Consumers are accustomed to seeing emails with personalized subject lines from unfamiliar brands and ads tailored to their interests. It’s no longer considered intrusive but rather anticipated. In fact, 74% percent of people shopping online express frustration towards businesses when the content presented holds no relevance to their preferences, and a significant portion, specifically one-third, of marketing professionals, as per an Adobe study, perceive personalization as the most crucial element for the future of their field.

Personalization has evolved into a non-negotiable for businesses aiming to stay competitive in the digital marketplace. In today’s world, where we can effortlessly order and personalize our regular Starbucks drinks through their app even before stepping into the store, people have come to expect the same level of tailored experience online.

However, personalization in paid advertising can appear complicated. How can you guarantee your ads are reaching the right audience with enticing messages that resonate with their particular interests? How do you scale your efforts to personalize the experience for each shopper within a massive pool of thousands of online consumers? How can you even be sure you’re connecting with the right audience, at the optimal moment, and with the perfect message?

These 7 practical strategies will demystify the world of paid ad personalization and simplify your work as a marketer.

#1: Leverage Customer Match, Custom Audiences, and Targeted Audiences

The most logical starting point is by utilizing your existing contact list. Facebook’s Custom Audiences and Twitter’s Targeted Audiences, features that have been available for a while, allow you to import a list of emails or phone numbers directly onto the platform. This enables you to display your ads directly to that specific group. Google’s Customer Match now offers marketers the same capability.

Whether you’re using YouTube ads, Gmail Sponsored Promotions, or the reliable Search Network, you can upload your list of potential customers, perhaps those who recently downloaded an ebook or subscribed to your blog, and present them with personalized ads. This method is incredibly powerful because it illustrates the convergence of search and display advertising with email marketing, targeting individuals instead of keywords or websites. For instance, imagine having a list of webinar participants. Instead of showing them generic ads, you can showcase ads directly related to the webinar’s content. This keeps your ad copy and visuals aligned with their interests and needs.

#2: Incorporate Geo Customizers in Your Ad Text

These features are relatively new, and we’ve already witnessed their effectiveness at nexus-security. Similar to ad customizers, they automatically update your ads, but geo-customizers base the update on a searcher’s physical location or a location they’re interested in. Although these are particularly beneficial for local businesses, all advertisers should explore creative ways to leverage a searcher’s location.

Nic D’Amato, nexus-security’s Senior Paid Search Strategist, recently implemented this new feature with his client POP Yachts. During a typically slow period, his client observed a remarkable 30% surge in click-through rate (CTR), a 13% boost in click conversion rate, and a substantial 50% reduction in CPA (cost per acquisition) over a two-week span. Impressive results!

!Marketing personalization geo customizer example Nic’s experiment clearly demonstrates the value of these geo customizers.

“I highly recommend geo ad customizers to any advertiser offering local products or special promotions in specific cities,” Nic advises. “They provide you with a competitive edge by localizing your ads and enhancing their relevance to the user. They save you the effort of frequent ad updates, significantly improve ad performance, and assist in capturing customers further down the sales funnel.”

To learn more about setting these up, take a look at Nic’s detailed post.

#3: Retarget Non-Converters on Search Through Social Media

People often start their buying journey on Google, whether it’s through high-intent searches like “Buy pair of women’s Warby Parker prescription sunglasses” or general questions like “How do I manage my PPC bids?”

However, even with high-intent searches indicating a purchasing mindset, distractions are abundant, from new social media notifications to work emails vying for attention on our phones. Therefore, marketers need to cultivate a comprehensive, personalized experience by retargeting website visitors on social media.

For instance, if someone browses the product page for a specific style of Warby Parker sunglasses, the advertiser should retarget that user on Facebook, reminding them of their initial interest.

This tactic is highly effective because instead of retargeting every site visitor, you’re concentrating on a smaller segment with a much higher likelihood of making a purchase. Additionally, Facebook and Twitter offer more refined targeting options. For instance, you can retarget individuals who found your site through a specific search, fall within a certain age bracket, and hold specific job titles. We’ll delve deeper into that in the next point…

#4: Capitalize on Facebook and Twitter’s Targeting Capabilities

Did you know you can target “fitness enthusiast mothers” who are interested in musical theater, hold a college degree from Harvard University, and reside in NYC condos exceeding 2,999 square feet? The level of detailed targeting achievable through demographics, interests, and behaviors on both Facebook and Twitter is remarkable.

