When curating an audience for an upcoming campaign, it usually makes sense to approach the task with the philosophy ‘the bigger the reach, the better’ in mind. However, there are certain instances when targeting smaller, more specific segments of your audience – particularly those further down the sales funnel – is actually worth more of your time and money than casting the widest net possible. That’s where topical targeting comes in as an excellent tool for reaching highly specialized groups of engaged consumers.

What is topical targeting?

Topical targeting is a customized solution for reaching audiences engaged with specific topics on Babcox Media’s brand websites. It lets you target consumers who have already demonstrated interest in topics relevant to your company and deliver them a highly specialized pop-up message— cutting down on time and money spent trying to reach people who won’t be interested.

How does it work?

Topical targeting begins and ends with content. When a Babcox editor posts an article on one of our brands’ websites, they label that article with key words, or tags, that are descriptive of the topics contained in the content. The editor could tag the company names featured in the article, the products mentioned, the specific market or sector being discussed — any words or phrases that seem highly relevant to the content’s subject matter.

Once published, our audiences can engage with that piece of content in a multitude of ways— by reading it, clicking on links within it, sharing it on social media, etc. Our software then flags their engagement and records their online presence, or IP address, as someone interested in the tags associated with that content.

Leveraging this behavioral data, we can run advertisements on our websites that are only delivered to website visitors who have engaged with the specific tags that are relevant to your brand. This ensures that your ad is only displayed to those who have demonstrated interest in your company or the type of product or service you’re promoting, therefore positioning them further down the sales funnel. So, as those visitors read an article or watch a video, they’ll receive your ad.

Why should you use a topical targeting campaign?

While we can reach our audience subscribers via email campaigns, eNewsletter content, and web and print ads, we know there are even more people out there engaging with our industry content who have yet to subscribe to an eNewsletter or print magazine. Topical targeting allows us to serve your message to both subscribers in our database and engaged readers outside of it.

When should you use a topical targeting campaign?

Topical targeting is an ideal tactic to add to any marketing campaign, but it has to be used strategically. We consider it a custom solution because it must be tailored specifically for your message and your desired audience.

Here are 3 types of marketing campaigns that would benefit the most from topical targeting:

• Brand awareness campaigns. Topical targeting could be a highly effective way to get your brand’s name and logo in front of eyeballs that have already shown interest in similar products and services from competitors.
• Product launches. You could deliver an ad showcasing your new product to consumers who already have a history of engaging with your company and would be more interested in product additions.
• Event promotion. Readers visit our websites largely to benefit from our expertise and expand their knowledge on a certain topic. If you were to host a webinar, conference, livestream, or tradeshow event where experts are likely to gather and educate, then topical targeting could help you reach people outside your network who are actively looking to learn more and may want to attend.  

If you’re ready to reach your target audience, contact your Babcox sales representative today or head to Babcox.com for additional information.

Maddy Leddy is a Digital Marketing Specialist at Babcox Media, focusing on direct marketing, content creation, and social media. A Shaker Heights native, she received her B.A. in English from Boston College and her M.A. in English from the University of Oxford.