Five Advanced Targeting Strategies to Capture More Customers

It’s 2019, and the ways of targeting current and potential customers are endless. While we will always be advocates for interest and keyword targeting, there are more advanced targeting strategies available. Utilizing some of these strategies will get your ads in front of very specific, and often motivated, segments of your audience. These people are ready to buy now, they might just need an ad from you to do so.

Retargeting

Retargeting is a guaranteed strategy to get your ads in front of people you know are interested in your product or service. After placing the Google Remarketing Tag or Facebook Pixel on your website (we recommend both!), you can then begin to build lists of people who have visited your site. Either target visitors of any page or people who land on specific pages; i.e. targeting people who looked at the Honda Accords with an offer for $500 off a new Honda Accord.

You can also build lists with more complex parameters to reach people much further down the funnel. People who have visited 5 pages within 2 days and have spent at least 10 minutes on your website are probably thinking about purchasing from you. Now is your chance to put an enticing offer right in front of them!

Remarketing Lists for Search Ads

Similar to retargeting, remarketing lists for search ads (RLSA) will get your ads in front of a specific group of people. The search ads use the same remarketing lists to show ads to people who have been to your website before. You can set bids, write copy, and select keywords keeping in mind that these people have already visited your website.

One of our favorite ways of using RSLA is to show a different ad to visitors who placed items in their shopping cart but haven’t purchased. Sometimes we just need a little persuasion before clicking that ‘buy’ button.

Exclude Audiences

Excluding audiences is as important as including them. Depending on the objective of your campaign, you’ll want to exclude audiences who shouldn’t be seeing your ads. If you’re offering a deal to first time buyers, you should exclude current customers, as the deal won’t apply to them. Also, excluding conflicting interests can go a long way in avoiding negative feedback on your ads. It’s a good method to use if you don’t want to deal with people commenting “why am I seeing this ad?!”.

On Facebook, you can also exclude people who have clicked on an ad 5 times but have not made a purchase. Chances are, they’re just window shopping. Save your money for people who are in a better position to buy your product right now. Before running your campaign, remember to determine who your target audience is so you can successfully exclude those who shouldn’t see your ad.

Geo-fencing

This list would not be complete without mentioning geo-fencing. Geo-fencing offers countless ways to reach users through the device they use most: their smart phones. Once a designated marketing area is set up, you can send specific, targeted messages to anyone who enters it. Give incentives, share rewards, and ask for feedback! One word of advice: keep it close. The general rule is a four-to-five-minute travel radius.

Some reasons we love geo-fencing:

• Enhance local sales
• Provides increased analytics and tools for metric analysis
• Send personalized offers to customers
• Geo-fencing is compatible with 92% of U.S. smartphones
• 53% of shoppers visited a specific retailer after receiving a location-based alert

Facebook Lookalike Audiences

You’ve run an interest targeting campaign on Facebook as well as a retargeting campaign, but you’re still looking for new customers. Now what?

Facebook lookalike audiences.

If you’ve already built out custom audience lists, Facebook will enable you to build lookalike audiences. These audiences have a lot in common with your existing customers and are more likely to engage with your ads. Choose from three different lookalike audiences depending on what your goal is.

Customer lookalikes – The ultimate lookalike is that of an existing customer. This advanced targeting strategy finds people with the same characteristics as the customer list you provide as a custom audience. Your ad is then put in front of people who think and behave in a similar way to your existing customers.

Lead lookalikes – You can also create a custom audience from your leads. Facebook will use the same strategy—to place your ad in front of people more likely to click through.

Fan lookalikes – Fans like your business. People like your fans may like it too. It’s as simple as that.

Use any (or all) of these advanced targeting strategies to take your marketing to the next level. Personalized targeting and unique content will help you reach the right people and make them feel a connection with your brand. Once a person is ready to buy, they’ll see your ad and become your next customer!