In the advertising world, run of channel (ROCC) refers to a single ad unit that appears on multiple digital video channels. Run of channel just means there’s a concerted effort to show the same advertisement unit, at least on a wide variety of stations, at different times. Chances are you’re already aware of the term, but what exactly does it mean? Here are some common uses and examples of run of channel: A movie theater chains its advertising to a single pay-per-view channel. The theater chain shows its movie trailer on the screen at all times, and a theatergoer who picks up the TV will then see the movie at the same time as watching their chosen show.
Channel Strategy The purpose of a single channel strategy can be very simple – it’s all about optimizing the cost per impression (CPMI). In the context of Affiliate Marketing, the Run of Channel (ROC) strategy is implemented by a merchant whose product or service is offered to a large number of prospects. The intent is to obtain enough impressions for the customer to buy, so the marketer must set a minimum CPMI to optimize cost per impression (CPMI). There are a few different ways merchants achieve this: One way is known as the ‘group impression’ technique, in which the marketer seeks to attract a large number of buyers for one ad, in order to maximize the revenue gained from that impression alone.
Another way is known as the ‘ads within channels’ approach, in which the advertiser demonstrates their product or service in one way, then creates a series of ads that appear on multiple digital media channels. For example, an Affiliate Marketer could create a Facebook ad, then publish that ad via Twitter, YouTube, etc. Then they could also tweet about the Facebook ad, or mention the YouTube video they created in their bio. A third way to perform this type of marketing is to have a page on your website that has links to all of your pages, and direct users to the relevant ad components when they click on the links.
The third technique we will discuss is known as multi-channel targeting, where advertisers to create ads that are broadcast to several digital channels, in an effort to gain several conversions. When the advertiser implements multi-channel targeting, a set of creatives are employed in order to take advantage of each channel. Some advertisers choose to create their ads in a specific way, such as displaying an image on Facebook, or creating a Flash game. Others choose to target their creatives to certain key phrases, for example, using ‘make money online’ or ‘earn extra money’.
Many of the digital channels used for this technique include RSS feeds and directories, but the most popular ways for these strategies to be executed are through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. In essence, all marketers must decide which medium they wish to implement this technique on. With some ad companies, they will work with publishers, who submit their content to the advertiser’s site. Other companies have an in-house group of creative marketers who target publishers on Facebook, YouTube, and other social media channels, and are willing to pay the publisher a fee in exchange for their advertising space. Multitannel targeting allows advertisers to target several channels at once.
Some companies use ROC in the context of search engine optimization process. This is done by creating a series of ad campaigns on certain sites and monitoring how many impressions (the clicks generated by users) are generated from those sites. The purpose of this is to determine the return of investment of that campaign, and to make any necessary adjustments. By monitoring the number of impressions, the advertiser can see which sites are generating less traffic and adjust their strategy accordingly. By applying the knowledge of Run of Channel and the optimization process of ROI, you will be able to get a clearer picture of how your ads are performing and optimize your strategies accordingly.
