
When users see that a brand is tailoring information to meet their needs, an expectation is set. They think: "If you're offering me relevant content here in this display ad, I assume you'll continue to do so once I get to your website." Customers think and feel in terms of experiences -- not fleeting impressions -- and you should, too. Think about the promise of the brand; should your customers' experience stop after they've seen your advertisement?
Let's say you've invested in targeted, rich media advertising on Facebook to attract twentysomething males. They click on your ad -- and land on the same all-purpose landing page as your ads targeting "tween" girls and middle-aged parents. That initial "hmm" quickly turns into an "eh," and the young men you worked so hard to attract are long gone.
Once again, it comes back to focusing on the customer's perspective. Approach each ad as the beginning of a conversation, and think through everything that follows -- the landing page the ad leads potential customers to, the content and offers they'll reach from that page, the design context in which it all takes place -- to make sure every aspect of the experience leads them one step closer to a sale.
