In order to get the most out of a paid media campaign, you must know your audience before you launch.
Your paid media team's goal is to go into the marketplace and deliver the right message to the right people at the right time. In this equation, targeting the right people is critical.
When we talk about audience data, there are four key concepts: demographics, interests, motivations, and media consumption.
Demographics are straightforward: age, gender location, etc. -- we're all familiar with that. With interests, we're talking about hobbies, lifestyle choices, and how people spend their money. How people spend their money says a lot about what they value; you can tell a lot about a person by their interests.
With regard to motivations, ask yourself why people need your product or service. What emotional or financial or entertainment need does it meet?
And lastly, in order to know your audience, you need to determine their media consumption. Where does your audience spend their time and what are they consuming? Are they viewing cat videos and astrology charts, or are they consuming tech news on VentureBeat and Twitter, for instance?
