Joshua Dreller
Sr. Director, Content Marketing @ Skai
Globally, the average person spends about 145 minutes a day on social media, while in America, that number hovers at about two hours a day, though as we get more data around social media use during the pandemic, those numbers are certain to go up. And of course, with that many consumers on just a handful of social media platforms for extended periods of time every day, it stands to reason advertisers want to be there too. However, while nearly all brands should have a social media strategy, most brands have a hard time finding exactly who they’re looking for in a sea of profiles. That’s where third-party audiences come in.
What is third-party data on social media?
On social publishers, advertisers have access to three main types of data: first, which is what users share in their profiles; second, which is what users share with the platform; and third, which comes from users’ online behavior outside the platform. Brands like Experian, Oracle, and Epsilon have emerged as some of the world’s leading marketing data providers and offer third-party audiences across every industry and category.
Why Third-Party Audiences?
A person’s behavior on a social media platform can tell a brand a lot about who that consumer is. Someone who likes the Instagram accounts of every major national park, for example, is probably interested in some ads for camping gear, but gaining insight into offline beyond social media activity can paint a full picture of audiences.
For example, it might be incredibly important for brands to know which audiences have recently purchased a new home, are in the market for a new car, and which audiences have particular brand loyalties. Much of this is possible with the help of third-party audience data which can bring in signals from outside the social sphere to help brands reach their targets while they engage with social media.
Better Segmentation
So often, segmentation for social media audiences is based on what customers like, but data around what customers are actually doing in their lives, on their social media platforms, is a much better indicator of which audiences might be receptive to what message.
By working with a marketing data provider, businesses can pick and choose their exact audience, browning prospects based on purchase behavior, in-market, subscription services, and many more options. In addition, Skai’s enhanced integration with Experian enables audience marketers to request any unique audience that applies to their marketing campaign.
Understand Your Audience
But of course, third-party audiences aren’t the only data needed for a holistic social advertising strategy. The most successful strategies take the best of all available data and use that information in harmony to ensure that messages that resonate are being served to audiences who will actually see them.
In order to do that, brands would be smart to invest in audience data to test, refine, and build a complete picture of their target consumers. But that picture isn’t complete without also pairing social channel signals with socio-demographic traits, survey-based consumer attitudes and personas, product ownership, and transactional spend.
When all of this information is combined, a full picture comes together. Let’s face it, who we are on Instagram two hours a day is a far cry from who we are the other 22 hours. Working with third-party audience data means connecting with audiences on an offline level.
Reach third-party audiences with precision on Skai Paid Social
Skai Paid Social currently integrates with global leaders in audience data, such as Experian, Oracle, and Epsilon (with many more integrations to come). These integrations enable Skai’s clients to reach people based on offline behaviors, such as owning a home, being in-market for a new car, household income, a loyal purchaser of a specific brand or product, and many other categories.
For more information about how your company can leverage third-party audiences for more accurate audience targeting, check out Skai’s solutions here.
