How to target segments online

Framing developed through research projects is rarely successfully applied in the digital context. This can be because campaigners and communicators are unsure how to translate the insights into this context, don’t know how to effectively test different messaging and framing or attempts to do so don’t yield the desired results and are quickly dropped. Now, more than ever, we need to understand the essential role that digital does and will continue to play in reaching and mobilising new audiences.

In 2021, digital mobilisation agency Forward Action worked with Hope for the Future and Living Streets to generate digital leads using Britain Talks Climate. By testing and optimising Facebook ads designed for different segments, they were able to drive people towards tailored sign-up pages, resulting in over 14,000 new subscribers at an average cost of 83p. In this way, evidence-based framing can lead to higher engagement and diversification of your online audiences. However, it is important that subsequent messaging (via mailout, for example) matches the initial frames that were used to recruit them. If not, you are likely to see drop off, as people are not getting what they expected to see when they joined.

Forward Action have created a “How-to guide” for those hoping to replicate this method. This includes a testimonial from the Living Streets case study.

The case study below, in the form of a video conversation, outlines how Forward Action worked with Hope for the Future to help them engage and diversify their online audiences.

Have any questions or want to know more? Contact Forward Action at hello@forwardaction.uk or see more work from Forward Action here.

In April-June 2022, Climate Outreach and Hope for the Future (HFTF) partnered again to develop messaging to inspire Loyal Nationals to attend local, in-person events. The partnership drew on the work above, as well as research and bespoke analysis from Climate Outreach on how to engage Loyal Nationals. Results of this work are summarised in this slidedeck. 

Facebook profiles of the seven segments have been created by matching the segmentation questions with data from audience intelligence platform Global Web Index (GWI) and translating this for Facebook. This enables us to directly target segments on Facebook, while also allowing us to discover more information about the segments’ news, entertainment, and brand preferences, as well as their interests and influencers.

You will need a Facebook Ads Manager account to use these profiles. From there, you will be able to create a new campaign, with ad sets designed for different target segments. You will then be prompted to choose your audience using Facebook’s targeting criteria, selecting data such as location, age, education level, and interests – as laid out in the spreadsheet below. Each Facebook profile represents between 1-2m people in the UK.

These profiles are experimental and are yet to be formally tested to confirm that they accurately classify segments according to the original segmentation variables (e.g., by asking 1000 people per Facebook profile the Golden Questions to check they fall into the segment they belong to).

Have any questions or want to know more? Contact Josh Feldberg at josh.feldberg@gsccnetwork.org