Digital is becoming an increasingly important channel for marketing and sales today. Consumers are using the internet to research and guide their purchase decisions, and to engage with brands and topics that they care about. Whether you are a start-up or a multi-million dollar business, you cannot afford to ignore digital marketing, especially as it has been one of the most resilient types of marketing channels in recent times, despite the global pandemic.

There are multiple options for organic and paid promotion on digital, and if one really wants to make the most of the medium, it makes sense to explore both these sides. While organic methods will usually need some time to start showing results, paid advertising is a great way to reach out to your relevant target audiences online and drive visits, conversions and sales in a short time span.

But not all paid marketing online will give the same results, and a large part of their success boils down to the right selection of target audience.

Why it is important to target right

The right message at the right time to the right audience – this dictum sums up the basics of pretty much any type of marketing, including digital. With the right targeting in place, you can ensure that you are engaging with only the people who really matter, and all other things being good, this one thing can greatly increase the chances of your campaign’s success.

This is important even when you are catering to a large and diverse audience group. Unlike most traditional ATL and BTL channels, where there is always a chance of spillage and therefore a need to cast a wider net just to be able to reach your target audience, digital marketing offers the opportunity to be very precise in your targeting.

In case you are wondering if it will really make that big a difference to your campaign metrics, consider the scenarios below.

1. Marketing to the wrong audience can be an expensive mistake.

Suppose that you are doing a CPC campaign for a specific health package at many age groups can benefit from. You decide to use a creative tone and design that would likely appeal to a wide demographic audience that is looking for health packages in general. However, if you are not very clear in your audience targeting, it is possible to attract a lot of people who might be looking for something more general, and who might not be interested in what you are promoting, and who might quickly move on to your competitors. Even if we take an average CPC of $2.5, you would end up spending a significant amount on attracting visitors that aren’t quite keen to complete the purchase. Moreover, not just the target audience but the manner in which you are delivering your messages can define your overall expenses. In some cases, Text message marketing, for example, using channels like tatango, can be more economical and in some cases, email marketing channels can make more sense. All in all, you need to factor in the audience and also how you are going to deliver your messages in order to manage the overall cost.

• Wrong targeting can compromise your Quality Score

Having the wrong targeting can also affect the quality score or relevance score that you can otherwise earn. Most large platforms such as Google and Facebook assign a quality score based on how relevant is your ad content to your target audience. One of the ways they measure this is by looking at the time spent on your landing pages. If there is a high bounce rate, it signals a low relevance between what your target audience wants, and what you have to offer. This bumps down your quality score, and you might need to spend more to reach the same audience, as compared to a competitor that has a better quality ranking.

So, how can you really get your targeting right?

There are many different ways you can go about this. Some marketers might want to approach this the way they approach traditional – that is, plastering the ads across all possible digital mediums, and ensuring that it is seen by all. This isn’t always the best approach, and also requires a huge investment. I would instead urge you all to focus on some basics, which are often forgotten, and how you can use these basics to get the most out of your paid campaigns.

1. Target Audience Segmentation

If you appeal to a niche market, segmenting your audience is easy. However, if your market consists of a rather broad group of people across different demographics, it would be good to invest the time to get your segmentation right. You can have multiple audience segments based on certain common characteristics in each group. These characteristics could be anything from age, location, life stage, interests, intent, their socio economic class and so on.

You could always go with a generic campaign targeting all these different groups, or you could create different campaigns and landing pages for each subset of your audience. I recommend the latter approach, as this usually performs better as compared to a one-size fits-all approach. Google PPC campaigns allow you to segment by demographics and intent, whereas Facebook can allow you to be as granular as you wish to be.

• Understanding Audience Motivation

So, once you have narrowed down your audience segmentation, the next step to consider is what it is that they really want, and why would they want to buy the product or service you are selling. This will help you to understand them better – from their preferences and latent motivations to their decision-making process, and allow you to choose the right channels and the right messaging. For example, if your target audience has a heavy presence on social media, consider campaigns on those platforms and using a hashtag generator to maximize your reach to them.

You could get your data from market and customer research, and base your targeting and communication on solid audience data. As a marketer or business owner, it is natural to have some gut instincts. And while we should always trust these, it would be good to back up your instincts with facts and data, to be on the safer side.

• Exclude the groups that aren’t relevant

What is really great about marketing online is that not only can you get really precise about who you want to reach out to, you can be as precise for those you do not want to reach out to! If your audience group contains subsets that would not be the best fit for your campaign, you can easily choose to exclude those subsets from your overall targeting. This can come in handy in remarketing campaigns towards interested prospects, where you can exclude the people who have actually made a purchase. This will prevent wasted clicks, and will allow you to have a sharper focus on a specific group.

Getting your target audience right might not be a cakewalk, and would entail multiple rounds of trial and error, and can consume time and resources. However, when you do get this right, it will definitely reap rich rewards, with regards to campaign efficacy and performance.

