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Topsort Documentation
Knowledge Base

Audience targeting

Topsort offers a range of audience-based targeting capabilities that allow advertisers to optimize their bids without using cookies, keywords, or relying on invasive tracking. This system helps align your ads with user segments based on different attributes, including device type, age, gender, location, and more. Our platform ensures a clean, privacy-first approach, while still enabling advertisers to drive better performance by tailoring campaigns to relevant user groups.

Attributes You Can Target

Topsort’s targeting allows you to define audience segments based on the following attributes:

  1. Device Type: Target users based on the device they are using (smartphone, tablet, desktop, etc.). You can bid differently for high-value devices by boosting or filtering specific device types.
    • Example: Boost your bids by 1.5x for smartphone users if they tend to convert more on mobile, while leaving other device types at a normal bid rate.
  2. Age Range: Set bid adjustments based on user age groups. For example, you can boost bids for users aged 18-24 if that group shows higher engagement or conversions for your product.
    • Example: Apply a boost factor of 1.3x for users aged 18-24, as they are the most likely to interact with your brand, while applying lower boosts or leaving other age ranges at default.
  3. Gender: Target based on the user’s gender to better align your campaign with audience behavior and product relevance.
    • Example: For a campaign targeting women’s fashion, you might boost bids for female users by 1.4x and either apply no boost or a lower bid for other genders.
  4. Operating System: Similar to device type, you can target specific operating systems (iOS, Android, Windows, etc.). This helps if your product performs better on one platform compared to others.
    • Example: Increase your bid by 1.6x for iOS users if they show higher lifetime value for your business.
  5. Custom Attributes (Marketplace-Specific): Marketplaces can create custom audience segments based on unique internal data, such as user purchase behavior, loyalty program status, or shopping habits. These custom segments are vetted and approved by Topsort to ensure consistency.
    • Example: A marketplace could create a segment for “high-spending customers” and apply a higher bid boost for users falling into that category.

How Targeting Works

Within the Topsort platform, you can either boost bids for specific user segments or filter your campaign to exclusively target those segments. This flexibility allows you to fine-tune your campaigns based on real user attributes, increasing the likelihood of engagement, conversions, and ultimately better ROI.

Boosting vs. Filtering

  • Boosting: Adjust bids dynamically by increasing or decreasing them based on specific audience attributes. Boost factors range from 0.1x to 10x. For example, you might increase your bid by 1.5x for users aged 25-34 on smartphones, while leaving other audiences at their default bid.
  • Filtering: Apply hard filters to exclude certain segments entirely from your campaign. If your product only caters to users in a specific region or device type, filtering ensures your ads are only shown to the most relevant audience.

Example Flow

Imagine you’re running a campaign for a premium smartphone accessory targeting high-spending users aged 25-34 in major cities:

  • Boost by Device Type: Apply a 1.5x boost for smartphone users.
  • Boost by Age Range: Apply a 1.3x boost for users aged 25-34.

When the auction is called, Topsort multiplies these boosts. For example, if the user is on a smartphone and aged 25-34, your final bid would be calculated as:

Final Bid = Base Bid * 1.5 * 1.3

This ensures that your ads are highly competitive for high-value users, while optimizing spend on less relevant segments.

How to Implement Audience Targeting

  1. In the Campaign Creation section of the Topsort platform, select the audience attributes you want to target.
  2. Set boost factors for those attributes or apply filters to exclude non-relevant audiences.
  3. Launch your campaign, and Topsort will automatically adjust your bids based on the audience segments you’ve defined.

Benefits of Audience Targeting

  1. Increased Relevance: Targeting based on user attributes ensures your ads are more relevant, increasing CTR and CVR.
  2. Optimized Spend: Bid smarter by focusing on high-value user segments, maximizing ROI without wasting budget on low-value impressions.
  3. Competitive Advantage: In a market where many platforms offer audience-based targeting, leveraging Topsort’s non-invasive targeting helps you stay competitive without compromising on user privacy.

Available Audience Segments

For the initial setup, Topsort supports the following standard audience segments:

  • Age Range: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65+
  • Gender: Male, Female, Other, Unknown
  • Device Type: Smartphone, Tablet, Desktop
  • Operating System: iOS, Android, Windows, etc.

Custom audience segments can also be created by marketplaces, tailored to their specific needs and data.