Once we discuss in detail the targeting in both traditional and digital media. We will appreciate Remarketing | 1 Unmatched Feature of SEM.
Traditional Media:
1.) Targeting Audience in Television:
TAM was the Audience measurement agency that measured the audience statistics in India. They had installed approximately 10k analog meters in television sets all over India. These were studied at particular hours and their reading was used to extrapolate statistical data. Today BARC- Broadcast Audience Research Council has installed approximately 20K digital meters and they extrapolate the findings as follows: see in ad: Source BARC | All India| 22+ Males All| All Days, 24 Hours | Week 39 2016 | Relative share %
2.) Targeting Audience in Newspapers:
The Indian Readership Survey (IRS) is the largest continuous readership research study in the world with an annual sample size exceeding 2.56 lakh (256,000) respondents. IRS collects a comprehensive range of demographic information and provides extensive coverage of consumer and product categories, including cars, household appliances, household durables, household care and personal care products, food and beverages, finance and holidays. IRS is not restricted to survey of readership alone but is synonymous with both readership & consumption across various FMCG products throughout India. IRS covers information on over 100 product categories. IRS is conducted by MRUC (Media Research Users Council) and RSCI (Readership Studies Council of India). Again sample survey done by vested interests and statistical extrapolation done to arrive at figures.
The forecast figures of all other traditional mediums have more or less no reliable basis and random numbers are given based on which the advertiser targets and pays.
But, SEM- Search Engine Marketing targeting is NOT based on sample and extrapolation of data is not done in any way. It is purely based on people who are actively present and live via identifiable IP Address. They are either searching for something or just browsing. Based on various factors discussed below they are served yours ads. The cost of your ad in SEM is restricted to mainly CPC- cost-per-click or CPM- cost-per-impression (or other ways chosen by you). You pay for the ad served in traditional media irrespective of the fact whether it is consumed or not.
Digital Media: SEM
1. ) Targeting Audience in SEM- Google Ad Words Search Network:
- Keyword targeting: You have to choose words or phrases that are relevant to your products and services. These terms are used by general people when searching for products and services on Google search engine. Whenever the search matches with your text ad and is relevant to the user, your ad appears.
- Location and language targeting: Google Ad Words provide you the option to choose the location based on countries, state, cities and even particular areas within the cities to target your ads to. You can even target based on the language spoken by the people.
- Device targeting: By default you target all the devices available, but you can choose time at which it is used and also the device type used to show your ad.
- Audience targeting:A specific set of audience who has visited your website previously can also be targeted. We will discuss this later as it is our topic of discussion.
2.) Targeting Audience in SEM- Google Ad Words Display Network:
- Keyword Contextual- Define your business with a few keywords for example smartphone, android phones etc.- based on website content with above keywords Ad Words will show your ads.
- Topic- Choose from a set of topics and sub-topics and further sub-topics also. For example- BFSI- then only banking or insurance and so on. The ads will appear on only those websites with above content.
- Placement- Choose from specific websites, apps and videos. For example- Economictimes.com, timesofindia.com and so on or certain apps visited by your Target Group or say music videos. The ads will appear on only those websites with above content.
- Demographic- Target by Age, Gender, Parental Status.
- Interest based- Here you target your audience on the basis of their interest for which Google has already created a list based on their browsing behavior and their Google Account settings. Further segregate them by: Affinity audience- based on the long term interest of the person in say technology, music, cricket etc. In-market audience- based on recent spike in activity say you want to buy a car and start searching or do a research on it (people may come and go out of this list constantly). Note: here content of the website doesn’t matter- you may be targeted even on a cricket website although your core activity in settings is finance.
- Remarketing: Target people who have visited your website or app in the past.
Targeting as explained above in both traditional and digital media delivers the impressions it is supposed to deliver. Conversions may happen, may not happen, but you incur a cost as agreed upon in each case. Now see how Remarketing in SEM is an unmatched feature of search engine marketing. If conversion doesn’t happen in say 98% of the cases, then what do you do? Repeat ads at a huge cost? There is no other way to target people who were exposed to your ads but did not convert. Even in digital medium like SEM unless CTA- call to action is pressed and desired action taken, you have no data to remarket to abandoners of your webpage.
But if you use remarketing tool provided in SEM by Google Ad Words and generate list of people on parameters set by you on every page of your website. SEM- Google Ad Words collates their data by placing cookies on their computer and allows you to remarket your ads to them only. See the beauty, your ads are now niche targeting only those who have previously visited your website pages and may be interested in your products and services. But, they are still in research mode. You now have the power to influence and convert them at a substantially lower cost. How?
User goes to your website- abandons it without registering or purchasing- goes to another website on the same browser- your ad appears on the website the user is- user sees it and coverts.
Benefits of Remarketing:
Remarketing- is this not an unmatched feature of SEM? See the benefits:
- Without spending a fortune for new insertions every time, you can at least target a niche, informed and interested prospect.
- And wow, at a much lower cost from the initial ad visitor list.
- Here the chances of conversion are very high.
- It gives high TOM- top of mind recall, influences buyer behavior and creates a lasting brand image.
So what are you waiting for? Guys use Remarketing tool of SEM- Google Ad Words to win extra customers at a fraction of a cost.
Images: Google
