions will be available for your campaign.
This way, you can better determine how much inventory to sell and when to sell it — so ad partners can meet their campaign goals and you can monetize your content more efficiently.
5. Tap into a sophisticated knowledge base
When you use GAM to manage campaigns, you’re not alone. You can tap into an extensive knowledge base of support information, articles, and training guides to help. GAM also offers a built-in community message board, where you can ask and answer questions about everything from blocking specific line items to transferring earnings to your bank.
6. Integrate with third-party platforms
GAM isn’t just compatible with other Google products. It can also integrate with a range of third-party platforms for more widespread use.
Jeeng, for example, launched its Native Ad Renderer to help publishers launch native email ads directly from GAM. Until now, publishers have had to manually hardcode their email ads in their ESPs. But with the Jeeng Renderer, they can bring their email campaigns back home to GAM, where they’re already used to trafficking and managing ads.
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