Targeting is nothing new, but many times we overlook the obvious. Some great ways to target college students are through behavioral and domain targeting. Most sites are able to do both of these, so take advantage of it!
By targeting .edu domains, you are assured to be reaching college students (or recent grads). Users with a .edu domain are likely on campus (if you are reaching them via site targeting), or at the very least in college.
And don’t overlook behavioral targeting either. This can happen on a content or keyword level. For instance, you can target users who are searching on college related keywords, such as university, college textbooks, et cetera.
We're not talking search engine marketing, but rather banner-based advertising based on a search query. This would typically be with the major portals -- Yahoo, MSN, AOL -- but could also be on any of a number of sites that feature search capabilities, or with the various toolbars that can target users based on their searches, such as Hotbar.
Or, you can behaviorally target users who have visited college-related content but may be surfing other content at the time you reach them. Many sites don’t necessarily have college-focused content; therefore, it is best to work with the ad networks, portals and behavioral targeting firms to use this tactic. They can guide you with their options that allow you to target this finely.
Next: Add mobile to the mix
