In today’s world of advertising. Simply selecting the right combination of ad platforms or channels can be tricky.
Let’s say you want to advertise to women, but you’d like to narrow the fields down to make sure you are targeting women with similar demographics and interests, and ideal income levels to actually see your ads.
You may first look to advertise with certain women’s magazines or female-centric forums or websites. On the surface this looks to be a potentially successful approach, however your audience may have many different needs and not many that require your product or service. In essence, you’re paying to reach thousands of people, but only getting hundreds of potential customers.
One important way to cut through the clutter and reach your ideal audience is with interest-based advertising (IBA).
What is interest-based advertising?
Interest-based advertising is a way for a consumer to see an ad that is perceived to be more relevant to the consumer based on their interests.
What are the benefits of interest-based advertising?
Traditionally, advertising campaigns started with selecting where you wanted the ads to run.
IBA has taken that step out and improved the process by providing where those potential customers go online. It simply looks at people’s browsing history to find the ideal consumer for your company and places ads where they go online. Now you are guaranteed a better audience for your product or service. The consumers who will see your ads will be selected rather than a broad sweep that includes many people who are not interested in your product or are not users of your product or service.
What do I need to do to prepare for interest-based advertising?
Before your campaign begins, we recommend that you do a little preparation, which includes:
- Ensure your website is user friendly and downloads quickly. No one likes to wait around for a website or visit website that is difficult to navigate. This is especially true if you have an e-commerce site and are linking that to your ads.
- Make sure your website is mobile friendly. Believe it or not, some companies have underestimated the importance of mobile searches, which is a bit of a surprise since most searching is on a mobile device.
When it comes to your ad’s messaging and overall appearance, remember:
- Highlight what sets you a part from the competition
- Remember to include any special pricing or promotions
- Include an effective call to action (contact us today, email us for a price quote, stop by our showroom, etc.)
- Don’t forget keywords, you want to match with their interests and showcasing those words connect the consumer with your ad or product
- Consider testing ads, often referred to as A/B testing, to improve performance
- Invite a second or third set of eyes to review for errors
If you want to cater to a specific category or interest on various web pages by keywords, IBA is the answer. This type of advertising allows enhanced control of your advertising. Don’t forget it also allows for better return on investment (ROI) because it targets ads closely tied to the consumers.