Google Ads is effective for reaching large audiences, but advertisers know that not everyone converts equally. It’s easy to waste money targeting the wrong people. Understanding your audience goes beyond simple demographics and keywords. In 2017, Google introduced targeting based on major life events, which was welcomed by advertisers.
Google recently expanded this feature by adding more life events and making it available on the Display Network. Let’s explore these changes.
Google’s Expanded Life Events
Initially, Google offered targeting for college graduation, marriage, and moving. Now, there are four new life events:
- Home purchase
- Business creation
- Job change
- Retirement Let’s examine how these events impact your Google Ads campaigns.
1. Buying a New Home
Buying a home is a significant purchase that involves online research and planning. Real estate advertisers understand the challenge of finding ready-to-buy customers, making this targeting option a game-changer. This audience might be interested in mortgages, financing, insurance, moving services, furniture, and more. This presents opportunities for marketers across industries to connect with consumers ready to make significant purchases.
You can further refine targeting by selecting homeowners or renters within your campaign’s demographics. This allows for segmentation between first-time homeowners and those buying a second or new property.
2. Starting a Business
This update is a win for B2B advertisers. Starting a business requires more than an idea. New businesses need loans, office space, legal and tax assistance, bank accounts, accounting services, payroll services, and of course, marketing help.
This new audience presents a valuable opportunity for B2B advertisers to connect with potential customers and help them grow their businesses.
3. Changing Jobs
Advertisers can now target users who are about to or have recently changed jobs. Companies seeking talent can benefit from well-targeted ads. Job seekers might require resume writing services, interview attire, travel arrangements, and relocation services. Once employed, new hires often seek to make changes within their new companies. This offers a second opportunity for B2B advertisers to promote their products or services.
4. Entering Retirement
Targeting retirees is a lucrative opportunity for advertisers. Financial advisors, in particular, should pay attention to this growing market segment.
Besides financial planning, retirees often invest in insurance, pursue hobbies, and travel.
Life Event Targeting Comes to the Display Network
Previously limited to Gmail and YouTube, life event targeting is now available on the Google Display Network. This change is significant for advertisers aiming to optimize their display campaigns and reach a more relevant audience. With billions of users across millions of websites, the Display Network offers a vast reach. Combining life event targeting with existing audiences, like remarketing or in-market segments, allows for precise ad delivery to the right user at the optimal time.