An online presence is something of a necessity nowadays. There is hardly a thing you can do without the Internet. Various forms of media have promoted business growth over the years and in the recent past, the digital arena has been at the core of business promotion and growth.

Marketing is at the heart of all business growth. Social media marketing (SMM) is a somewhat newer strategy but it is proving to be an effective marketing tool. If you haven’t jumped on the SMM wagon, you are missing out and it’s high time you joined the team.

How To Market On Social Media

Content

Social media (SM) works by creating and sharing content. The quality of your content is will affect your audience. If your content is good, it will appeal to a wider audience.

Plan

It is important to research topics and ideas that you have and find creative ways to create them. This might require you to plan ahead of time. You can also choose to create your content in bulk (batching) and then schedule when you will share them.

Consistency

When you share your content regularly, you can both create an audience and also retain it. Consistency creates room for engagement. You can have conversations with your audience and this creates room for growth.

Branding

People will easily associate with a brand when it has created a clear and consistent image and voice in their minds. Knowing your niche will help you target a specific audience and it also helps your targeted audience distinguish you from other brands.

Analytics

Every business must have a way to analyse its business data. Many social media platforms have analytics as an option for businesses allowing them to see how they have performed. This is an important tool to discover weak points and strong points. You can make adjustments based on your discoveries.

Paid Advertising

Many social media platforms have paid advertising options. Investing in paid advertising is a great way to increase your reach and grow your audience.

Set SMM Goals

Platforms

The first thing to consider when opting to market on social media is what platform to use. You can choose one or several depending on your ability to manage the platforms and your specific needs as a business. The type of content you aim to create is also a factor that will determine the platform used. There are 4 content types; audio, images, text and video. Choose an international media group to grow your business.

Audience

Having a niche means creating specific content for a specific audience. Social media allows businesses to interact with their audiences directly and this not only starts conversations, but it also creates loyalty. Customers love it when they feel like they have a personal connection with the one providing what they want or need.

Advertising

Investing in ads is an easy way to create awareness of your brand on social media. It can generate a loyal fan base or following and also grow your audience.

Call To Action

Creating content should be both intentional and strategic. A call to action is adding a specific instruction to your content. When you add links to your website on social media, you can direct your audience to it by directing them to it. You can also create free content (freebie) which they can access through subscribing to an email list which provides a direct way to reaching them with other products. It is a great way to boost sales.

Benefits Of SMM

• Promotes authenticity and originality
• Even small businesses with low budgets can grow
• Get to understand the market
• Create a custom audience
• Understand your customers’  patterns
• Create brand awareness
• Allows you to promote your products and services

Wrapping It Up

Social media is a great way to grow your business. It is a low-cost investment with low risks and numerous benefits. Implementing a social media strategy would be a  great way to increase your reach and sales.

Digital marketing is a complicated process, but it doesn’t have to be. As a start-up, you can set up a successful digital marketing strategy if you are aware of what matters and what doesn’t. While it may be tempting to focus solely on the quality of your product, you’ll need to cast the net wider and get to grips with search engine optimization (SEO) as well as understanding your customers and what they need. If you are new to the world of digital marketing, the tips below can help.

Leverage Social Media

With much of the world on social media these days, as a start-up, you must leverage these platforms, too. Your online presence matters a great deal, especially if you want to be seen and heard amongst the rest of the virtual noise. Social media provides direct access to your customer base and allows you to gain a regular following. If you need guidance about setting up or managing your social media profiles, enlisting the help of a professional like ALT Agency can go a long way towards helping your brand stand out. 

Pay Attention to the Customer Experience

When it comes to business, the customer is king. This means that your start-up and its operations must be designed around the customer experience, whether it’s through your website design, your communication channels, or your products and services. Get to know your customers by engaging with them and find out their wants and needs, as well as what works for them. By giving them attention and showing that you care, you stand a good chance of maintaining a loyal customer base and boosting your sales.

Create High-Quality Content

The value of high-quality content cannot be underestimated. With so much content on the web today, you’ll want yours to stand out and provide value for your customer. However, having excellent content isn’t just about the quality of writing, either. Good content will target the right audience for your business and provide information or services that are highly valuable to them. Ensure as much as possible that your content is fresh, innovative, and useful for your target market.

Engage Your Users via Email Marketing

One of the most powerful marketing tools at your disposal is the almighty email. If you want to reach your audience and provide targeted messages, then this is the best way to do it. Sending out regular newsletters, promotions, and offers are excellent ways to not only attract new customers but also to maintain them. Therefore, it’s important to create a lead generation strategy that includes sending specific emails to target groups.

Add a Blog

Blogs are highly beneficial to business websites because they communicate key messages about their products and services. Blogging is also a way for customers to get to know you better and to understand your perspectives. It also helps with SEO as you can rank higher for more keywords on search engines. If you have the means to set up a blog on your site, make sure that the content is valuable, regular, and consistent.