Google announced last week that it would be extending its audience targeting capabilities. Currently only available for the display network and YouTube, audience targeting will now be coming to search campaigns.
The news was shared in a blog post by Google, released ahead of its annual live-streamed event, Google Marketing Next which was held last week.
Having first been introduced in 2013 under the name in-market buyers, this targeting is aimed at reaching consumers who are getting ready to make a purchase, based on analysis of intent signals for example search queries or web site browsing activity. To qualify someone as being in-market for a specific product or service, Google takes into account clicks on related ads and subsequent conversions, along with the content of the sites and pages they visit and the recency and frequency of the visits. In this way, Google accurately categorises users so advertisers can target those most interested in their products or services.
For example, if you own a car dealership, you will be able to target users who have recently searched “cars with best fuel economy”.
In-market audiences can drive incremental conversions, helping advertisers to connect with consumers as the last step before they make a purchase decision. Taking advantage of real-time data and a powerful classification system based on demonstrated in-market behaviour, these segments can help advertisers to present the right offer at the right moment to those most interested in their products and services. A great way to take full advantage of in-market audiences is to use this feature in combination with Remarketing to drive highly qualified users to your site and improve overall remarketing efficiency for your campaign.Google actually suggests that the real impact on conversions comes when using in-market segments in conjunction with remarketing. Advertisers can layer the in-market on top of their remarketing lists to increase reach while maintaining relevancy. The hope is that this effort will then bolster the volume of conversions coming in through remarketing.
Currently, there are more than a dozen in-market audiences available in AdWords. You can target people looking to buy anything from baby products to event tickets and more.
Google have long resisted incorporating such features into its advertising platforms due to privacy reasons, then Facebook came along and advertiser expectations of targeting capabilities changed with it.
It is currently unknown the exact timing of when this feature will be rolled out across the board but keep your eyes open, it shouldn’t take too long!
