by Ian Stern
If you're a publisher or an agency, you know how challenging and exciting the digital era is for your business. You have to deal with multiple channels, platforms, and inventories, and keep up with the ever-changing market dynamics and customer expectations. How do you manage all this without losing your sanity and your profits?
That's where unified workflows come in. Unified workflows are the solution to streamline your processes, increase your efficiency, and reduce your costs in advertising operations. They allow you to integrate your traditional and digital ad operations into a cohesive system that works for you and your clients. Sounds good, right?
In this article, I'll show you the benefits of unified workflows, the best practices for implementing them, and the future trends and opportunities in advertising operations. By the end of this article, you'll have a clear understanding of how unified workflows can help you navigate the digital landscape and take your business to the next level. Let's get started!
First, let me explain what unified workflows are and why they matter. Unified workflows, as facilitated by Audience Platform, bring together the processes and tools used for traditional linear advertising and digital advertising. This integration is not merely about coexistence; it's about creating synergies that enhance efficiency, improve targeting capabilities, and provide a comprehensive view of campaign performance.
For example, let's say you're a publisher who runs campaigns across TV, radio, print, web, and mobile. Traditionally, you would have to use separate workflows for each channel, which means different systems, formats, and metrics. This would make your life complicated and your operations inefficient. You would have to spend a lot of time and resources to manage and optimize your campaigns, and you would have a hard time measuring and reporting your results.
But with unified workflows, you can use a single platform for campaign management, billing, and reporting that caters to both linear and digital channels. You can easily capture, execute, measure, and report your campaigns across all channels, using the same tools and standards. You can also leverage the data and insights from both channels to optimize your campaigns and reach your target audiences more effectively.
This is not just a hypothetical scenario; this is what Audience Platform can do for you. Audience Platform is a cloud-based solution that offers comprehensive features for order management, campaign execution, and reporting, with seamless integration with leading ad-industry players. Audience Platform enables you to seamlessly blend your traditional and digital ad operations, and enjoy the benefits of unified workflows.
What are the benefits, you ask? Well, here are some of the main ones:
- Increased efficiency: You can save time and money by streamlining your processes and reducing manual work. You can also eliminate errors and discrepancies by using standardized formats and metrics. According to a study by Forrester Research, companies that adopt unified workflows experience a 20% increase in operational efficiency and a 15% reduction in costs.
- Improved performance: You can enhance your campaign performance by using data and insights from both channels to optimize your targeting, delivery, and measurement. You can also leverage next-gen currency billing, such as effective Reach, Frequency, and ROI, to ensure that you get the best value for your campaigns. Case studies from leading publishers and agencies show how unified workflows have improved their campaign performance and driven higher ROI for their clients.
- Competitive advantage: You can gain a competitive edge by offering integrated campaigns that span across both channels, and meet the demands of your advertisers. You can also unlock new revenue streams and business models by leveraging the convergence of traditional and digital. Unified workflows can help you differentiate yourself from your competitors and grow your market share.
As you can see, unified workflows offer a plethora of benefits for publishers and agencies. They can help you overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities in the digital landscape. But how do you implement them effectively? That's what I'll cover in the next section.
Implementing unified workflows is not a walk in the park. It requires careful planning and execution, and it involves a lot of changes in your organization. You have to assess your current workflows, identify your pain points, select the right tools and platforms, and establish clear processes and guidelines. You also have to involve your stakeholders from across the organization, such as sales, operations, finance, and IT, to ensure alignment and buy-in.
I know this sounds daunting, but don't worry, I'm here to help. Here are some of the best practices for implementing unified workflows, based on my own experience and the experience of others who have done it successfully.
- Start with a clear vision and strategy: Before you dive into the details, you need to have a clear vision and strategy for your unified workflows. You need to define your goals, objectives, and KPIs, and how they align with your business strategy. You also need to communicate your vision and strategy to your stakeholders, and get their support and commitment.
- Choose the right partner: One of the most important decisions you have to make is choosing the right partner to support your unified workflows. You need a partner who can provide you with the best tools and platforms, as well as the best service and support. You need a partner who can understand your needs, challenges, and goals, and help you achieve them. That's why I recommend Audience Platform, as they are the leading provider of unified workflows solutions, with proven expertise and experience in the industry.
