Understanding Audience Targeting in Digital Marketing
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, understanding who you're talking to can be just as critical as what you're saying. This fundamental principle was the focus of our recent episode of the Click and Mortar podcast, where we broke down the complex world of audience targeting across multiple platforms.
The Foundation: Know Your Audience
"The companies who do better tend to know who their audiences are, which then allows them to communicate more effectively to those audiences," explains Dustin Trout, the audience targeting expert on the show. This might seem obvious, but many businesses fail to dig deeper than surface-level demographics.
Take, for example, a dog boarding facility. While "dog owners" may seem like an adequate audience definition, successful businesses recognize the distinct segments within that broad category:
Business travelers who need quick, reliable care during work trips
Families planning vacations who require longer-term solutions
Pet owners with specific concerns about their dog's temperament or needs
Each of these segments has unique pain points, motivations, and decision-making processes that should inform your targeting strategy and messaging.
Platform-Specific Targeting: A Deep Dive
Once you've identified your audience personas, the next step is finding where these people spend their time online and how to target them effectively on each platform. Let's explore the unique targeting capabilities of major platforms as detailed by our experts:
Meta (Facebook and Instagram)
Facebook and Instagram excel at interest-based targeting, leveraging their vast data on user behavior:
Interest Targeting: Based on videos watched, pages liked, and content consumed
Demographic Precision: Target users by age with remarkable granularity (as specific as 40-41 year olds, versus the broader ranges offered by other platforms)
Income Targeting: Filter by household income percentiles, a frequently underutilized but powerful tool
Life Events: Target users approaching birthdays, anniversaries, or other significant milestones
"A lot of feedback we get is not necessarily targeting the right person or those that have the disposable income," notes Dustin, emphasizing the importance of layering income data with other targeting parameters.
Google's targeting capabilities leverage their unique position as both a search engine and display network:
Search Intent Data: Their "killer audience" feature, according to Dustin, allows advertisers to reach users based on what they're actively searching for
Custom Intent Audiences: Build audiences based on search behavior and target them across Google's network
YouTube Integration: Connect video views with search intent for more comprehensive targeting
Granular Interest Categories: More specific interest categories than other platforms (e.g., not just "shoes" but "running shoes" vs. "dress shoes")
This combination of intent data with display advertising creates powerful opportunities to reach users at different stages of the buyer's journey.
For B2B marketers, LinkedIn offers uniquely business-focused targeting options:
Company Attributes: Target by annual revenue, headcount, industry, and even specific companies
Professional Demographics: Filter by job title, seniority level, department, and skills
Group Membership: Reach professionals based on the LinkedIn Groups they've joined
Company Growth Trends: A unique LinkedIn feature allowing targeting based on whether companies are growing or declining (in terms of revenue or headcount)
"One thing that I think people don't leverage enough is company-specific targeting," Dustin points out. "You could target just Amazon specifically and run ads to them and run creative that says 'Do you work at Amazon?'"
The Strategy Behind the Segments
Understanding these platform-specific capabilities is only part of the equation. The real power comes from mapping your audience strategy to user behavior and business type.
Mike introduces the concept of "active intent businesses versus passive intent businesses," explaining the difference between users actively searching for solutions (like "doggy daycare near me") versus those who might be interested but aren't actively looking.
Your audience strategy should account for these different user behaviors and match them to appropriate platforms and messaging. For example:
Active intent audiences might be better served through Google's search-based targeting
Passive audiences might be more effectively reached through interest targeting on social media platforms
B2B decision-makers might require the professional targeting capabilities unique to LinkedIn
Putting It All Together
Effective audience targeting isn't just about selecting demographic parameters—it's about understanding the people behind those parameters and crafting a strategy that reaches them at the right time, on the right platform, with the right message.
As our experts emphasize, audience targeting can "get complex relatively quickly," but the targeting capabilities available today offer unprecedented opportunities to connect with your ideal customers in meaningful ways.
By starting with detailed audience personas, understanding platform-specific targeting capabilities, and strategically mapping your approach to user behavior, you can create digital marketing campaigns that reach not just more people, but the right people.
Ready to elevate your audience targeting? Watch the full episode for additional insights on how often to update the creative in your digital advertising campaigns.
Watch the Full Episode on YouTube
Listen to the Full Episode on Spotify
Want personalized guidance?
Schedule a free discovery call to discuss your specific digital advertising goals: https://link.eic.agency/widget/bookings/c-and-m-demo_start
This article is based on insights from the Click and Mortar podcast hosted by Mike Patterson and Dustin Trout, digital marketing experts focused on helping businesses maximize their advertising ROI.
