Life Events Targeting in Google Adwords

Life Events Targeting - Silhouette mother and baby at ocean sunset

Getting in front of the right people is one of the biggest challenges when creating and maintaining a Google Adwords campaign. 

Throw too wide of a net, and you’ll likely get some low-quality traffic. If your aim is too narrow, you’ll be missing out on potential buyers. You need a strategy that’s just right, and for display campaigns targeting with Audience types is a surefire way to get your product in front of the perfect crowd. 

Currently, there are numerous Audience types in the Display category – a few popular being:

  • Demographics – Targeting people based on age, gender and income
  • Affinity – Engaging with users based on their interests
  • In-Market – Finding those who are shopping for the same or similar products
  • Remarketing – Getting in front of those who have already visited your website

Recently, however, a new Audience set came aboard for Display campaigns, and the ability to capture people at a specific time in their life could be a marketer’s dream come true. Fittingly, that type is called ‘Life Events’.

What Is ‘Life Events’?

For an individual, milestones don’t come about each and every day. Putting key dates like ‘your child’s first step’ and ‘second speeding ticket’ aside, events such as a graduation, new baby, or getting a job can have a big impact on someone. It’s what they’ll need before, during, and after that landmark occasion is where you would come in.

Life Events targeting will get your ad in front of people who are either about to or are currently embarking on that big moment. As of right now, the ‘Events’ offered by Google Adwords include:

  • Business creation
  • College graduation
  • Job change
  • Marriage
  • Moving
  • Purchasing a home
  • Retirement

The nice feature for each of these is you can select where in the ‘journey’ you’d like to target. 

Which Journey To Choose?

You own a flower shop, and are looking for a way to attract more customers. With Life Events, you can get your Display ad for a fresh shipment of ‘I Love You’ Bouquets in front of someone who is about to get married. Within the same category, you can show the ‘I’m Sorry’ Bouquets to those who have recently gotten married. 

In this scenario, the product (bouquets) can be used in both before and after the event – which is the advantage of Life Events targeting. It allows the user to be creative in their marketing, and cater the artwork and messaging accordingly.

Now, while Life Events is a more narrow approach than Affinity Audiences, it casts a wider net than say, In-Market, which typically focuses on something more specific. 

As anyone who has ever moved before could attest, there are a number of things one would need before and after the big haul. Packing materials, a moving truck, a moving company – the list goes on. Once they’ve made it to their destination, they might need anything from new furniture to paint to a good local pizzeria. Because of the wide range of goods and services needed in this scenario, the possibilities, and competition, are great.

The Set-Up

Life Events targeting in Google Adwords

To access Life Events targeting:

  • Visit ‘Audiences’ in your desired Display ad group
  • Click ‘Edit’ or ‘Add Audiences’, and then select ‘Browse’
  • View the ‘Researching or Planning’ option and then choose which Life Events suits your needs

Life Events can currently be added to either a Display, Gmail or YouTube campaign. 

To learn more about advanced targeting options, or if you’re looking to grow your business, give Aronson Advertising’s SEM team a call at (847) 297-1700 or visit us at aronsonads.com. 

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