To target or not to target, is it even a question?

Targeting is one of the most efficient, measurable and high impact forms of digital marketing, yet it is often underutilized, misunderstood or bluntly not on marketers' radar. The digital savvy embrace and worship this as a first line tactic.

Simply put, targeting is the ability to not only precisely target (WHO) who you wish, but in the relevant content (WHAT) at the most appropriate time (WHEN) to deliver the highest form or level of engagement (WHY). Targeting is easy to do, it's a matter of having the right partner to enable this. As marketers today, we have the ability to literally imagine how we would ideally reach our audience, and there is probably a way to achieve this with today's technology, ad serving and robust analytics.

As noted by eMarketer in December, there are several ways to target:
For Pharma, exploring effective targeting and retargeting holds true promise, and should be a low hanging fruit. We are able to geo-target patients for enrollment in clinical trials or patient support groups. We can contextually reach physicians when they are reading relevant specialty or condition content. We are able to tap into robust publisher networks to reach the right demographic or psycographic, and even go further to optimize the list of network sites based on click through and engagement to our destination site. Behavioral targeting offers the ability to engage difficult to reach audiences. Example: hepatitis C patients -- most do not realize they may have this, as it is often confused with flu or fatigue like symptoms. Many would not assume they have risk factors. Through targeting we are able to find them when they are searching on relevant terms or if they have demonstrated a sequential pattern of content consumption (eg, first responders, flu/fatigue content, etc.).

The most overlooked form of targeting for pharma in my opinion is retargeting. Most pharma companies either have a list of their segmented targets, or are able to do so with a list partner such as SDI or IMS. When you have the power of this list, you are then able to reach out to key sites such as Medscape, and only market to your target list when they are signed/logged in - this eliminates waste. We can also deliver sequential messaging to key targets, which in essence is relationship marketing. For example, if a patient clicks on a tagged email to a unbranded condition support site, but elects not to opt-in, we are able to find these people when they are on the top Nielsen rated sites, and deliver specific messaging about the value of enrolling in our patient support program.

"Just 30.5% of marketers surveyed had used retargeted display ads in the past, but the majority of those who reported using those ads had seen greater impact" as referenced in the eMarketer article, which goes on to cite that retargeting can boost response up to 400%.

So, I ask you... why wouldn't you target?