We tell you what a targetologist does, what skills he needs, what salary you can expect and where to start training.
Targeted Advertising Specialist: Who is he and what does he do?
Responsibilities and key skills of a targetologist
Differences between a targetologist and an SMM specialist
Pros and cons of the profession
How much does a targetologist earn?
How to become a specialist in targeted advertising
Where to start training to become a targetologist
Targeted Advertising Specialist: Who is he and what does he do?
Table of Contents
A targetologist is a person who sets up and launches advertising on social networks. The name of the profession comes from the English word target, “goal”. In this case, the goal is the audience interested in the brand, product or service. After all, effective advertising is not the one that is seen by as many people as possible, but the one that brings leads – potential buyers and clients. The task of the targetologist in this case is to use such parameters as age, profession, interests of the Internet user and his geolocation, to qualitatively set up advertising. As a result, the business gets the maximum result with minimal budget costs.
In everyday life, we constantly encounter the work of a targetologist. For example, someone who follows cultural events and is a member of groups dedicated to events in his city has probably come across Yandex.Afisha advertising in his favorite social networks.
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Responsibilities and key skills of a targetologist
To understand what responsibilities lie with a targetologist, you need to know the specifics and stages of his work. As a rule, a specialist approaches the task as follows:
Fills out a brief and studies the product in detail. Before taking on a project, a targetologist must understand the context: what needs to be promoted, what audience is potentially interested in the product or service, how previous advertising campaigns were conducted and what their results were, what are the promotion goals, what are the KPIs
KPI is another English-language term, which stands for “key performance indicators.” These are numerical indicators that help evaluate the results of work.
Researches and selects the target audience for the advertising campaign, and then chooses the social network where the campaign will be launched. When the context is clear, the targetologist studies the target audience and divides it into segments: working with each segment separately is more effective than with the general mass – this way the advertising works better and it is easier to break through the so-called banner blindness. Then, using special tools, the targetologist finds the necessary segments in social networks and decides on which network or networks he will conduct the campaign.
Banner blindness is a phenomenon where website visitors ignore banners and other advertising elements on web pages.
Creates creativity. In targeted advertising, an ad consists of a picture, text, and a link. This combination of elements in an ad is called advertising creativity. The picture is needed to attract attention, the text is needed to explain what you are being offered, and the link is needed so that you can click on it and get what is offered.
Sets up analytics, then creates and launches an advertising campaign. Guessing which creative will work better is difficult, but it is not necessary. The targeter creates a set of test ads and looks at their effectiveness using analytics. Those that turned out to be the most successful are scaled, and unsuccessful ones are disabled. Constant analysis is also important – to understand what to leave as is and what to change.
Analyzes results and optimizes the advertising campaign. Analytics shows how the advertising worked. It allows you to control the process and make timely adjustments to it, if necessary – that is, optimize the campaign.
To go through all these stages and get a good result, a targetologist will need professional knowledge and skills:
— basic knowledge of analytics and marketing analysis;
— copywriting skills;
— skills in working with graphic and video editors to create layouts;
— media planning;
— knowledge of advertising formats and the ability to choose the right one for different audiences and their needs;
— ability to work with parsers.
Differences between a targetologist and an SMM specialist
Both a targetologist and an SMM specialist work with social networks, so they are often confused. But in fact, these are two different professions. Here are their main differences.
Targeted Advertising Specialist
SMM specialist
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Responsibilities
Sets up targeted advertising that is shown to a specific audience based on demographic data, interests, behavior. Can analyze campaign results, optimize and adjust settings to achieve better results.
Creates and manages content, develops strategies, communicates with subscribers. May use various tools and methods, such as targeted advertising, posts, stories, contests and promotions.
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Focus
Focused on advertising and data analysis.
Focuses more on content creation and distribution, audience engagement, and building brand loyalty.
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Experience and skills
Targeting requires a more detailed understanding of the target audience and data analysis
Expert in content creation, social media management and engagement with followers.
In general, targeting and SMM are different aspects of digital marketing, and each specialist plays their own role in promoting a brand or product on social networks.
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Pros and cons of the profession
The profession of a targetologist has many advantages, let’s look at the main ones:
Demand and quick entry into the profession. With the development of online sales, the profession of a targetologist has gained enviable popularity: no business can do without such a specialist. At the same time, you can become a targetologist quite quickly – for example, take specialized courses in a few months.
Versatility and a wide range of contacts. Having mastered the basics of the profession, a targetologist can work with any business. Of course, it is good to have a specialization, because the better you know the market, the better you are as a specialist, but you can figure out the niche quite quickly. And each new project is an expansion of the contact base, which can be useful in the future.
Possibility to work remotely and as a freelancer. A targetologist can work as a full-time employee and as a freelancer. In the second case, he regulates the workload himself, chooses projects independently and can work from any corner of the world – all you need is the Internet and a laptop.
Creative work. There are many technical aspects in the work of a targetologist, but there is also room for creativity. Each new project is not like the others, you need to think through and launch creatives, look for the best solutions for the tasks at hand.
There are fewer negative aspects to the work of a targetologist, but there are some. It can be difficult at the start of a career – you need to build up a portfolio and sometimes work with low pay to get reviews. You also have to constantly be aware of changes in platforms and innovations in social networks and improve your skills to remain competitive in the market.
How much does a targetologist earn?
According to Gorod Rabot , the average salary of a targetologist in Russia in 2024 is 56,197 rubles, and the median is 50,000 rubles. At the same time, hh.ru has vacancies for specialists with 3 years of experience and a salary of 150,000 rubles.
How to become a specialist in targeted advertising
To master the profession of a targetologist, study several areas:
Fundamentals of marketing and advertising
Understand the basic concepts, learn to understand the target audience and its needs.
Advertising platforms
Learn the basic functions and capabilities of the main platforms for placing targeted advertising.
Key metrics for analysis
reach, conversion, cost per click, etc. Learn the basics of analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and quickly adjust your strategy.
Practice and experiment
Create and test different versions of advertising campaigns and ads to find the most successful solutions for your tasks.
Develop skills and knowledge
Follow updates and new opportunities in the professional field, participate in webinars to stay up to date with current trends and technologies.
Communicate with colleagues and partners
Establish contacts with other specialists in targeted advertising and marketing, exchange experience and knowledge, discuss successful cases and problems. You can find a suitable community in specialized communities on social networks.
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Where to start training to become a targetologist
You can make a list of skills required for a targetologist, think through a training program and start independent studies. But there is a risk of making a mistake somewhere, progressing slowly and, as a result, dropping out of school and wasting money. Instead, it makes sense to invest in a ready-made educational program. A good training course for targeted advertising specialists is up-to-date knowledge and skills that employers look at, a lot of practice and support from mentors who have already gone from beginner to pro.
To choose the right course, we recommend:
– carefully study the program;
– get acquainted with the profiles of teachers;
– read reviews from former students;
– learn about guarantees and possible employment after the course.
