Buy-side platforms are able to provide targeting on a granular level, so it’s crucial to understand your audience. Here are tips to help you research and micro-target members of the audience you need to reach.
Examine the Audience
Think about intent. Why is your target searching for your placement at the specific time you’ve chosen to run it? What problem does your ad solve? What are some of their biggest complaints? If this sounds like guesswork, it’s because it is. It’s not hard to begin with guesses and end with something actionable in a relatively small amount of time. Start by thinking of your audience in categories, like age or level of education. List every potential category you can think of, and narrow your audience down to the ideal buyer for your product.
Hold interviews to confirm your suspicions. Seriously. Find some members of your audience in public spaces like Facebook and ask them (nicely) some open-ended questions related to your product or service. It may be easier to find them on forums or on Twitter, but do seek them out. This is also where trends can come into play. You can learn a lot from reading trends, examining blog comments and reviewing content within your niche.
Final Thoughts
Distill what you’ve learned into a list of qualities, like a profile of someone. Register to use a buy-side platform and then test your theories by matching your list with the appropriate targets. Be prepared to make adjustments, and do test your theories frequently. With real-time bidding comes real-time data, so you will immediately know what works best.
Bio: Ted Dhanik is the co-founder of the mobile and desktop advertising buy-side platform First-Impression, which is powered by engage:BDR. Ted Dhanik has used display advertising to launch high-profile brands like MySpace and LowerMyBills. Find out how to use mobile advertising to generate business leads with tips from Ted Dhanik.