Performance-Based Ad Agency: Using Epom DSP to Increase Client Acquisition by 60%

Performance-based ad agency used Epom WL DSP to increase profits, improve CTR, improve ad engagement, and increase client count per month.

In this case study, we’re showing how the capabilities of Epom WL DSP resulted in 27 % higher profits for advertisers, 29% higher CTR, 23% higher ad engagement, and 60% more clients per month.

Performance-Based Ad Agency (name under NDA) is a veteran US company that provides services for multiple verticals from finance and iGaming to dating and adult. Years of experience, a huge roster of clients, and scalable infrastructure made the company one of the go-to ad agencies with an undoubtedly high reputation.

So what went wrong? The story is as old as time: the mix of self-serve DSPs that drained the budgets and struggled to keep up with modernity poured into a snowball effect of the industry’s classic problems.

Poor traffic quality, poor ad performance, and, most importantly, dissatisfaction of customers – all of these limited the company’s growth, and it was Epom’s task to solve these.

Part 1: The Sinking Boat

Our client came to us with one apparent and clear concern: “We want to increase our profits, but we can’t.” It was our job to dig a bit deeper and understand what lies behind the issue.

“Why does an industry veteran not attract any new customers?” “What do their users lack so much?” “Why is this seemingly beautiful boat actually sinking?” We’ve come up with a list of points to solve:

• Lack of Features

For years, our client has provided their advertisers with great service. But these days, service is not enough, you have to stay on the edge of the competition with modern features. Our client’s previous DSP solutions were limited in the number of ad templates, targeting options, and even basic customization.

What’s worse, our client couldn’t even market their DSP as their own. There was always a domain and logo of a third-party, which cast an ominous shadow on the brand image.

• Limited Traffic Options

As soon as we looked into the number of traffic sources our client’s previous DSPs provided, it became obvious why the advertisers earned below what was expected. Simply put, there were far too few SSPs connected.

• Poor Ad Performance

The decreasing ad engagement and lowering CTRs were the direct consequences of the issues above. Once we’d fixed them, only a bit of extra spice was needed to revitalize proper ad performance.

The problems were clear, and the solutions were slowly coming up together into a complete plan. It was time to get to work.

Part 2: Putting the Business Back Afloat

We’ve divided the measures taken into steps for easier understanding.

Step # 1. Custom Bid Markups

As our client came to us with the request of earning more money, we had to address this issue first. Luckily, we had just the right recipe for success, although a bit direct.

Custom bid markups do what the name implies, but there is a catch. The advertiser doesn’t see the final markup. So we created several advertiser groups: high and low-earning ones. The low-earning ones were left with a standard 25% markup, while their colleagues received a 35%.

As a result, we’ve managed to increase our client’s profit without disturbing their clients.

Step # 2. White-Labeling

White labeling is the juice of our platform, and from what we’ve seen, our client desperately needed its functionality.

Our client rebranded their platform completely. Epom WL DSP allows you to change domain, logo and even UI colors, so they did just about that. Now, their service was a lot more marketable and inspired confidence in both old and new clientele.

Step # 3. Expanding the Supply

Upon leaving their previous providers, our client was left with a small stock of supply. This wasn’t an issue anymore. Epom WL DSP comes with a traffic hub that has around 50 secure SSPs.

As soon as our partner ad agency understood the potential, they wanted even more. So, we showed them how to create custom traffic endpoints and connect their own supply sources with no additional fees.

Step # 4. Expanding the Ad Templates

Last but not least, we had to fix the poor engagement on ads. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that our client’s advertisers used repetitive and a bit dated ad formats, as there were few options to choose from.

Epom WL DSP comes with a plethora (30+) of different rich media creatives, from VMAPs to pushdowns. The new arsenal of ad formats allows the advertisers to launch campaigns catering to very specific needs and audiences.

Part 3: Sunset of Challenges, Sunrise of Results

All of the components were there and we didn’t wait long for the first results. Just in several months of collaboration, we could boast:

• Increased profits: The better and more efficient DSP stimulated the advertisers to make more ad campaigns with higher quality. As a result, their profits increased by 27%. And since our client now sets higher markups only for high-performing campaigns, their margin also increased (10%+).
• Improved CTRs: The expanded supply brought the advertisers more diverse and active audiences that found the ads relevant and clicked on them more. In numbers: we’ve marked a 29% CTR increase.
• Improved ad engagement rates: The expanded list of ad creatives as well as more relevant audiences, also meant that the ads performed better. How much better? The ad engagement rates improved by 23%.
• Improved client acquisition rates: From 5 new clients per month to 8, we’ve managed to achieve a 60% boost in client acquisition. The old clientele was happy with the expanded function, and the new ones were attracted by the company’s refreshed branding and new features.

Part 4: A Peaceful Cruise

With all the problems eliminated the performance-based ad agency can now finally grow. However, the waters of so many verticals are full of surprises, so we continue our fruitful collaboration and provide help wherever needed.

What do you make out of this one?

• Don’t stop improving even if you’ve reached great heights;
• Branding is often as important as features;
• It’s the small issues that snowball into large consequences.