Makeup, Halloween Costumes & Other Marketing

Targeted email and web marketing is all around you -- whether you realize it or not. How many times have you googled a product you're thinking of buying (for example, a new eyeliner) or mentioned a product or company in an email to a friend and then had that same company/product show up in your Facebook ads and even as header ads on various websites you visit? That's not just a coincidence -- it's targeted marketing.

Because It's Halloween...

Okay, it's not Halloween yet (unless someone has created Halloween in July), but my best example of targeted marketing was when I was researching ideas for Halloween costumes. I admit it -- I love Halloween. Seriously. Love. It. It's at the point where I start coming up with ideas for a costume for my annual Halloween party in April or May. One day last year, I searched for cute clown costumes (not to be confused with "sexy" clown costumes, which is a whole other blog post and topic...). Despite being terrified of clowns, I decided to face the fear and do it anyway and become a clown for Halloween. To my delight, I found some really cute clown costumes and accessories. However, I then logged onto Facebook and had clown costumes of the terrifying variety showing up in my FB ads for days and weeks. Yikes! Targeted marketing, kids!

Do I Really Need that Makeup? Yes, I Do!

And then there's good ol' targeted email marketing. I frequently shop at Sephora -- was originally drawn in by friends raving about it, and of course signed up for their VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider) shoppers' program. Free samples? Free birthday gift? You've got me! With that VIB account, however, comes email marketing. And it always seems to be something I've been thinking of buying but haven't yet or something I never even knew I needed -- until I got that email and now it's all I can think about until I buy it! Can you relate? Hope you can!

Sephora does a fantastic job at their email marketing -- sending emails that promote products I could very well be interested in based off my past purchases. And indeed I do need that makeup. I didn't before I got that one email, but now I do. And that's how email marketing works best -- to make you realize you need something even before you might even know it.