Pete is browsing the web. He’s not looking for anything specifically; creeping on Facebook, reading local news, checking email. But, next thing he knows, he’s being served ads for hotels in the Boston area. Why is that? He doesn’t live anywhere near Boston. He doesn’t even like the Red Sox.
What he doesn’t know is he fits an audience profile. Advertisers around the world are using large data collectors to target specific audiences that they deem appropriate. Pete happens to be a traveler, who has visited the east coast within the past year, and is relevant to those hotels.
When it comes to finding those people who will engage with your brand, we need to get into their mind frame. Who has purchased products recently? Where are they located? Are they married, middle class, have pets? You start to think of the issues they have and how you or your product can solve them. Find your audience’s pain point.
The reality of advertising is you won’t be able to target everyone. Everyone is not traveling to Boston, staying in hotels. The key to smart advertising is knowing who WILL engage with you. You learn this by looking at past trends and your future growth market. You learn this by interacting with your clients, knowing what they want, what they hope for, why they choose you out of all other options.
Key factors to look at when finding your target audience:
- What are their past purchasing habits?
- Are there any social economic similarities?
- Are there any geographical similarities?
- Is there a common demographic?
- Is there a seasonality to your products?
Keeping these factors in mind when planning your next advertising campaign could be the difference in a positive return or negative. We now have the tools for making smarter advertising decisions – we just need to be aware.
Oh, also, Pete ended up going to Boston and he just had a lovely time.
If you’d like to learn more about audience targeting and how Programmatic Advertising defines your idea customers, download our free whitepaper by clicking the image below.
