Advertising new home sales to someone who recently bought a home or a new car to someone that just bought one is unlikely to give brands the results they want. These ads miss the importance of reaching the right person at the right time in the buying journey. Consumers receive and respond better when the marketing of products and services is most relevant to their current life experiences and needs. For example, someone who just bought a home may be considering home insurance or new furniture. However, someone who has owned a home for many years may be looking to  remodel. Those consumers' behaviors will be different. By taking the buyer's journey into consideration, brands are able to create advertisements that speak to their target audience's needs, with the right message at the right time.

Advertise to the Right Person

Conducting research on your target audience before planning a campaign can help you to create ads that best speak to their needs, interests, and pain points. Rather than running ads you assume are compelling or interesting, think about your target audience’s age group, what their needs and pain points are that are likely to drive interest in your products or services, and how you can create messaging that will relate to them. Finally, ask yourself whether you are marketing to people who are already familiar with your brand or if you are marketing to attract new customers. 

Advertising to the right person is crucial. If you don’t know who your audience truly is, there are a variety of ways that you can find out. If you have a CRM or any customer data - use this information to your advantage to uncover trends in their demographics- and psychographics. You can also conduct surveys and interviews to learn more and ensure you’re not making assumptions about who your target audience really is.  

Once you've identified who you are trying to reach, research where those people are. What radio stations do they listen to? What times are they listening? What websites are they on? What social media platforms do they use? And then find the right media that best reach your target audience.   

Advertise at the Right Time

Timing is everything, and marketing at the right time is just as important as speaking to the right audience. Even ads that were perfectly designed with your target audience in mind are unlikely to do their job if they are not addressing the needs reflective of that audience’s timing in their buyer’s journey. Advertising at the right time requires knowing your target audience and where they are in terms of making a decision on their upcoming purchase - and even more so, what matters to them at each of those stages.

Research is a big part of every buyer’s journey due to the easily accessible research online - from Google to blogs to asking friends on Social Media - consumers are heavily researching before making all kinds of purchases. For example, online shoppers may place items in their “shopping carts” even if they have no intention of buying them that day, just so they can compare prices and features across a variety of brands, before ultimately making a decision. 

One way to better understand if a buyer is nearing the point of purchase is by their online behaviors. For example, a consumer may return to a specific page or product on your website multiple times. Or they may put specific products in their “shopping cart”. By retargeting them with ads that remind them about their products, it helps push consumers closer to a purchase.

Life milestones and trigger moments in life, such as getting married, having a baby, or buying a home or car help brands to monitor specific behavior and  meet customers where they are at certain points in their lives. Targeting audiences that are likely to be in the market for certain products aligned with their lifestyles , as well as using data to filter out customers who have recently purchased , helps businesses target the higher intent audience, leading to a greater return on the investment.

Why Reaching the Right People at the Right Time is Important to Your Business's Success

Advertising to the right people at the right time is an essential to the success of any marketing campaign because it ensures personalized messaging that speaks to a particular consumer's current life situation. Due to the current pandemic, businesses are having to adapt their marketing strategies to speak to the times. Realtors are giving virtual home tours, fitness studios are offering live streamed classes to do at home, and restaurants are promoting their delivery and takeout services. While reaching the right people at the right time is very important, it’s also important to make sure you’re adjusting your efforts to the current times like businesses are currently doing during the COVID-19 crisis.