- Conduct a gap analysis: Once you have your vision and partner, you need to conduct a gap analysis to identify where you are and where you want to be. You need to evaluate your current workflows, processes, and systems, and identify the gaps and opportunities for improvement. You also need to assess your readiness and capabilities for implementing unified workflows, and identify the risks and challenges you may face.
- Create a roadmap and timeline: Based on your gap analysis, you need to create a roadmap and timeline for your implementation. You need to prioritize your actions and milestones, and assign roles and responsibilities. You also need to allocate your resources and budget, and set realistic expectations and deadlines. You should also plan for contingencies and potential issues, and have a backup plan in case things go wrong.
- Provide training and support: One of the biggest challenges in implementing unified workflows is the change management aspect. You have to deal with the resistance and reluctance of your employees, who may be used to the old ways of doing things. You have to train and educate them on the benefits and features of unified workflows, and how to use the new tools and platforms. You also have to provide them with ongoing support and feedback, and address their concerns and questions.
- Monitor and measure: Finally, you have to monitor and measure your progress and results. You have to track your KPIs and metrics, and evaluate your performance and outcomes. You also have to collect feedback and suggestions from your stakeholders, and identify the areas for improvement and optimization. You should also celebrate your successes and achievements, and share your learnings and best practices with others.
These are some of the best practices for implementing unified workflows. Of course, every situation is different, and you may have to adapt and customize your approach according to your specific needs and circumstances. But if you follow these general guidelines, you should be able to implement unified workflows smoothly and effectively.
Now that you know the benefits and best practices of unified workflows, you may be wondering what the future holds for them. Well, let me tell you, the future is bright and exciting. Unified workflows are not just a one-time solution; they are a continuous journey of innovation and improvement. As the digital landscape evolves, so do the unified workflows, and they offer new trends and opportunities for publishers and agencies.
Here are some of the future trends and opportunities that I see for unified workflows:
- Emerging technologies: Technology is the driving force behind unified workflows, and it will continue to shape and enhance them in the future. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain hold immense potential for improving unified workflows in advertising operations. AI-powered automation can streamline repetitive tasks, while blockchain technology can ensure transparency and security in transactions. By embracing these innovations, publishers and agencies can stay ahead of the curve and drive innovation in advertising operations.
- New channels and formats: The digital landscape is constantly expanding and diversifying, and new channels and formats are emerging every day. Publishers and agencies have to keep up with these changes, and adapt their unified workflows accordingly. For example, the rise of streaming services, podcasts, and social media platforms offer new opportunities for reaching and engaging audiences. Unified workflows can help publishers and agencies integrate these new channels and formats into their campaigns, and leverage their unique features and benefits.
- Personalization and customization: As the digital landscape becomes more complex and fragmented, personalization and customization become more important and challenging. Publishers and agencies have to deliver relevant and tailored messages to their audiences, across multiple channels and devices. Unified workflows can help publishers and agencies achieve this goal, by using data and insights from both channels to create personalized and customized campaigns. Unified workflows can also help publishers and agencies offer more choices and options to their advertisers, and cater to their specific needs and preferences.
These are some of the future trends and opportunities that I see for unified workflows. Of course, there may be more surprises and challenges along the way, but I believe that unified workflows are the key to overcoming them and seizing them. Unified workflows are the future of advertising operations, and they offer a lot of potential and value for publishers and agencies.
In this article, I've shown you how unified workflows can help you master the digital landscape in advertising operations. Unified workflows are the solution to integrate your traditional and digital ad operations into a cohesive system that works for you and your clients. They offer a plethora of benefits, such as increased efficiency, improved performance, and competitive advantage. They also require careful planning and execution, and involve a lot of changes in your organization. But if you follow the best practices that I've shared with you, you should be able to implement them smoothly and effectively. And finally, they offer a lot of potential and value for the future, as they enable you to embrace emerging technologies, new channels and formats, and personalization and customization.
I hope you've enjoyed this article and learned something useful. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. And if you're interested in learning more about unified workflows and how Audience Platform can help you with them, please visit their website or contact them today.
Thank you for reading, and happy advertising! 😊
