When advertisers commit to putting dollars behind mobile marketing objectives — user growth, retention, etc. — 99% of the time their focus, and budget, goes to the channels their team knows best: search and social.

This is not without good reason. The scale, efficiency, self-service platforms, and reputation for performance make them natural “Plan A” choices.

But is this really a media plan? Or just two familiar, easy-to-choose channels?

As with any marketing channel, however, there will come a point (or spend level) where these two channels no longer yield the desired results. No matter how many creative updates, bid type tests, or placement level optimizations you try, the cost curves will begin to plateau. The marginal cost per X will flirt with being economically unsustainable.

So what’s “Plan B?” Is there a way to structure a media plan from the beginning to help mitigate the impact of this?

Enter: Mobile DSPs.

The benefits of mobile DSPs

Mobile DSPs are platforms that enable advertisers to manage and optimize mobile ad campaigns across multiple ad networks, publishers, and exchanges. These platforms use algorithms to automatically buy, serve, and optimize ads in real-time, based on data signals like location, behavior, and context. By using mobile DSPs, advertisers can target the right audience, at the right time, and with the right message, leading to increased ROI and higher engagement rates.

Here are three reasons why advertisers should use mobile DSPs when they’ve hit the point of diminishing returns with search and social ad networks:

1. Access to multiple inventory sources – Mobile DSPs provide access to multiple ad networks and publishers, allowing advertisers to reach a wider audience. This is especially important as mobile users are increasingly fragmented across different apps, websites, and social media platforms. By using a mobile DSP, advertisers can target users across various channels, ensuring that they reach their desired audience, regardless of where they are.

2. Granular targeting options – Mobile DSPs offer granular targeting options, allowing advertisers to target users based on specific attributes like location, device type, behavior, and context. This level of targeting ensures that ads are served to the most relevant audience, leading to higher engagement rates and increased ROI.

3. Transparent reporting and analytics – Mobile DSPs provide transparent reporting and analytics, allowing advertisers to track the performance of their campaigns down to the site and placement level. This enables them to make data-driven decisions and optimize campaigns for maximum ROI. With access to granular data, advertisers can also gain valuable insights into their audience, helping them to refine their targeting strategies for future campaigns.

What you need to know about mobile DSPs

It should be said that this channel isn’t plug-and-play. To be successful, DSPs require a seasoned and sophisticated marketer who understands the space (RTB, supply chain, partner differentiators) and nuances of the channel (fraud, attribution, incrementality testing, etc). Because most mobile marketers primarily have experience in search and/or social, this skillset and understanding may not currently exist on your team.

This is when tapping an agency partner with specific expertise in the space can help. From strategy to execution, Agencies can help navigate any unknowns as you diversify your media plan, including:

• Recommendations on what DSP to partner with
• How to manage creative optimizations effectively
• Identifying and mitigating the risk of fraudulent behavior or misattribution
• Understanding how to target and track with less (or no) cookie or IDFA data

In summary, if search and social aren’t driving the efficiency or efficacy that they used to, mobile DSPs can provide advertisers with a powerful tool to reach their desired audiences in an efficient, effective, and transparent way. But it’s a big wide world out there – so I highly recommend partnering with the right agency to source and diversify your media plan with confidence. During my time at Twitter, I worked with FeedMob before starting my own consulting firm. Together we have tackled many of the challenges the world outside of search and social presents.