What is Targeting?
Targeting definition: targeting is an advertising process that enables a brand to select the characteristics of the potential customers they want to reach.
Targeting is an integral function of self-serve advertising platforms like:
It allows brands to create “audiences” based on a wide-ranging, but specific, set of factors.
Depending on the advertising platform this can include:
- Demographics: age, gender, location, etc.
- Psychographics: beliefs, hobbies, interests, etc.
- Behavior: past purchases, site visits, content interactions, etc.
- Keywords: exact match, broad match, partial match, etc.
- Lookalikes: based on previously successful audiences
These can all be used in conjunction to create hyper-specific variations, too.

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Additional resources about Targeting
- The Importance of Targeting in Marketing (And How to Include It in Your Strategy)
- How to use Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP) to develop marketing strategies
- The 8 Coolest Ad Targeting Features in Marketing Right Now
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