Leave it to the internet to devise a way for us to hate what would normally be a favorite dessert of many: not warm, chewy in the center or made from a secret family recipe that goes way back, we’re talking about cookies of the browser variety – otherwise known as HTTP cookies. These powerful little pieces of data have been relied on by online advertisers for over a decade and are the basis for getting people to click through to a site. This method is okay, except, of course, when bots and not actual people are clicking on your ads and inflating the click rate. Cookies, in fact, may be what’s standing in the way of your next online marketing campaign’s success. It’s time to stop dunking your cookies and start considering IP targeting: the only “cookie-less” internet advertising solution.
Most online marketing and advertising tools rely on cookie data to drive their advertisements. For example, perhaps you’ve had a glass of wine or two and you find yourself browsing YouTube and watching videos of cats riding on Roombas. You decide to go to the Roomba website to learn more. You read a few things, fall asleep, and forget about the whole thing. Don’t worry! Your cookies didn’t forget. The next morning, you may find yourself seeing an influx of Roomba ads (sans adorable cats) on other sites you visit during the day. It’s that kind of top-of-mind advertising that companies rely so heavily on when it comes to online advertising, and it’s fairly obvious why. Unfortunately, cookie data can also come from click farms (cue scene from HBO’s Silicon Valley) and bots, rendering your ad impressions and user data completely useless and costing you a lot of money.
Ad fraud isn’t going away any time soon, but you and your business have the opportunity to target customers in a way that avoids all of this by incorporating IP targeting into your next marketing plan.
IP Targeting Benefits
All you need is a list. Start with your existing database of customers. Verified and targeted home addresses are used to accurately find the IP address for a particular household, so there isn’t much prep work involved. If you have addresses, you’re ready to go!
Pinpoint exactly who you want to target. We’re not talking about the IP address of the McDonald’s next door or the boutique across the street. IP targeting uses software to identify the exact IP address of the customer, which lets you and your business rest assured that your message is being seen by the right people at the right time.
Combine the benefits of two channels. IP targeting is a great way to combine digital and print advertising. Attract customers with a two-pronged approach by using a direct mail piece and online ads to keep your business top-of-mind.
The proof is in the sales numbers. Forget about those frequently discussed click through rate (CTR) metrics. If you’ve read up to this point, you’ll know that there’s way too many things working against truly knowing the success of a campaign based on CTR alone. With IP targeting, customer conversion is easily tracked so that you can confidently calculate real sales numbers, leaving you with solid knowledge of your true ROI.
It’s easy and flexible. We get it – we’re used to successful marketing tactics coming with their own encyclopedia of terms, jargon and background research just to get to the actual point of putting a strategy in place. IP targeting is as simple as pinpointing customers online and at home based on their addresses and watching everything unfold. Whether it’s a two-week advertisement or a three-month nurture campaign, there are plenty of ways to customize IP targeting to your business’ needs.
Midwest Direct is excited to be at the forefront of IP targeting. Have a messy customer list? Let our Data team clean it up so that your IP targeting campaign can be even more successful. Request more information.
