Having survived the first few months in my new role as a mother of two, I now find myself back in my old role as digital marketer and reflecting on my short time away…
It was 3am. The familiar sounds of a newborn cry had come again all too soon for my sleep-deprived state of mind. I stumbled down the hall in my bare feet and frumpy ol’ bathrobe grumbling to myself about how many more hours of sleep I could hope to get before the sun came up.
As soon as I caught the scent of that sweet baby girl, all was forgiven. With the lights out, we settled into the rocking chair for the third middle-of-the-night feeding that night. As she drifted off into her milk-drunk sleepy state of happiness, I aimlessly scrolled Facebook on my phone.
Suzie’s baby girl had started walking. Leah was closing on her new home. Ryan told a political joke. And there in the middle of the newsfeed was a paid ad for an au pair agency.
There are a myriad of reasons why this Facebook ad in particular caught my attention as a new (again) mom. It could have just been my sleep-deprived desperation for help that caused me to take pause. Maybe it was the impending return to work and the idea of sending my mere 4-month-old baby girl off into the arms of strangers. Perhaps it was the dreadful feeling that came with writing that tuition check for two in a reputable daycare center. Or it could have been the reality sinking in of soon being apart all day from a baby who was refusing a bottle. Likely it was some combination of all of these things.
But the reality is that none of those things would have made one bit of difference if the au pair agency didn’t get that ad in front of the right person (me), at the right time (in the middle of the night when I was maybe feeling more vulnerable and when I actually had a moment to click through to learn more) with the right message (that appealed to my most critical needs in that phase of life).
Audience Development in Social Media Advertising
I imagine their social media advertising team took a step back and really thought about new moms. What kind of interests or brands might they follow on Facebook? Which device are they most likely to be scrolling the Facebook newsfeed with? What would speak to them most about the agency’s services? What sort of schedule are they likely to be keeping with a newborn? And when might they be most receptive to an ad?
They compiled everything they knew about new moms and developed a comprehensive digital advertising strategy to reach the right person, at the right time, in the right place, and with the right message. And you know what? It worked.
That one single social ad I happened to see in the middle of the night sparked a series of events that will lead to our new au pair arriving from Mexico in just a few short weeks.
With so many options in today’s landscape of digital and social advertising, you almost have to try to not reach your audience where they are. Take that extra time to develop a comprehensive ad strategy before you dive right in. I’m living proof – it works.
