Online targeting and retargeting
“Why do I keep seeing our own online ads?”
Yesterday, I received the following question from a client:
“Can someone explain to me why every time I open Google there is an ad for our organization? Is that because Google knows that I work in healthcare and I get that ad? This has happened a lot. How can we afford this kind of advertising?”
There are three/four reasons you could be served your own advertising on Google and other related networks.
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Keyword targeting
The terms you search for on Google and other search networks lets them know what kind of content (advertising) you are interested in. Their whole business model is based on delivering to you the most relevant content (and advertising, as they get paid when you click on an ad).
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Behavioral targeting
The content you consume (read) on editorial sites (i.e. an article on nytimes.com about healthcare), as well as the sites you go to (i.e. http://www.webmd.com/) identify you as likely interested in healthcare.
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Behavioral retargeting
You may have clicked on a banner ad for your organization at one time. Once you do this, if the people buying your online media know what they’re doing, they keep serving you ads because you have already shown interest.
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Geographic targeting
The ip address of your computer is located in the geographic area that your organization is targeting.
Compared to print advertising, these techniques are relatively inexpensive. To the people being targeted, it will appear that you are spending a lot of money because you will be very prominent. In reality, you will be spending comparatively little because we are only targeting people interested in healthcare or the specific specialty/subspecialty we are marketing, and only in our key feeder markets.
At Smith & Jones, we’ve been using these online media buying techniques for years so we kind of take them for granted. If you’re not using them, too, you’re not seeing the ROI from online media that you should be.
One more thing
If you see a banner or paid search ad for your organization, don’t click on it. You pay for each click, and you’ll keep getting served more ads everywhere you go.