Our latest project highlights the power of AdOps.Ninja: replacing Zapier with a bespoke serverless lambda function to connect TrackDesk and Mailjet, resulting in significant cost savings and increased operational efficiency.

The Problem: Zapier Costs and Limitations

The client, a growing performance marketing agency, relied on Zapier to automate their workflow between TrackDesk (an affiliate marketing platform) and Mailjet (an email marketing service). While Zapier provided a quick solution, it came with significant challenges:

1. High costs:

   • Zapier charges on a subscription basis, with limits on the number of tasks (Zaps) per month.

   • As the client scaled, their usage exceeded the free and basic tiers, pushing their costs upwards of $50-$100 per month.

2. Limited Customization:

   • Zapier’s “no-code” platform offers pre-built integrations but lacks flexibility for tailored workflows.

   • Advanced scenarios (e.g., data validation, custom error handling) required complex workarounds or additional tools.

3. Performance Bottlenecks:

   • Zapier's cloud-based architecture sometimes introduced latency in triggering workflows, affecting critical operations like email automation.

---

The Solution: Custom Lambda Function by AdOps.Ninja

The client approached us for a cost-effective, tailored solution. Our team proposed a custom serverless lambda function deployed on DigitalOcean, designed to handle the integration between TrackDesk and Mailjet with precision and efficiency.

What We Did

1. Analyzing the Workflow:

   • We assessed the Zapier integration: every time a new affiliate was created in TrackDesk, Zapier pushed their data to Mailjet to create a contact and add them to a specific contact list with custom properties.

2. Designing the Custom Lambda Function:

   • Built a lightweight Go-based lambda function to:

     • Pull data from TrackDesk: Process new affiliate creation events (webhooks).

     • Send data to Mailjet: Create or update the contact and add it to the correct mailing list with properties such as Name, Country, and Affiliate ID.

3. Ensuring Scalability and Reliability:

   • The function was designed to handle retries, validate input data, and log errors for debugging using Papertrail.

4. Cost Efficiency:

   • The function was deployed on DigitalOcean Functions, leveraging a pay-as-you-go model with negligible hosting costs for the client’s current scale.

---

Implementation Details

• Tech Stack: Go, DigitalOcean Functions, TrackDesk API, Mailjet API.

• Key Features:

  • Validation of affiliate data from TrackDesk.

  • Custom logic to handle missing or invalid fields (e.g., assigning a default country if missing).

  • Error handling and logging for seamless monitoring.

  • Full encryption for secure data transmission between services.

---

The Impact

1. Significant Cost Savings:

   • Zapier Cost: The client previously paid $50-$100 per month for Zapier’s mid-tier subscription.

   • AdOps.Ninja Solution:

     • Development cost: 2 hours x $25/hour = $50 (one-time).

     • Hosting cost: less than $1 per month at current usage with DigitalOcean (10,000 - 15,000 execution monthly).

   • Annual Savings: Over $600-$1,000 per year compared to Zapier.

2. Improved Flexibility:

   • The lambda function was customized to meet the client’s specific requirements, including handling edge cases and being prepared to scale up for future updates.

3. Enhanced Performance:

   • Reduced latency in affiliate onboarding, ensuring Mailjet lists were updated almost instantly after affiliate creation in TrackDesk.

4. Ownership of Code:

   • Unlike Zapier, where workflows are locked into the platform, the client owns the code and can extend or modify it as needed.

---

Cost Comparison: Zapier vs. AdOps.Ninja

Feature	Zapier	AdOps.Ninja Custom Solution
Upfront Cost	None	$50
Recurring Cost	$50-$100/month	<$1/month
Customizability	Limited to Zapier’s options	Fully Customizable
Scalability	Costs increase with usage	Scales with negligible cost
Performance	Latency with high usage	Optimized, real-time
Ownership	Proprietary workflow	Full ownership of code
Annual Cost Estimate	$600-$1,200	~$62 (including development)

---

Why Choose AdOps.Ninja?

1. Tailored Solutions:

   • We don’t just offer generic tools; we design solutions tailored to your business needs.

2. Cost Efficiency:

   • Pay for exactly what you need—no expensive subscriptions or hidden fees.

3. Expertise in AdOps:

   • From ad network integrations to backend automation, we specialize in optimizing advertising operations.

4. Scalable and Secure:

   • Our solutions are designed to scale with your business while ensuring data security and compliance.

---

---

Get Started with AdOps.Ninja

Are you tired of paying for expensive SaaS tools like Zapier? Let AdOps.Ninja build a custom, cost-effective solution for your business. Contact us today to discuss your needs and streamline your ad operations!