Over the past few years, marketing has become more targeted to individual users, and that trend is only going to continue.
Marketing has always been about targeting. Brands target key demographics with targeted messaging, and hopefully, those demographics respond in predictable and trackable ways. Over the past decade or so, marketing has evolved to accommodate and embrace the digital age, but that fundamental concept hasn’t changed. It’s still all about targeting—only now, that targeting is becoming more hyper-specific.
Brands today now have the power to target much more specific demographics, sometimes down to the individual, and that increasing trend of individualization is only going to grow in the coming years.
More Data, More Analytics
The biggest influencers in this trend are the availability of more data, and more predictive analytics to interpret that data. Take Facebook for example; with over a billion active users worldwide with near-complete profiles and years of behavioral history, Facebook knows more about the demographics of the world than professional psychologists—and it uses that data in surprising, innovative new ways.
Better Targeting Technology
It’s no longer a pipe dream to display ads to a hyper-select group of individuals. By using super advanced platforms like Google and Facebook’s respective ad platforms, companies can easily select only the most relevant audiences for their messages. Best of all, despite these technologies’ relative advancement, they’re still inexpensive to use—small businesses only need invest a few hundred dollars to start.
Instant Feedback
Today’s digitally connected, social media-fueled world means you get instant feedback on every decision you make. Within moments of posting a new blog, you’ll get comments that tell you what users think. Within a day or two of changing your website, you’ll have information to see how individuals react. This makes it easier for brands to customize their messages for individual.
Custom Experiences
As technologies evolve, it will soon be easier for brands to produce content that somehow operates on an individual level, delivering highly targeted messaging to select individuals in your target demographics.
The trend of individualization is only beginning. If your brand wants to remain relevant in the coming years, it’s on you to follow it and target your customers with more precision.
