Targeting refresher - what does targeting really mean?

To effectively target customers, and connect with them successfully, you must gain in-depth customer knowledge. From that point, you then must use that knowledge appropriately across all channels.

1. See – and capture – the whole picture

Through your website analytics, you need to gain a holistic view of visitor performance. You need to track every touch point visitors use on your website –every click, conversion, abandonment, where they came from, where they went. All this information is available, so you need to be geared to use it.

As your store of data builds over time, you can better understand not only your online customer, but your customers in general.

You must be working towards turning one-way marketing initiatives into two-way dialogue.

Ideally, you create a customised experience for each customer. The benefit is that you can keep that customer coming back. Then you can devise relevant offers and personalised messages, and these should give you a higher likelihood of conversion.

2. Get deeper insights with time

Rome wasn’t built in a day. You need to continuously capture visitor behaviour – what they click, what videos they watch, what content they view – and analyse that behavior over time.

If you link current behavior to previous sessions, you may be able to unearth how likely customers are to buy or engage with you.

3. Maintain a cross-channel view

Customers interact with brands online and offline. Incorporate offline data with online data to get a more accurate, well-rounded view of customers.

Where you combine data, it’s easier to optimise the customer experience. For retailers, how does the average sale online compare with the average sale in store? Why are sales at a particular time heavier online and poorer in store? As you delve into these sorts of questions you are all the time learning about your customers.

4. Use key performance indicators to enhance paid search initiatives

Develop keywords and ads that meet your objectives. Most visitors don’t convert with a single visit. Because of this, you need to track how paid search campaigns perform on their own and how they help drive other marketing goals.

5. Make every message compelling

Use customer data to place highly relevant product and service recommendations across your site and throughout email campaigns. Such tactics help you increase cross-sell opportunities and keep customers engaged.