Many entrepreneurs and advertisers ask themselves the most crucial question: how do they scale their business? Which option should they choose: to build a technology stack from scratch or to use white-labeled software?
Of course, everyone looks at their conditions, opportunities, and requirements and, on this basis, makes a decision. However, not everyone needs to spend a lot of time and resources building their own platform from scratch. For most companies and brands, white label software will suffice. In this article, we will tell you what White Label advertising technology is, who needs it, what are the advantages and features of this technology, and what should you choose: White-Label Ad Tech Software or Develop It From Scratch?
Table of Contents
White-Labeling in software development: what is it?
White Label advertising technology is suitable for those who want more control over their advertising activities. This is a ready-made software product that the buyer can rename to his own to solve specific problems.
For example, imagine a factory that mass-produces T-shirts. They are sold without a tag, and their price is close to the production cost. Therefore, clothing brands may be interested in this and buy these T-shirts at a bargain price, print their brand name, and sell them for more. Why is this needed? It’s simple because printing your brand and delivering a T-shirt to the store will take less time and resources than sewing a T-shirt from scratch.
This is what white label software looks like. For example, some companies create advertising technologies and develop marketing software products that they then sell to other brands. Who might need this? Companies from any field that do not want or cannot afford to invest time and resources in the development process from scratch need such a product.
How does software white labeling work?
The main tasks of white-label software are resales and customizations. Thus, ad technology providers develop products with unique features that other organizations are willing to purchase.
For example, you are a company that wants to advertise in-house and get a customized digital advertising solution for their brand. You have two options:
Gather a team of developers who will create their own solution from scratch.
Buy ready-made software. You need to add your name, your own logo, and another corporate branding there. Then you can already use the solution within the company.
If you choose the second option, you will not need to invest much of your time in the project: you need to buy the solution and become the platform owner. In most options, you will receive white label software for rent: you can choose a monthly or yearly subscription. If you do not like the results or do not want to continue further, you can unsubscribe. And if you invest a lot of time and resources into creating your own solution, it will not be easy to give up because you will want to cover your costs.
One of the main arguments in favor of white label software is individualization. For example, each brand can add its own logo to the product, use its own domain, or change the user interface. If the platform’s appearance matches the company’s branding, then no one will understand that another company created it.
However, with SmartyAds white label solutions this is not all. Brands can also install custom integrations because they are now becoming the actual owners of the platform. They can access publisher data, the admin panel, and even the back end through the API to make the adjustments needed for their business operations, just like a developer would.
What benefits does White Label offer?
Let’s look at what benefits white label software offers based on a specific platform — SmartyAds.
You have full ownership of the platform
You will have full ownership of the software, allowing you to personalize the interface and change features as you see fit.
You have full access to the data and functions of the platform
White labeling your programmatic advertising tools gives you full access to platform data. Your marketing team can access your media purchase and publisher data directly from your platform.
You will not spend money and time on development
You get a ready-made solution, meaning you do not need to invest money and a development team and wait a long time to create a product you can use.
For example, White Label Ad Solutions from SmartyAds offers a quick start – they can launch a platform in a week with a basic set of functions, the so-called MVP (Minimal Viable Product).
Also, in SmartyAds does not have to wait until your technical vendor finds a team because they already have all the necessary specialists in-house, so they quickly start work.
You can develop custom functions
Software companies can improve your platform upon request. For example, SmartyAds, first of all, offers a product that contains a standard set of features that are definitely needed for a successful business. However, they can also fulfill all custom wishes of clients and test and implement them.
You get a working product that meets the requirements of the market
Advertising technology providers (let’s take SmartyAds, for example) ensure that their product is in line with the market. What does it mean? The product is tested and ready to work right now. If you create your product yourself from scratch, there is no guarantee. Sometimes there are cases when, after development from scratch, the software is not viable.
Quality Support
Simply giving access to the product and forgetting about it is, of course, not enough. For example, SmartyAds develops software and helps customers work with it: it teaches them how to work with the product and analyze statistics. In addition, it offers support to help with questions about working with the software.
White-Labeling VS development from scratch: main differences
How to compare these solutions? Usually, two indicators are chosen:
- How long does it take to create software?
- How can you personalize a product?
The amount of time spent can be limitless. For example, you can create a product for a couple of years and, after all, spend more time on maintenance and constant updates to keep technology up to date. How many companies are ready for this? How much money is needed for this approach?
Yes, there are advantages because you develop software specifically for your business from the beginning. However, most companies cannot afford to spend that much money and time.
However, they would like to have their own solution to implement some internal processes. In such cases, White Label helps.
Let’s analyze the difference between these solutions:
How to pay
White-labeling: A fixed subscription fee (for example, monthly or yearly) and a one-time setup fee.
Custom development: Unknown because it depends on the complexity and development time. All this time, you also need to pay salaries to the development team.
When to launch a product
White-labeling: Ready to launch right now. The maximum you have to wait is one week.
Custom development: You can spend years developing a fully functioning platform. After that, you need to maintain the technological level of your product.
Functions
White-labeling: You can customize them according to your needs.
Custom development: you develop based on business needs.
Service
White-labeling: This is what the developer does.
Custom development: you will need to deal with this separately.
Updates
White-labeling: this is also regularly done by the provider here.
Custom development: This is what your development team does; most of the time, it doesn’t happen regularly.
How White-Label Software Helps Digital Advertising Work
White-Label Software Platforms
This includes demand-side and supply-side platforms that automate the buying and selling of advertising media, respectively.
DSP White label
This software is based on RTB. It is used to buy advertising resources from several supplier partners at once automatically. The primary purpose of the DSP White Label is to connect advertisers and advertising agencies to complete the programmatic advertising cycle.
Advertisers can choose where their ad traffic comes from by allowing them to connect to custom supply-side platforms (SSPs). Advertisers can also manage all their programmatic advertising from one account. They also get access to data shared from publishers about your ad campaigns.
White Label SSP
It is an automated technological platform for advertising. Publishers use it to manage, sell, and optimize the ad inventory of their mobile apps or websites.
Publishers do not use SSP to negotiate prices directly with an advertiser. Instead, it operates a real-time bidding (RTB) auction.
White Label Ad Server
Imagine web servers hosting ads to serve them to the suitable media and the right audience. For example, ad networks use white label ad servers to help different ad formats on various digital platforms. These can be websites, CTV/OTT devices, and mobile apps.
To sum up
So which one to choose: White-Label Ad Tech Software or Develop It From Scratch? Development from scratch can allow a company to develop a product for a specific business from the very beginning. However, this may drag on for at least six months, and in the end, it may not be viable.
White-Label Ad Tech Software allows you to get a finished product that can be implemented right now under your branding and with the personalization necessary for a specific business. Providers also offer support, product updates, and support, which will monitor business needs and help analyze statistics and data received.
