In Media Buying it is important to know the strengths of the tools and resources we are choosing to advertise to get the job done. On this note: let’s discuss Facebook and Google, and how both platforms have their own targeting methods whether we are looking for interest-based or intent-based marketing.
Basically the idea is that different marketing platforms cater to different needs of the advertiser. If the brand is offering a product that caters to an audience with specific interest it can opt for interest-based marketing and the other way around with intent-based marketing. for example, an education brand can target students who are looking for specific courses on Google via search ads and also opt for behavioral targeting on social media platforms based on their current educational status.
Interest-based Marketing: This type of targeting is usually done on social media marketing platforms, where there’s a variety of options to target a customer in a contextual manner. Few of them being Interests, behavior, demographic, life-event, relationship status where Facebook uses its own data and other third-party sources to target the audience accordingly.
Intent-based Marketing – In some cases, simply the fact the person fits in certain demographic will be interested in the product and that’s where intent targeting provides accuracy. For example if a brand is selling furniture online, not necessary that everyone who has recently moved to a new house will be interested in buying new furniture. However, a person intending to find new furniture on google us more of an accurate potential customer. This is one of the major reasons why Google search ads provide higher CTR as compared to other platforms.
Both platforms are powerful digital advertising sources a have very specific options to target audiences effectively. Action-oriented ads tend to perform well on google search and on the other hand, you can target new potential customers that can be targeted through Facebook ads. The Media planner must be able to be strategic in terms of understanding the audience which will ultimately help in reaching the brand objectives.
By Huma Shaikh,
Media Manager, SoCheers