Four ways to avoid the most common ad-tech traps

The ad-tech business has become increasingly complex because of the seemingly endless emergence of media channels, technology, and the Himalayan range of data that has to be collected, sifted through, and analyzed for golden nuggets of insights.

As such, there are numerous pitfalls along the way that make it treacherous for agencies and marketers alike to navigate. Here's a look at some of the most likely ones you'll encounter and how best to get around them using materials already at your disposal.

If it isn't integrated, what's the point?

There are a plethora of point solutions available and every company under the sun is trying to sell you some new technology to automate buying media on search, display, social, or mobile. Some are even offering tag management and conversion optimization solutions. While these are all fine and dandy and may even wow you with their individual bells and whistles, if they aren't integrated and cross-channel capable, they aren't worth the money.

Many agencies buy piecemeal solutions, only to find that they've created huge gaps that make measurement and attribution very challenging, inefficient, and potentially unreliable. Savvy clients place a premium on integration across all of the disparate online channels to better measure and attribute marketing, and maximize ROI.

If you want to genuinely maximize ROI for your clients and help them avoid headaches (and not create new ones for them), be a good service provider and provide integrated, cohesive solutions.

1.  Give them what they need, not necessarily what you have

Some agencies don't practice what they preach. They offer up the gospel on not trying to sell but to provide useful content and information that will engage consumers. And yet, when it comes to providing solutions to their clients, they push the products they have on their shelf, instead of having a bona fide dialogue with them to discover what they actually need.

Using one-size-fits-all approach is doing clients an extreme disservice. You need to act as a consultant and get their input to help you build solutions that meet their needs. It's about providing benefits, not pushing features or "speeds and feeds."

2. This little agency went to market, so this little agency got some

If you're not doing a good job marketing your agency, how can you expect potential clients to trust you to market them? You need to invest in marketing and positioning your agency so that prospects (and incumbents) understand all you have to offer. You could be shortchanging yourself by not practicing what you preach about content and educating your target audience about your product.

Your agency is a brand and it needs to be positioned. Clients are reaching saturation point and have lost patience with agencies that have websites as placeholders. They don't want ambiguity; they what to know your USP and what sets you apart. Most importantly, they want to understand your point of differentiation and how you would approach their business tactically and help them be more strategic.

Approach marketing your agency with just as much enthusiasm as you would in marketing your clients' products/services.

Demonstrate how your business model is effective and how you integrate research, analytics, media, and creative to drive client business and maximize ROI. You might have the most talented people in your agency, but if you can't communicate what benefit they bring to the table to prospects, clients, and the media, other agencies are going to continually beat you to the punch.

3. What we may have here is a failure to communicate

If you're not properly sifting through the vast data you've collected and doing the right analysis, you're not able to make the right connections between data points. This ultimately translates into a whole lot of disparate data.

You need to use technology and industry savvy to recognize what data is significant and what is not.

The goal is to find connections you can act on by arriving at meaningful insights. While automation can do some of the heavy lifting, you still need hands-on, human intervention with a keen eye to connecting the dots. Agencies that don't help their clients discern useful data from what seems like a bunch of numbers are about as useful as udders on a bull. Remember that data is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end, and that end is pointing you to the right message, using the right media at the right time in the purchase funnel.

4. Look who's talking too

Social media is prevalent. There are boundless conversations about almost every subject you can think of and you want to get in on them so consumers are talking about your client's products or services. Getting them the right content is important, but, you need to know what content they want to receive. That's why you must monitor their conversations to find out what they are talking about and how best to address their needs and concerns.

You also need to get to the right people on social media who can become your brand advocates. Pumping out content you think is important is a waste. It's not about you -- it's about your consumers. Stop creating content for content's sake. Stop, look, and listen to what people are saying about your products, services, competitors, and industry. Only then you can take the appropriate action to get the desired reaction.