Advertising software programs can help you navigate the evolving advertising landscape so that you can maximize your ad dollars. As advertising software becomes easier to use, you should take advantage of the expertise developed by advertising software solutions. Advertising software providers can get you the most visibility online, one of the largest growing segments in the world, with search engine optimization tools and other software for advertising agencies.

Software solutions for advertising agencies can provide information about marketing opportunities in television, print and direct marketing as well as online. Many suppliers of advertising software are breaking ground with fresh ideas and new forms of product placement. Buy software for advertising whether you are an advertising professional or a business owner who wants to manage your own campaigns. Find a number of ways to best utilize software for advertising.

1. Use online advertising software programs

2. Hire an agency to provide ad agency software services

3. Buy software for advertising yourself

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for web-based advertising management software

Much of the software for advertising available can be accessed through web-based providers who can operate the project online. Others offer programs that your team can run from your company with little more than usage fees applied. Look for a trial period before signing on for any long-term contract.

I recommend: Constant Contact offers a free trial of its online email marketing and advertising programs. Lyris will provide a free white paper designed to fill you in on all the latest technology available for web-based marketing and advertising programs.

Contract for ad agency software

While many of the new software solutions for advertising agencies are user-friendly and business owners are shaving consultant fees by running the dashboard software programs themselves, you may not have the time or inclination to do that. Instead, bring in an ad agency that can manage your marketing efforts completely.

I recommend: Revolution Media can create custom ad software and integrate it into a full-service ad campaign. Acclaro can offer any level of software development and management that your company needs.

Integrate advertising management software into your systems

The user-friendly options available in advertising software make working with advertising software easy and accessible for any business now. Small to medium and large-size companies can now eliminate the ad reps and salespeople in favor of desktop software that can operate your entire ad campaigns.

I recommend: LeadLife offers a number of different advertising software solutions that can be run directly on your desktop. Keep track of your marketing investments with software from Saipio.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If the fees and retainers you are paying an ad agency for advertising management software is greater than what you could pay an experienced professional, it may be time to increase your staff and hire someone directly to handle your marketing efforts.

Advertising software programs can help manage a small firm’s in-house advertising efforts or can help manage an ad agency. A growing number of advertising software providers are entering the market to provide solutions to handle the complexities of running advertising campaigns. That’s good news for advertisers and ad agencies.

Software for advertising agencies helps streamline a variety of processes, including scheduling, tracking artwork and reporting results. Indeed, the benefits of adopting advertising software are numerous, but include these efficient solutions:

1. Budgeting: Advertising software solutions allow everyone from graphic designers to media buyers to access the budget.
2. Traffic and scheduling: Advertising software programs electronically track ads through every step of the creative process and allow users to view important deadlines.
3. Online proofing and approvals: Key decision makers can proof ads at their convenience and instantaneously give approval through the advertising software portal, thus preventing the hold-ups associated with the traditional approval process.
4. Resource and time tracking: Many advertising software providers offer this essential component, which offers a breakdown of project spending and allows you to more effectively budget for future advertising campaigns.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Software for advertising agencies

Ad agency software can streamline a project from start to finish. This allows multiple departments to collaborate on projects and provides efficient traffic and scheduling.

I recommend: RoboHead software for ad agencies features project management solutions, schedule and workflow management, time tracking, online proofing and collaboration, approval management and digital asset storage. Advantage Software Company provides advertising agency software that features traffic and task management tools. Creative Project Manager enables ad agencies to centralize project management, document management and review, accounting and contact management. JobOrder offers custom enhancements to its software for advertising agencies to meet your agency’s specific requirements.

Advertising software programs for production

Some advertising software solutions provide tools for creative departments to share storyboards and ad mockups with clients and ad sales departments. Other types of ad software include budgeting tools in addition to production schedules.

I recommend: Saepio Technologies offers software for advertising that automates production, fulfillment and e-commerce management. StoryBoard Artist software gives ad agency creative departments the tools to storyboard and present ad campaigns to clients in a timely and budget-friendly way. Agency Central enables creative departments to offer online review, proofing and approvals to key decision makers, along with traffic and scheduling tools for production.

Advertising software solutions for sales

Software solutions for advertising agencies can centralize ad sales and media buying processes. Ad sales software and media buying software provides an instant go-to database to find outlets for ad campaigns and to budget and prepare ad campaign proposals.

I recommend: QuoteWerks and Ad Tracks ad software provide quoting, ordering and invoicing capabilities along with sales forecasting and tracking.
MarketingPilot media buying software allows ad agencies to streamline the media buying process for all types of media and to track creative, budget and ROI.

Online advertising software

Advertising software programs allow ad agencies and advertisers to track online advertising impressions, ROI and revenue generation.

