A recent study of UK Internet users revealed that more than half paid attention to ads when they were relevant to their interests. Despite focusing on consumers across the Atlantic, the results can be applied to advertisers worldwide – start being relevant or you will be ignored.

In light of recent economic conditions, it was a bit surprising to discover relevance was even more important to Internet users than ads that offered huge discounts. But it makes total sense; if someone is presented money off a product that has absolutely no relevance to them, they are going to ignore it no matter how steep the discount. I recently saw an ad on a site I frequent that offered 25% off an organic natural health shake of some sort. Not only have I never once presented myself as someone who would eat organic, the site I was on had absolutely nothing to do with healthy living. So while that ad may have certainly been relevant to someone, it wasn’t to me. So what can advertisers do o ensure they are relevant? It’s all about better targeting.

Leveraging advanced targeting data like demographics and consumer behavior may help put that same organic health drink ad in front of someone more likely to drink it, say someone who has expressed interest in diet and health offers. Smarter targeting not only eliminates wasteful media spend, it helps you increase your relevance to customers. You can learn a lot more about targeting by checking out this great article on the topic.