Social Media Targeting: A New Essential
Customizing your marketing
in a nutshell
A lot of people think social media came to be when platforms like Facebook or Twitter made their shiny debut into our lives.
The truth is – the legitimate debut of social media actually took place in 1997 with Six Degrees. The site allowed users to essentially create a profile, post pictures, and interact with others (sound familiar?). A couple years later, in 1999, the art of blogging was introduced to the world through various sites and, well, things took shape gradually from there – platform by platform.
Of course, in recent years, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube have risen to the highest peak of exposure, user base, and brand loyalty in all social media’s history.
With social media so crucial to the recognition of a brand, it’s more important than ever to identify your individual niche and innovate within it, in order to have an impact online.
Reference: Small Business Trends
beyond standard practice
It is now standard practice for businesses to establish and maintain a presence on social media, with a particular focus on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, at least.
With that said, us marketers are now posed with a new question of practice – “how can we elevate beyond this benchmark and achieve even better results?”
the new “norm”
While it’s had its fair share of controversy and critique, targeting in social media is one of the most effective tools a brand can use. It allows a business to promote an advertisement or general post to a very specific group of people.
speaking of…
Any new business should have a well-researched, clear idea of their target audience or market (i.e. the demographic of people they aim to appeal to). social media is one of the portals through which we see this applied in-fine-tune.
Here is a list of common (and currently active) targeting filters:
- gender (individual or all)
- age (typically an age range)
- birthday (date-tailored advertising)
- location (city, region, state/province, country, etc.)
- interests (things users like, i.e. hobbies, music, food preference, etc.)
- language
- user connections (to particular groups, pages, or events)
Reference: Dummies
stepping up your social media game
It’s become apparent that social media is a necessity for brand relevance, interaction with your audience, and in general, business.
With that said, if you aren’t utilizing social media for your business yet, we recommend:
- learning about each platform and creating an account for your brand
- determining your advertising allowance (how much you want to invest in your ad or post’s marketing)
- proceed to the platform’s advertising section/tab
- create your ad or post and tailor the targeting filters offered to reflect your target audience/market
review analytics and adjust (if needed)
Upon publishing your ad or post, keep an eye on its analytics. This data will provide you with insight into how well your ad or post is performing with its designated audience.
If needed, reassess your brand’s target audience/market and alter the filters applied accordingly.
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