Where marketers once placed online ads by looking at website audiences, they can now get closer to a conversion by segmenting and targeting specific customer groups using stable, anonymous data amassed over time and from a number of sources, including purchase behavior, demographics, and financial and lifestyle data — “anonymous consumer profile targeting” (ACP).
Kerry Morris, vice president of product management at Epsilon Online Solutions, offers some guides for adding ACP to your online ad buys:
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MOVE UP THE FUNNEL
Traditional behavioral targeting seeks to determine who's ready to buy today. Use ACP to monitor consumers who are consistently active in a product category, and thus to refine targeting from brand awareness and research through purchase and referral.
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FOCUS ON THE AUDIENCE, NOT THE CHANNEL
Consumer data can drive programs across multiple media, such as online, email, direct mail and broadcast. Retargeting cookies both in email and on a website can extend marketing dollars.
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MEASURE RESULTS ACROSS CHANNELS
Research concludes that web display campaigns gain impact from combining with other media such as TV or paid search. Cross-channel effects are tough to measure, but failing to do so could mean sales attributed to the wrong campaign channel.
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PAY ATTENTION TO PRIVACY
Comply with ad targeting opt-out best practices of the Digital Advertising Alliance. Consumers must be given control over the use of their data — even if it's anonymized.
Got a Web tip to share? Contact Brian Quinton at [email protected]
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