Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.
Last Updated on April 19, 2023 by Work In My Pajamas
Advertising is definitely not the same today as it was in the past. The internet has been a complete game changer in the world of marketing and business. Online advertisements are smarter, and more tailored to the individual consumer in a way that would be impossible with traditional advertising platforms like print, TV, and radio.
One new platform that is very important for the success of marketing campaigns is social media. Below is explanation of how advertising can work to target you personally on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
In This Post:
Targeting Through Profile Information
Social media advertisements seem to have a way of reaching the exact consumers that would be most likely to purchase those products and services. While some people may suspect these ads have the ability to read minds, there is a much more simple explanation. One common strategy deployed by online marketers is to target ads, based on profile information.
This is one of the reasons why social media networks like Facebook seem to beg you to completely fill out your profile. Information like age, sex, marital status, city, and more help choose the exact ads that are displayed for you on that platform. If you fill out more profile information regarding your hobbies, favorite movies, and more, you can expect to get even more specific ads for related products and services.
Targeting Through Browser History
Your browser history plays a very important role in determining what advertisements are displayed to you on social media networks, as well as other places online. If you own a website, you know some sites create files known as “cookies” that are downloaded into the internet cache of visitors.
These cookies are often used to allow your browser to remember things like the log-in details of websites you visit. However, they can also be read by other websites like social media platforms to determine what websites you visited in the past. This information can then be used to target you with advertisements based on that information.
Targeting Through Followers
Another good strategy for obtaining information about the preferences of certain consumers is to examine what accounts they follow on social media. If you follow the Facebook account of the Chicago Cubs, this information could be used to target you with ads for Cubs merchandise and other baseball related products.
Overall, the advertisements run on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are extremely sophisticated. They implement algorithms that can take into consideration the information gathered from user profiles, browser histories, and friend lists. This information is then used to choose specific targeted ads to run that are much more likely to convert a lead into a paying customer.