Through self-provided information and data gathered by third-party providers, both platforms possess a deep understanding of their user base. While this might seem intrusive from a user’s perspective, it presents you, the advertiser, with numerous opportunities to connect with your ideal audience.

When establishing demographic audiences on each social platform, ensure you follow these steps:

• Possess a comprehensive understanding of your intended audience.
• Layer various targeting options until you arrive at a reasonably sized audience that aligns with your allocated budget.
• Craft ads that directly resonate with that specific audience.

#5: Employ Targeting Tools Within the Google Display Network

The Google Display Network (GDN) showcases your ads to users as they navigate different websites. The GDN is vast; reaching over 90% of global internet users across 2 million sites, making it challenging to personalize your strategy.

To maximize your budget’s impact, the GDN provides several categories designed to ensure you’re connecting with the right individuals on the right websites. These categories include:

• Contextual targeting: This option limits your ad display to sites relevant to your chosen keywords.
• Placement targeting: Exert control by selecting specific websites where you want your ads to appear, ensuring they’re reaching relevant users (or exclude irrelevant sites).

• Remarketing: Reconnect with individuals who have previously visited your website (or made a purchase).
• Interest Categories: Display ads tailored to your users’ interests. While the targeting capabilities might not be as sophisticated as Facebook’s, you can utilize features like TV-like affinity audiences for more refined targeting.
• Topic Targeting: Select from Google’s predefined topics, such as “Autos and Vehicles,” to target users interested in those product categories.
• Demographic Targeting: In addition to languages and locations, Google enables targeting based on gender, parental status, and age range.

While these options might seem limited compared to the offerings of social networks, remember that you can combine these categories to further refine your target audience. For instance, you can use placements in conjunction with remarketing to retarget only those individuals who visited specific pages on your website.

#6: Communicate Directly with the User Throughout Their Entire Search Journey

This point might seem obvious, but surprisingly, many marketers fail to step into the shoes of the searcher and instead prioritize boasting about their business. The truth is, searchers are not concerned about your law firm being the “best in town.” Anyone can make that claim. What they genuinely care about is finding a trustworthy and reliable solution to their problem.

We are inherently self-centered, which poses a challenge. If both the advertiser and the consumer are primarily focused on their own needs, their goals are unlikely to align, right? Not necessarily. Advertisers need to acknowledge this by setting aside their ego and directly addressing the user’s needs throughout their entire buying journey. Your creative content should be written in the second person, seamlessly guiding the reader and focusing on their problems and how you can provide a solution.

Consider the two ads below, both of which received a similar number of impressions and an average position between one and two. Which ad do you believe garnered a higher click-through rate?

Ad A emerged as the clear winner with an impressive CTR of 62.5%, whereas ad B achieved a CTR of 13%. While both CTRs are decent, ad A excelled by directly addressing the searcher, using the pronoun “you,” and immediately reassuring them that customer service is a top priority.

David Ogilvy, the acclaimed “Father of Advertising,” aptly stated, “If you can’t turn yourself into a consumer, you probably shouldn’t be in the advertising business at all.”

#7: Utilize RLSA’s with a Wider Range of Keywords to Re-engage Past Visitors

RLSA’s, or remarketing lists for search ads, might sound intimidating, but they’re remarkably straightforward! Similar to standard remarketing, instead of trailing website visitors across the web with banner and sidebar ads, RLSA’s present your ads to past visitors while they’re actively searching on Google. This empowers advertisers to create a personalized search experience based on their remarketing lists.

For example, let’s say you have a remarketing audience comprising individuals who explored your product page for long women’s grey trench coats. Instead of targeting longer-tail keywords like “grey winter trench coat for women,” you can bid on broader terms like “coat” and “winter coat” to display your ads to these searchers. You already know they’re interested in this product category. This allows for a more customized search experience on Google based on your understanding of your audience’s interests.