7 ad targeting methods for your online campaigns

This article aims to detail the different ways to target an advertising campaign in order to effectively
reach its audience. We will see that there are different methods, from the most basic to more complex
methods that require a more advanced level of knowledge.

Method # 1 - Keyword Targeting

This targeting method is available on search engines such as Google, Bing or Yahoo to name only the
most popular. As its name suggests, the display of an advertisement will be done according to the
keywords entered by users. The principle is simple: the advertiser creates an advertisement to which he
will associate a certain number of keywords. Each time a user enters these same keywords, it will trigger
the display of the ad.

The real challenge of this method consists in positioning itself on relevant keywords which are based on
significant volumes of searches. It is also important to ensure that a good balance is struck when
choosing keywords. Indeed, positioning yourself on a short and too general keyword risks attracting a
large and unskilled audience. It is therefore preferable to position yourself on long tail keywords to be
more precise in how to reach your audience. The logic is simple: a specific keyword attracts a specific
audience.

The peculiarity of this method is that your ad will be displayed only if there is a search that includes a
keyword on which you are positioned. This is referred to as on-demand advertising.

Method # 2 - Geographic targeting

This basic method is available on most networks and platforms that offer online advertising delivery. It
simply consists of delimiting one or more geographic areas for which an ad will be displayed. Geographic
targeting can be done at the scale of a city, a region or even an entire country. In order to be more
precise, it is also possible to use this method to exclude defined territories. Be careful though,
geographic targeting is more strategic than it looks. A common mistake is to target too large a geographic
area. This approach risks quickly impacting the cost of the campaign, as the level of competition will
inevitably be higher. For example, the same keyword can cost you more depending on whether you set
your ad targeting nationally or locally. Quite simply because there is a good chance that the level of
competition will be less important at the local level. In addition, targeting a specific territory allows you
to adapt your message to the specificities of the local market.

Method # 3 - Targeting by socio-demographic criteria

This method is specific to social media like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Indeed, the strength of these
networks is the size and precision of their database. These platforms are able to know very precise
information about the users. Thus, it is very easy to reach a specific audience with criteria such as age,
language spoken or place of residence. On the same principle, it is also possible to establish advertising
targeting based on more advanced criteria such as: level of study, training or sector of activity.
Method # 4 - Interest targeting

Advertising tools allow you to target an audience with criteria relating to particular interests such as
entertainment, business, travel, entrepreneurship, and many more!

Networks like Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin offer the possibility for users to express interests through
their social activity. Whether through “likes”, shares, hashtags or retweets, social platforms are perfectly
capable of determining the interests of each user.

Method # 5 - Targeting by behavior

The ad networks keep expanding a little more every day and spare no tools. Thus, the explosion of
mobile applications has opened up new perspectives in online advertising.

Platforms like Google AdWords allow you to define advertising targeting linked to mobile applications.
This method is based more particularly on the activity of the applications. With this approach, for
example, it would be easy to reach people who have performed a specific action in an application.
Thanks to an advanced understanding of your web personas, these targeting tools make your job easier.

Method # 6 - Email or Phone Number Targeting

Networks like Facebook and Twitter allow targeting an audience from a list of emails or phone numbers.
This more complex targeting method requires an advanced level of knowledge. It works by creating a so-
called “personalized” audience from a list of contact information. Once this information has been
downloaded, the platform will determine how many emails or phone numbers are linked to a user
account. As you will have understood, the challenge of this method is to have a sufficiently large list of
contacts to hope to constitute an exploitable audience. Indeed, out of all the emails that you will use,
there is a good chance that there is only part of your list that contains addresses active on the network in
question.

Method # 7 - Remarketing

Remarketing (or retargeting) refers to a set of mechanisms that make it possible to target an Internet
user according to the sites he has visited, the searches he has carried out or the actions he has taken.
Like method # 6, this type of method will rather be reserved for advanced users. Indeed, the
implementation of a remarketing campaign involves the installation of a tracking code (also called
conversion pixel) on the website in order to be able to establish a follow-up. The installed code will be
able to identify a visitor who has visited your site in the past. Using a cookie, the advertising platform will
be able to serve your ads under the conditions that you have established so as to reach only the targeted
users.

In this article, we've covered the most common ways to target your audience. Note that depending on
the audience you want to reach, it may be relevant to combine certain methods with each other. This
will increase the effectiveness of the campaign through more precise advertising targeting.
In general, it is important to keep a certain balance in choosing your criteria. Indeed, targeting too large
an audience can quickly impact your advertising budget. Conversely, targeting too small an audience can
deprive you of opportunities. The idea is to focus your effort and your budget on the most relevant
segments. Before getting started, it is also crucial to estimate your audience: how many people can I
potentially reach with the criteria I have defined?

Whatever method is used, defining an audience is a complex process that requires rigor, method and
advanced knowledge of the digital environment of its market.