Identity resolution and ID graphs have become critical components for publishers aiming to optimize their data management strategies. However, building and maintaining an effective ID graph comes with its own set of challenges. This blog post will explore three common challenges that heads of data at publishing companies face and offer practical solutions on how to overcome them.

Challenge 1: Adding New Data Sources

The Problem

Adding new data sources to your ID graph can be a difficult and time-consuming task. Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) often lack flexibility when it comes to ingesting new data, especially from on-site sources. Additionally, second-party data typically requires extensive cleansing and normalization before it becomes usable, further complicating the process.

The Solution

Partner with technology providers that offer managed services and expertise in data onboarding, cleaning, and normalization. Seek out consultative partners who can help you integrate and test second-party data effectively. These partners should provide tailored approaches to your data ecosystem, ensuring that your ID graph meets the specific needs of various departments within your organization.

Challenge 2: Maximizing Usability

The Problem

Making your ID graph usable for different use cases is another common challenge. Graphs may need to take different shapes depending on the use case, and different identifiers require various rules for normalization and linking. Additionally, some IDs may need special treatment during the normalization process, and adjusting relationships between IDs can be cumbersome. Determining the right approach can be costly as your engineering teams have to spend lots of time testing and learning custom solutions.

The Solution

Work with platforms that offer flexible tools for graph building and shaping. These platforms should make it easy to ingest new data sources through their SDK or your cloud storage. Look for solutions that allow you to easily change how graphs are structured to suit different use cases. This flexibility will maximize addressability for advertising and ensure that your graph remains useful across various organizational functions, such as subscription marketing automation or evaluating audience lifetime value.

Challenge 3: Adding New Integrations for Activation

The Problem

Effective orchestration of your ID graph requires seamless integration with multiple endpoints for ad activation, marketing automation, and internal business intelligence. Data warehouses-only solutions aren't well equipped for this as they typically require multiple steps for data to leave the warehouse before being used in another system. Establishing these connections can be complicated and time-consuming, making it difficult to act on your data promptly.

The Solution

Utilize an audience management platform that offers purpose-built connections to activation endpoints for various publisher use cases, including advertising, marketing, and business intelligence. The key here is the availability and speed of custom integrations. Platforms that can quickly establish these connections will enable you to leverage your ID graph more effectively, ensuring that you can act on your data in real-time.

Conclusion

Building and maintaining an ID graph is essential for modern publishers, but it doesn't come without its challenges. By focusing on platforms that offer flexible data ingestion, partnering with consultative experts for data onboarding, and using audience management platforms with purpose built-tools and quick integration capabilities, you can overcome these common hurdles.

Ready to optimize your ID graph? Book a call with our expert team today to explore how we can help you streamline your data management and boost your publishing efforts.