In an earlier era, when publishers produced print magazines only, their most important supplier partners were printers, paper companies, the United States Postal Service, reprint companies. That’s no longer the case for most media companies. Instead, the most important suppliers are technology companies—specifically those that comprise the elements of the tech stack.
Today media companies operate in a multichannel digital environment encompassing content, sales, marketing, IT, ad tech, audience engagement and lots more. They rely on technology companies to deliver efficient, forward looking, scalable solutions. And they rely on technology companies whose products interact with many other platforms in ways that make the work of those content producers, sales teams, marketers both easier and smarter. Those frontline professionals need real time, actionable information whose emphasis is on them connect the dots.
One of those tech companies is Aysling, whose products include multiple SaaS platforms including AdOrbit, which the company describes as an all-in-one ad revenue platform. AdOrbit has an incredibly broad range of features, covering the sales process from inception to billing. It can track revenue forecasts, create proposals, book ad inventory in real time, get e-signatures, and capture payment methods. It allow automated processing for ad assignments, status updates, and customer notifications. It can do billing and track payments, plus get insights into revenue forecasting, aging, and cost of goods sold.
Clients can sign orders, submit ad materials, approve proofs, pay invoices, view campaign performance details, and generate account statements online. Perhaps most important, AdOrbit integrates with more than a dozen apps, including some of the largest media and tech brands.
Nick Pataro.
We recently caught up with AdOrbit Director of Sales Nick Pataro for a discussion of the state of the industry, and where a solution like AdOrbit fits.
Fox Tales: Ad Orbit has an incredible range of services packed into a single software platform. Which features are most popular, or mentioned most as a “must-have” for prospects?
Nick Pataro: All of them! Only kidding. Over the past year, publishers have had a greater need for an order-management module that can keep up with the changing industry and products they want to offer. With live-inventory reporting, automated ad-server handoffs, and material collection, we can work with a wide range of media types and help the team keep their sanity.
Fox Tales: Related question: What are the areas where publishers are not served well by the market, and that Ad Orbit fixes?
Pataro: We see a lot of publishers expanding their digital ad product offerings but struggle to provide performance reports to clients. Either folks are spending loads of money building their own data warehouse or they’re throwing bodies at the problem. Ad Orbit provides a white-labeled portal where advertisers can sign contracts, upload creative, approve proofs, pay invoices and view campaign-performance reports. This is a time saver for publishers, and advertisers love the self-service portal.
Fox Tales: What CRM innovations are coming down the pike in the next year or two?
Pataro: How can I respond to this question and not mention A.I.? We’ve invested in adding ChatGPT as an integration that allows users to better create call summaries, draft emails, and gain insights from their data. Continued investment here will create solutions that can accurately forecast revenue, help managers become better coaches, and improve product recommendations to increase share of wallet.
Fox Tales: Tell us how your business is affected by AI, either internally as a company, or in terms of the features that your customers need.
Pataro: I spoke a bit about this in the last question. In addition to the above, we’re using AI to better assist our customers when they need guidance from our team. Primarily, we’ll aim to do this through a chatbot and through our help center.
Fox Tales: In the “Plays Well With Others” section of your website, you list 18 brands that you integrate with. From my own experience, integrations are challenging and don’t always work smoothly for clients. How does Aysling/Ad Orbit address that?
Pataro: Integrations are tricky. No doubt about it. Before pushing forward with a new integration, we almost always partner with a publisher to help us scope the workflow and test our initial iterations. Without this type of feedback, we risk building a really fancy car that nobody will drive.
Fox Tales: What else should we share with the Fox Tales readers that you, or Aysling, believe your customers and prospects should know about?
Pataro: We just released a report about Ad Trends in Q4 of 2023. If you’re curious to learn about how you stack up to the competition or other industry verticals, take a peek: https://www.adorbit.com/trend-report/.