Ch 3 Identifying Target Audiences

The targeting process in SMM- "big data" expands options...

"Big data" (the massive amount of data available from the digital clickstream) has broadened to include audio and video files Using big data, marketers can engage in: -behavioral targeting -connection targeting -interest targeting -look-alike targeting -custom targeting -location targeting

Steps in targeting SMM campaigns

Define target audience and segments: -Demographics -Lifestyles -Media use- internet use behaviors, mobile use behaviors, offline use behaviors Create personas for each segment: -Persona roles -Needs -behavioral triggers for each role -messaging objectives for each role Develop media plan for each targeted segment: -messaging objectives -media mix -media scheduling -evaluation and more Optimize media schedule and posts: -best days, times to post -optimize post for platform

The targeting process in SMM-the persona development cycle

Experienced marketers may use personas -new marketers must develop them from scratch using intuition, trial and error, and market research Three-step persona development cycle: 1. identify persona roles 2. list needs and situational triggers 3. create messaging objectives

Targeting ads and posts on social platforms Audience targeting on FB

Facebook has revised its audience targeting -at first, brands had to develop profiles, then fan pages, then were given the option of creating brand pages that had more features than personal pages -initial targeting options for brand pages were demographic -later, targeting by interests (supplied by the brand) Targeting options differ from one platform to another -careful social media marketer understands the platform

The targeting process in SMM- "big data" expand options...

Some hypothetical examples of targeting include: -facebook users over 55 yrs of age who use FB at least once a week and belong to one or more travel interest groups (offer: fall and winter tour packages) -Linkedin users in the states of Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota who list SMM among their skills (offer: SMM conference in Chicago) -IG users who post from LA beaches over the labor day weekend (offer a local restaurant) -Brand page fans who visit one of the brands retail stores (offer special limited time in-store coupon offer)

The targeting process in SMM

The most common characteristics marketers use to identify and profile target markets are demographics, geographics, and lifestyles or psychographics -identifying and segmenting the target market is a key marketing activity -a target market is comprised of market segments -digital marketing allows for fine-tuning of targeting to the market segments

The targeting Process in SMM- Persona definition

Two definitions 1. a persona is a composite sketch of a key segment of your audience 2. a persona i an imaginary version of your prospects, customers and the public that contain in-depth, lifelike character traits, to help develop content and marketing Purpose: once a social media marketer knows what information a buyer will need before making a purchase, it is possible to design a social media strategy that provides a buyer with the relevant information, making the individual more likely to buy the product

The targeting process in SMM- "big data" expands options...

Two important warnings: 1. not all platforms offer all types of targeting 2. advertisers receive new targeting options first; brand pages receiving them later. The SM marketer must examine the targeting options for each platform

The importance of targeting in SMM

What is targeting in SMM? -the right person to get -the right content -at the right place -in the right format -in the right language -on the right device That is a formidable challenge!

The targeting process in SMM- the forrester social technographics ladder

-Creators- develop blogs, articles, videos, music, images, art and upload them SM platforms -Conversationalists-participate in group discussions, engage in conversations on twitter, and update their statuses on FB & LinkedIn -critics- evaluate and comment on content produced by others, post product ratings on reviews, comment on blogs, and participate in comm. discussion forums, as well as correct wild articles -collectors- upload and save fav on bookmarking sites, vote on content on sites, tag photos, subscribe to RSS feeds to automatically receive blog posts and perform the valuable function of helping to organize and categorize content on the social web -joiners- interact on social networks such as FB, LinkedIN, etc -spectators-consumer the content that others produce, such as blogs, videos, podcasts, forums, reviews, and so on -inactives- are internet consumers who are not involved in SM

The targeting process in SMM- optimizing posts and post timing

-To "optimize" for SMM means: make everything from a users profiles to their blog posts to their Pinterest pins visible as possible to everyone on the platform and sometimes in search engine rankings -Difficult to optimize social content (no one size fits all answers) -Every platform is different -many publishers provide info on the subject

The targeting process in SMM- the forrester social technographics ladder

-uses demographics to group users into personas based on their social media activities -reveals what people are doing on the social web, and where they are doing it -provides a helpful set of personas profiles to assist in understanding the target audience

The targeting process in SMM-the persona development cycle

1. identify persona rules -use a few well-known companies or consumer groups relevant to an industry or business -consider the roles those people within these organizations take in their interactions with others -focus on buyer roles or buyer personas: those who make decisions about which products or services to spend money on 2. List needs and situational triggers -from personas' perspectives, defining concerns, symptoms, and problems 3. Create messaging objectives -must be suited to each persona's needs that the company has the expertise to address

Best practices for targeting branded posts

1. understand what platforms are used by the target audience and how they are used 2. optimize content and posting schedule for each platform 3. use the targeting capabilities 4. monitor results on each platform and continue to improve engagement and effectiveness

The targeting process in SMM

All teams must be fully briefed on the nature of the target market The media mix includes the social platforms that will be used in the campaign -includes: online media (email, advertising), offline media

Targeting Ads on Posts on Social Platforms

Focus on targeting brand posts, not advertising 1. brand posts are owned media with no advertising costs -ads on social media platforms are paid media 2. since advertisers pay for media space, the get targeting options first -brand pages generally have a limited set of targeting options than do ads

Targeting ads and posts on social media platforms Ad targeting on selected platforms

How ad targeting works on SM platforms: FB makes ad targeting options (for brand pages) visible on personal profile pages (AD choices) Twitter offers targeting to advertisers -follower targeting with choices including followers of competitors and similar audiences -behavior targeting that uses data about online and offline product related behaviors -event targeting: twitter furnishes a global event calendar, provides audience data from last years event, and enables targeting of the audience for the current years event

Targeting Ads and posts on social platforms Targeting available to brand posts

How ad targeting works on SM platforms: google plus has a built-in targeting mechanism with its circles -also available, targeting by age and location to brand pages -hashtags have become an important source of analytics -hashtag search is a key feature on other platforms, possible to access trends in real time

The targeting process in SMM- completing the media plan for each

Once personas and associated messaging objectives are complete: -choose the media mix -schedule each post on each platform -execute the schedule -follow the reaction to the posts, listen, reply -formal evaluation must be done and reported to marketing executives