Audience Targeting
Selecting specific user segments for ad delivery based on demographics, behaviors, interests, or other attributes.
Definition
Audience targeting focuses ad delivery on defined user segments rather than (or in addition to) keywords or placements. Options include demographic targeting, interest-based audiences, in-market audiences, custom audiences, and lookalike/similar audiences.
Sophisticated targeting enables precision that keyword targeting alone cannot achieve. You can reach people who've demonstrated purchase intent, match characteristics of best customers, or target specific job titles and companies.
Why It Matters
Targeting determines who sees your ads and how efficiently budget is spent. Better targeting means less waste on unlikely-to-convert audiences and more budget reaching qualified prospects.
As privacy changes limit some targeting options, understanding the full range of available methods becomes essential for maintaining performance.
Examples in Practice
A B2B company uses LinkedIn's job title targeting to reach decision-makers, achieving 5x the conversion rate of broad professional targeting.
A retailer uses in-market audiences for their product category, reaching people actively shopping rather than just demographically similar users.
A brand builds lookalike audiences from their best customers, finding new prospects who share characteristics with highest-value segments.