How to know who your potential customers really are vs. who they want to be

Taboola

Since the beginning of time, one of the biggest challenges for any business has been answering this question: If we build it, will they come?

With roughly 6 million small businesses in America alone, these unique, innovative retailers face a perplexing challenge when it comes to online promotion: How will consumers know to look for them if there's no awareness of what they're offering?

The new 'attention economy'

These days, people share a lot about themselves on social media. But more often than not, this information represents who the person wants to be, rather than who they truly are. When was the last time you uploaded an image or status about something that represented you in a less-than-positive way? A beautiful selfie or recap of an exciting morning is good, but it's not all true.

In today's "attention economy," social targeting only takes into account that curated information portraying who someone wants to be, making it less effective.

Luckily, companies out there are sifting through and analyzing data from social and web behavior to calibrate true consumer identities and intent. In turn, retailers and small businesses can use this information to target consumers based on their actual behaviors and passions: what they're reading, what devices they consume media on, what markets they're in.

Whether it's discovering a new TV show to binge-watch on Netflix during a weekend you have no plans, or a new suitcase on Amazon right before an upcoming trip, an emotional attachment happens when someone discovers something they may like but never knew existed at just the right moment. This presents a significant opportunity for advertisers of all sizes to be discovered and generate a long-term relationship with consumers who choose to include them in their busy lives.

Here are a few companies that have found success using Taboola's discovery platform to share their stories with highly engaged audiences, at just the right moment, on top sites across the web:

Secret Escapes

Dubbed the "worst-kept secret in luxury travel," Secret Escapes is a free service offering discounts on luxury hotels and vacations. When the deal service expanded across Europe and into the US, the company found it challenging to drive consistent click-through and conversion rates using traditional display advertising.

By revising its acquisition strategy to focus on content discovery, Secret Escapes found that discovery-driven clients were 31% more valuable than those who arrived through traditional display ads. These high-value consumers were more interested and knowledgeable about the Secret Escapes concept when they initially signed up, and therefore more likely to book travel within their first month of becoming a member.

Flintobox

Educating children through activities and games was no problem for monthly theme-based "discovery box" company Flintobox. But educating parents about the existence and benefits of Flintobox was another story, and the company turned to content discovery and storytelling to reach parents at the moments when they'd be most open to learning more about their innovative education product.

This personalized approach generated a significant uplift for Flintobox's business, increasing new subscribers by 15% and driving a 20% lower cost-per-acquisition than visitors coming through search and social.

Plated

Delivering high-quality ingredients and recipes to people's doorsteps, Plated is easy to order, easy to use, and, after using content discovery, easy to find. But when the service first entered the direct-to-consumer scene, there was stiff competition when it came to getting consumers' attention.

The digital upstart experimented with many promotional strategies, but ultimately found that content discovery was particularly effective in sharing the Plated story, fostering an emotional attachment with consumers and translating that sentiment into the lifetime value of a new subscriber. By matching original content and positive media coverage with the right audiences on top publisher sites, Plated generated more than 1 billion impressions in just one month and secured a 12% boost in new customer sign-ups.

Interested in how content discovery can drive results for your business? Learn how you can launch your campaign today on the world's largest discovery platform.

This post is sponsored by Taboola.

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