Your stakeholders are spending an average of 23% of their time online every day. Whether you’re looking to engage your workforce, promote a new product or drive investor interest, if your company isn’t digitally connected you’re missing out on some significant engagement opportunities.

This doesn’t mean you need to become a digital savant overnight, but it does mean you should consider how your company currently uses digital platforms as a means to engage with audiences.

So how do you better engage? The first is to understand what’s meaningful to your audiences, and then develop ads that intersect their interests with yours. The second is to learn where they frequent online, and then place the audience centric ads in those places so their chances of seeing them are high.

People are exposed to thousands of advertisements every day, so creating a targeted approach built on facts will get your audiences clicking instead of scrolling by.

A shotgun approach can only get you so far—blasting a message into the digital ethers and believing that you’re going to get the desired result. We see so many companies doing this as they believe navigating the internet isn’t that complicated and they can do it quicker and cheaper themselves. But in the days of complicated algorithms and people experiencing ad overload, reaching targeted audiences has become an art and a science.
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So where do you start?

1. Define your Audience Personas
   No one should know your target audiences better than you. Go deeper than the basic demographics to find out what really makes your customer tick. What are their interests? What are their pain points? How do they measure success? The more you know will create a better understanding of what they are looking for and how you can better target them. Make your personas relatable and real. Give them names and keep them top of mind in every decision you make.
2. ‍Educate Yourself
   Digital marketing spending has surpassed traditional marketing spending for the first time ever. Digital platforms (think Facebook and LinkedIn) are trying to give businesses the tools to make their ads stand out and achieve results. These platforms have articles that will guide a user through what to do and how to do it. YouTube is a fantastic tool for those who prefer to learn visually rather than through the written word. ‍
3. ‍Branded Content
   Invest in the visual and written ad content, or just don’t bother. Even if you’ve targeted the right people and outshone your competitors in ad placement, a poor quality ad will still underperform. This is the time to allow your brand to shine and show your audiences why you are the right fit for them. It’s time to get creative and show your audiences what makes you, you. Use high-quality graphics, catchy headlines, and on-brand colour and typography to create a unique ad experience.‍
4. Know your Communication's Purpose
   Add value to your audience in that quick flash that you have their attention. Does your audience want to be entertained, educated or be given a deal—an ad doesn’t feel like an ‘ad’ when it contains content that’s valuable to a person.
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With these strategies in mind, a highly targeted, well branded, successful marketing campaign isn’t out of reach for the average person. The upfront time you spend researching, strategizing and creating will save you countless dollars and time in the long run.

If you have any questions on this article, or would like any further tips on how to engage your audiences, please drop us a line!