As a marketer, you run ads. And every time you run an ad, you target a specific audience; this is called Audience targeting. It is essential because your ad is your brand’s message. If you send it to people who are not expecting a message from you, you will not receive a response; thereby eliminating the scope of any communication.
When you run ads for baby diapers, you don’t target babies; you target the parents. When you run Google ads, you don’t run these ads for everyone who uses the Internet; you find your audience.
Audience Targeting
Google finds these segments of people with varying intent, behavior, demographics, and interests amongst your audience. The data on purpose, interests, behaviors, and demographics are collected via Google and other third-party websites or apps. When you run an ad, you can decide which segment would find the ad’s message the most relevant.
Google has the following preconfigured audience segments:
Affinity: Segmentation based on their habits and interests;
Custom segments: Segmentation based on the campaign goal, user’s habits and interests, and purchase intent;
Detailed Demographics: Segmentation based on long-term life facts;
Life Events: Segmentation based on important life milestones;
In-market: Segmentation based on recent purchase intent;
Your data segments: Segmentation based on the user’s interaction with your business;
Website and app visitors: Segment for users who have visited your application or website;
Customer Match: Segment for users who are your existing customers based on your CRM data; and
Similar segments: Segment for new users with similar interests to your current users.
What is Google Custom Audience?
Google Custom Audience or Custom Segments are one of these preconfigured segments by Google that enable you to customize a segment based on keywords, URLs, and apps. These segments can be customized for display, discovery, Gmail, and video campaigns. The system allows you to create segments of users that will most likely be interested in your campaign. The segment is chosen per your focus, which can be your reach, consideration, or performance.
How does Google Custom Audience work?
For Google to help you create a custom segment, you are required to input the following:
Keywords: Keywords are required to determine an ideal customer’s interests and behaviors. People with a purchase intent or interest in these words will see the ads.
URLs: These include the websites an ideal customer would visit.
Apps: These include the apps an ideal customer would use.
Summary
Google Custom Audience is a great way to customize a segment per the messaging. It delivers an evident customer persona and, thereby, helps in delivering the right message to the right audience.
