I’ve been working with DMX publishers for as long as there’s been a DMX. I have helped publishers from dozens of countries, with very different backgrounds, and with very different sites, and I’ve learned one thing: they’re not that different after all. There are some behaviors that are shared by many of our most successful publishers, so I’d like to present you with some of their best practices, so you can use them and maybe even make lots of money:

1. DMX is very different from a traditional network. The most successful (read: highest-earning) publishers on DMX don’t just traffic DMX tags into an outside platform to pick up their defaults, they use it as it was intended—as a platform to help them manage their advertising deals. With all of your deals trafficked into DMX, you can leverage all of its power to manage as much of your advertising as possible, forcing both your linked networks and your external deals to compete with one another, earning you as much as possible.
2. More competition is always better. Always. Link to as many networks as you can, while still meeting minimums and receiving checks as often as necessary. Ad campaigns are in constant flux and having a standing relationship with a network ensures that you have access when those rockstar campaigns come through! Use the Analyze tab to narrow down the areas where you have the lowest CPMs and fill, and work to find new partners to improve performance in those areas.
3. Pricing in Manage: update often. While some of your placements may be deals that you sold yourself at set CPMs, odds are that some of them are networks that aren’t a part of DMX. The CPMs those networks are paying fluctuate just as much as the CPMs from DMX networks, so updating placements on a weekly basis to make sure that the price in DMX reflects what you’re really earning is a very simple way to maximize your revenue. Even a one cent difference between the price you have set and the price they’re paying can really add up! Think about it—if Network X wins a bunch of your inventory at $0.75, then only pays $0.65, you could be losing out on revenue if the linked networks would’ve paid between $0.66 and $0.74. Similarly, if you have a placement at $0.75, but it’s really paying $1, the linked networks could be winning auctions for as low as $0.76. (more…)

This Wednesday a few members will set out to rep for the DMX team at Twiistup. The unique conference is held in Santa Monica at the swanky Viceroy Hotel and it features influential bloggers, investors, techies, and fellow industry pros. We’re excited to be a sponsor and we’re looking forward to rubbing elbows with some of our publishers and network friends.

If you’re a publisher, a Right Media Exchange client or friend, or simply in Santa Monica and want to learn more about DMX, then we want to meet you! Shoot me an email at kkitchel@rightmedia.com.

For many years now, I’ve been working on a publisher product, Direct Media Exchange and acting as a publisher advocate for Right Media working to help maintain the Internet as an open, transparent and evolving ecosystem.

That’s why I was glad to see that the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced a new effort to broaden the coalition of publishers on the web who are shaping industry standards. I encourage all publishers to check out this opportunity to join this important organization (and get some nice membership benefits along the way!)

As the 4^th of July draws near, we find ourselves preparing yet again for a day of exciting, somewhat wholesome, good American fun. You might be planning a picnic or a barbeque, or getting out of town, or waiting to be invited to a party, or planning a nice night in with the family. Here in Eugene we have great firework shows at the local baseball stadium, we’re stocking up on PBR (not only is it delicious but the cans are red, white and blue) and some of us are making the pilgrimage north to the great state of Washington where a seedy store called Blackjack’s sells fireworks that aren’t legal in Oregon.

Beyond all the festivities, though, there is one major topic that I know each one of us really reflects on this time of year: Frequency Capping.

Here are some tips from the Direct Media Exchange team:

Cam says: “Make sure to cap! It helps increase your fill rate from outside third-party networks. It stops sending them the impressions that they would normally send to default. And don’t forget to stick a feather in your frequency cap!”

Joe says: “Find out when your impressions are defaulting and set them appropriately— don’t just put caps on arbitrarily. Adjust your frequency caps and see how your fill rate is affected. For example, if your cap is set at 3 per 24 hours, and you’re still getting defaults, you should adjust the cap to 2 per 24 hours. If you’re getting no defaults, you should raise the daily number.”

Chuck says: “Use the reporting tools in your 3rd party accounts to determine several pricing points based on frequency, then use DMX frequency capping to create multiple placements at those price points. For example: rather than 1 placement capped at 5 per user per day set at $.20 eCPM, you might have a placement at 1 per user per day at $.60 eCPM, another at $.20 eCPM at 2 per user per day, and a third at $.10 at 2 per user per day to more accurately reflect the pricing at your third party.”

I say: “This might take some practice, because frequency capping is an art, not a science. The DMX forum is a great place to go for community support, and remember that the DMX team is always here for you too.”