If you’re not targeting specific audiences in your campaigns these days, you’re doing it wrong. An audience-first strategy is now a necessity, and not just a trend passing through, and I wanted to talk about the three ways audiences can be categorized.

When defining your audiences, you have to look at things like browsing patterns, loyalty, site engagement levels, and more. But to get started you should know that both Google and Facebook use three types of audiences: behavior-based, list-based, and lookalike.

Behavior-Based Audiences

Both Facebook and Google allow you to build your own audiences around demographics and behaviors. You can target based on familiar demographics like age, gender, and income levels, but you can also target based on interests and shopping behaviors. This means you can pick out users with strong buying behaviors, or target based on significant life events. These criteria sometimes change for Facebook, though, so be on the lookout for updates to targeting parameters.

List-Based Audiences

Facebook and Google also offer the option to upload existing lists to target customers who match up, so you can used your existing CRM data in new ways. You can retarget current customers with service offers and specials, or turn promising old leads into customers. You can also create lists based on online engagement, like time spent on a specific page. Retarget away!

Lookalike or Similar Audiences

This option lets you reach new users who are interested in your offer or campaign because they are similar to your current customer lists. By choosing a source audience, Facebook and Google can use the behaviors and demographics of this group to find new people to target who also match these interests. It’s a great way to reach new people who might have never heard of your dealership otherwise.

This information is a great start to an audience-first marketing campaign, but it’s just the beginning. There's a huge opportunity in an audience-first marketing campaign, so keep these tactics in mind.