Connecting with your audience

In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, connecting with your audience is more important, and more challenging than ever before.

Whether you’re using direct advertising or programmatic ads, understanding your audience’s needs, behaviors, and preferences is key to creating compelling, effective campaigns. Here’s a down-to-earth guide to help you master the art of audience connection through both direct and programmatic advertising.

Get to know your audience

It seems simple, but so many companies collate their audience into a “one size fits all” category. It is a marketers worst nightmare to hear the phrase “we want to target 18-65 year olds”, and what’s more, you’re missing out on reaching those niche audiences.

So, how do you start?

Do your homework: Use tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and customer surveys to gather info on demographics, interests, and online behavior. You could also look to use first-party data like us here at Publisher Collective. This can really help you to deep-dive into your audience, whilst looking at traits and ideals. The key focuses when doing your homework should be,  what are your target audience interested in? How do they tick? If you crack that, and find what your audience cares about, what their perceived needs are, and what kind of content they love, you’re already half way there.

Break it down: Divide your audience into segments based on shared traits. This could be demographic info (age, gender, location), psychographic data (interests, lifestyles), or behavioral data (purchase history, engagement level). Segmentation helps to create more personalized and relevant ads and campaigns.

Create personas: Develop detailed personas for each segment. Include demographic details, but also dive into their psychographic and behavioral traits. Knowing who you’re talking to helps you to personalize  those all important messages and the content you want to share. What can be created that really sticks?

Direct advertising tips

Our view of  direct advertising here at Publisher Collective is “always provide quality reach and relevance”. This is one of the most important aspects of selecting where to advertise and which direct partners to advertise with. Keep in mind that each source will have differing qualities that will suit your needs.

Personalize your messages: Crafting messages that speak directly to each audience segment is key. Use the language, tone, and visuals that resonate with their specific needs and preferences, whilst also showcasing your brand and product.. Personalization can boost engagement and conversions.

Invest in quality: High-quality visuals, compelling copy, and a clear call-to-action can make a big difference. Make sure your creatives are visually appealing and convey your message effectively.

We strongly believe that making a community feel part of the creative experience is vital, and following these tips around quality will ensure the audiences are never disassociated from your brand message.

Pick the right channels: Place your creatives where your audience spends the most time. Whether it’s social media, email newsletters, or specific websites, make sure your creatives are seen by your target audience. To do so, decide what is your optimum goal, reach and frequency, or attention and consideration. The channels and platforms you select will support this goal.

Test and learn: Continuously test different versions of your ads. A/B testing helps you figure out which messages, visuals, and calls-to-action work best, so you can refine your approach and get the most out of your campaigns.

It’s important to remember that advertising campaigns should always tell a strong story.

Programmatic advertising tips

Use data wisely: Make informed decisions based on data. We have a goal here at Publisher Collective, which is to “ensure every buyer has the right data to make an informed bid.”

It encapsulates how we work with clients and leads our programmatic strategy. We want to make sure that we’re hitting the audiences they want to reach with the data we have available. There’s no guesswork that takes place! So, make sure you have the data to support you.

Programmatic platforms use algorithms and real-time data to optimize ad placements, so use this data to understand what works best for your audience.

Real-Time Bidding (RTB): Programmatic advertising lets you bid on ad space in real-time. Set clear bidding strategies to reach your target audience at the right time without blowing your budget.

Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO): DCO creates ads that adapt to different audience segments in real-time. This tech customizes elements like images, text, and call-to-action based on user data, making your ads more relevant to the user.

Retargeting: Use retargeting to re-engage users who’ve interacted with your brand before. Retargeting keeps your brand ‘top of mind’ and encourages them to take the desired action, like making a purchase, engaging with your brand or signing up for something. 

Bridging direct and programmatic ads

Consistent messaging: Keep your messaging aligned across both direct and programmatic ads. A unified approach helps build a cohesive and trustworthy brand and image. It reinforces your message,  makes you stand out from the crowd and supports narrative and sequential advertising.

Integrated campaigns: Build campaigns that leverage both direct and programmatic ads will always drive home your desired effect. Direct campaigns can be a creative way to build awareness and, depending on placement or scale, they can be hugely eye-catching. Programmatic ads can be used to hammer home the brand message and drive conversions. Both direct and programmatic have different benefits (and different price tags), so it’s something to consider when planning your budget.

Cross-channel analytics: Using cross-channel analytics to get a holistic view of your campaign performance can be a huge support. Understanding how your audience interacts with your ads across different channels provides valuable insights for optimization or for future campaigns.

Let’s wrap it up

Connecting with your audience is an ongoing process that requires a deep understanding of their needs and behaviors.

By combining the precision of programmatic advertising with the personalization of direct advertising, you can create highly effective campaigns that resonate with your audience.

Always analyze data, test different approaches, and adapt to changing trends in order to stay ahead of the curve, and make sure to embrace a creative approach that matches your brand.

Use these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to building meaningful connections with your audience, boosting engagement, and achieving your advertising goals.

If you’re ever in need of support with direct and programmatic advertising, lucky you – we’re here to help! Get in touch for further details.