I recommend: Sparklit’s Ad Butler software monitors and tracks online ad impressions from your website. AdServer Solutions online advertising management software manages rich media ad delivery, inventory, geographical targeting, revenue generation, live statistics and real time reporting.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before you buy software for advertising, decide if you want to use your own network to centralize the software or if you would prefer web-based advertising software that allows access to remote employees, vendors and clients.
• •  When implementing new advertising software, make sure your entire staff has been fully trained before rolling it out. Otherwise, you could face a difficult transition and costly errors.
• •  Advertising management software minimizes the risk of human error and reduces your chances of losing job jackets or missing deadlines.
• •  Many advertising software providers provide support online or via telephone. Some providers send out representatives to assist in training and implementing the new system.

Advertising software programs can help you navigate from your own desktop without the need for long meetings with vendors and high-priced sales rep fees. Maximize your ad dollars with advertising software that has become easier to use and less expensive to own. You should take advantage of the expertise developed by advertising software solutions.

Advertising software providers can get you the same visibility online that you might get from an agency that uses software for advertising agencies. Software solutions for advertising agencies can provide information about marketing opportunities while supplying advertising software that is fresh and new. Find a number of ways to best utilize software for advertising.

1. Buy software for advertising to manage your own campaigns

2. Try online advertising software programs

3. Incorporate advertising software solutions into your corporate culture

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Integrate advertising management software into your systems

The user-friendly options available in advertising software make using advertising software easy and accessible for any business now. Small to medium and large-sized companies can eliminate the long meetings with ad reps and salespeople in favor of desktop software that can operate your entire ad campaigns.

I recommend: Marketing Pilot offers a diverse line of desktop advertising management software programs that you can easily master. Try a free demo of software for advertising from Sage CRM Solutions.

Go online for advertising software solutions

Oftentimes you don't even have to download any special software to your systems if you choose to engage in a web-based advertising software program. These operations typically allow you a trial period, which you should take advantage of as well. Web-based programs can be accessed remotely so that managers can exchange information and you can keep up with your company activities even when you are not there.

I recommend: Ad Serving Solutions will host your advertising and marketing programs with their online advertising software solutions. Expedite Simplicity offers web-based email and marketing options that you can manage.

Get your team to use advertising software programs

Once you've opened up the possibilities of running your own campaigns by using advertising software, you need to get your team on-board with the programs. Instead of calling on consultants to handle projects, your managers should be able to use their own desktops to display reports and manage marketing projects.

I recommend: Epic Advertising can set up software controls so that anyone using your branding ad software will be compliant with your standards. Datafest can provide your business with advertising software solutions that can keep your team on the same page at all times.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before choosing suppliers of advertising software, let your key employees try the free demos to see if they agree on the choice of programs. It will be easier to get buy-in from your staff if everyone participates in the final decision.

Advertising software can be a tremendous time and resource saver for both small advertising agencies and large firms. There are numerous packages on the market that offer a wide variety of features and functions that can speed up bookkeeping and sales. Advertising software can help agencies manage many processes, including lead tracking, landing pages and pay-per-click ad revenue. It can also help agencies manage their digital assets and media purchases, and provide a platform for online collaboration.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Lead generation

Some advertising software has features that can generate a list of prospective customers that have expressed interest in or inquired about a business' services or products. This process is called lead generation.

I recommend: Brian Carroll writes the B2B Lead Generation Blog.

Landing page, or lead capture page

Landing page is an online marketing term that is also sometimes referred to as a lead capture page. It is the page that appears when a web surfer visits a site and clicks on an advertisement or a link. Advertising software includes landing pages.

I recommend: To find out more about landing pages, go to Word Biz.

Pay per click, or PPC

Pay per click, or PPC, is an Internet advertising model used on search engines and content sites on which advertisers pay the host only if visitors click through the ad. Advertising software typically generates key word phrases that are relevant to the target market advertisers have identified.

I recommend: Brick Marketing has an in-depth discussion of PPC.

Media buying

Media buying means purchasing time and ad space in various markets such as radio, Internet, TV and print for the purpose of advertising. Advertising software companies often offer media-buying services.

I recommend: Dave Chaffey explains different aspects of media buying.

Digital-asset management

Digital-asset management refers to the process of letting users browse, search, download or order any image in the system that has been built for this purpose. Typically, the systems let you index and catalog images to allow searches. Advertising software often includes this function.

I recommend: You can find more information at Digital Asset Management.

Online collaboration and proofing

Online collaboration and proofing is the process of allowing multiple users in scattered locations and various time zones to review advertising copy. Advertising software can collect, track and manage users' feedback.

I recommend: Aquent discusses online collaboration and how it is used in its software program, RoboHead.