According to a recent report put together by Advertising.com and the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, some of the most underutilized Internet marketing strategies in 2009 were targeted campaigns. So will businesses and marketing companies finally discover the power of targeted marketing in 2010? It’s hard to tell. One of the chief obstacles for pursuing targeted Internet marketing strategies seems to be a misunderstanding of the nature of targeted ads. And its not just businesses who aren’t getting targeted marketing. Many Internet marketers themselves aren’t using targeted Internet marketing strategies either. According to the survey, only 30% of Internet marketers were using targeted display ads. What’s more, only 18% were using geotargeted ads, which many believe will see lots of growth in 2010. So what is targeted marketing? There are actually several aspects to targeted marketing. Here are the four most important targeted marketing strategies that all Internet marketers should be familiar with.
Geographic Targeting – Currently one of the most talked-about Internet marketing strategies, geographic targeting lets marketers reach consumers where they are. With the increase in Internet-equipped smartphones, geographic targeting has the potential to reach consumers on a local level.
Contextual Targeting — Probably the oldest and most well-known form of targeted Internet marketing strategies, contextual targeting is based on things like search engine results and specific Website content.
Demographic Targeting — The rise of social media has made demographic targeting one of the more important internet marketing strategies. Marketers can tailor their ads to reach certain people based on things like age or gender.
Time Targeting — While few Internet marketers are concerned with time targeting right now, expect this to become more and more important aspect of Internet marketing strategies. As real time search becomes more popular, so should time targeting. That’s because it can reach consumers specifically when they may need or want a certain product or service.
A related study by Econsultancy and the Rubicon Project shows that those who have used targeting marketing online have already experienced positive results. It’s likely that the companies that are taking full advantage of targeted Internet marketing strategies will be primed in 2010 to overtake ones that aren’t.
