Cool (or Creepy?) Ways to Target Your Audience

Ever wonder why after you’ve look at a pair of shoes online, you’re continuously haunted by ads for that store, or similar products? This is the beauty, and precision, of advertising in the digital world. And while many people have an issue with this invasion into their online privacy, whether this is a real or perceived invasion, platforms like Facebook and Google only have the users experience in mind. Collecting information about the unique interests of an individual and their tendencies creates a more tailored experience. If you like shoes, it would make more sense to see ads about shoes rather than furniture. If your search history reads like a new-age grocery list, with kombucha and faux-leather shoes and tofu — do you really want to see ads for a burger spot?

No matter where you’re going or what you’re doing, you are constantly being bombarded by advertising; sitting at a bus stop, walking through a shopping mall, listening to Spotify (although I highly recommend splurging on a premium account), hell, even scrolling through Tinder! Advertising is a major part of our world, and has been since 1836 when the French newspaper La Presse first included an ad in its pages. The major difference now? There have been huge advancements in providing a unique and tailored experience. For example, in the mid 60s Phil Knight (you might’ve heard of his company, Nike) put up flyers for his shoe company, then Blue Ribbon Sports, on trees in Portland neighbourhoods. Fast forward to 2018 and should you spend any extended time on the Nike website, not only will you be receiving Nike ads, they will show you ads for shoes relating to a specific sport. So before you start complaining about an invasion of privacy, maybe you should be giving Google and Facebook high fives for narrowing down your search for you.

As a dealer, this helps you reach your target audience in a few different ways:

1) Customer match & lookalike audiences

If we are given access to your CRM list we can target audiences on Facebook as well as duplicate those customers and find a lookalike audience to serve ads to based on interest and demographics. This is especially effective when you have a certain model or vehicle to sell. Should you be focused on selling minivans, we can take a list of everyone who bought a minivan in the last five years, and target them with ads for your current minivan sale. We can narrow the target down even further — lets say new moms, making a certain amount of money a year, with a certain education level, and more.

2) Geo-fencing

Geo-fencing is an online advertising technique that allows you to draw a (literal) virtual perimeter around an area, to target those within the area. Does your OEM have an excellent first time buyers program? Create a perimeter around your local post-secondary institutions and target the students with ads for student discounts, first time buyer programs, or anything else relevant.

3) Re-targeting

Re-targeting can be utilized in a few different ways, via cookies or geographic location. By using cookies, which have no impact on your website, you can target the estimated 90+% of traffic that doesn’t convert the first time they visit. This is how a smaller company can stay in your mind thanks to their ads being visible after you visit their site, while a larger company like Nike can know that you were looking for running shoes in a size 9, and not basketball shoes. For a dealership, you can track who is looking for a minivan and who is looking for a truck, and target your ads toward those demographics differently. It can also be done via location, meaning you can target customers who’ve physically been at your dealership — sending them ads to stay fresh in their mind.

If these are techniques you think can help your dealership to target its primary audience and create conversions, then contact your Online Marketing Manager or sales@Strathcom.com today. Who knows . . . maybe a Strathcom ad brought you here in the first place (*winks*).