Updated September 23, 2022

How To Target Pay-Per-Click Ads According To Users’ Mindsets

Targeting is a complex art. The internet has evolved, and with it, marketers have more tools than ever before to reach audiences at optimal moments. When a brand aligns their approach, language, and ad targeting, they are engaging in a practice called psychographic marketing. To put it another way, psychographic marketing is a way for a brand to consider a whole suite of factors that impact a customer’s choices – their mood, desires, true intentions, etc. The field of user experience design has long espoused a need to consider users as human beings – psychographic marketing is a way of bringing that thinking into the world of digital advertising.

Why try psychographic marketing? People like to be understood, seen, and treated with dignity – your customer is no exception! By considering what they value, what other brands they’re interested in, why they make choices, and what their lifestyle says about them, you can start to build a narrative around your customer that then positions you to appeal to them on a personal level.

For paid ads, details that contribute to this narrative live in the Audiences section of the Google Ads dashboard. Google Ads gives brands the option to “target” or “observe” users – in targeting mode, ads will only show up for specified audiences. Seeing how ads perform under different targeting settings is a great way to learn about an audience segment’s motivations and tastes.

If you’re paying for ads on Facebook, there are several psychographic options you can select to target customer types based on their interests, where they live, and key demographics.

Ad formats and channels can vary according to which platform you use – however, your messaging & creative content should remain a strong point when you’re engaging with psychographic marketing. What sort of language, graphic touch, and look and feel will create an emotional connection with your target audience? How do you draw them into your story and your offering? If you’re a brand looking to expand your marketing toolkit and personalization capabilities, check out our latest whitepaper – The Algorithm for Consumer Spending, where we get into topics like this and more.

This article is part of The Algorithm for Consumer Spending Series.