Examples of useful SparkToro searches

SparkToro is very good at revealing the attributes and characteristics of audiences when certain types of searches are used. Conversely, we’re not so great if the search format, keywords, or structure isn’t on target. Since searching SparkToro effectively can be a bit of an art, we’ve created some examples of the kinds of searches that work particular well (and not-so-well) in the tool below:

• Want to find sources of influence for folks who visit and have interest in medical spas?
  • A search for My audience frequently talks about: Medical Spas works pretty well, but the behavior set is quite diverse. 
  • To narrow-in, try the less-common but more targeted search My audience frequently uses the hashtag: #MedSpa
  • We also found a search that analyzed the popular Aesthetic Society’s social accounts to reveal a lot of great data: My audience follows the social account: @TheAestheticSoc
• Seeking data about professional landscapers in the United States?
  • Searching My audience frequently talks about: Landscaping is overly broad — there are too many amateur gardeners and landscaping enthusiasts who don’t do the work professionally.
  • Instead, try a search that narrows into the bio/about sections of the profiles: My audience uses these word(s) in their profile: Landscaping OR Landscaper
  • There’s quite a few UK and Canadian sources in there still, but we can hone in on exactly the data we want by filtering to the same search with the filter “is located in: United States” – BOOM! Those are the results we wanted.
• Looking to uncover the best ways to reach VPs and C-level executives in the insurance industry?
  • Starting with a search for: My audience uses these word(s) in their bio: VP Insurance brings back some solid results, but the audience size is quite small (there aren’t that many online VPs of Insurance firms)
  • But, by using that first result — the Insurance Journal — a publication that’s perfectly targeted at this audience of executives and managers in Insurance, we can nail our audience targeting: My audience follows the social account: @iJournal
• On the hunt for publications and people that influence the crafters and store owners on Etsy?
  • A simple start is with the query: My audience visits the website: www.etsy.com
  • The trouble is, that group is pretty broad, and it includes a lot of buyers and customers of Etsy, not just the sellers. Visiting the Audience Intelligence tab, we can see that a subset of this group uses the words “etsy shop” or “etsy seller” in their profile. THAT’S who we want to reach.
  • Using those words in a profile search: My audience uses these word(s) in their profile: Etsy shop OR seller gives us killer data about exactly that audience.
  • And we can take it even further by looking at Audience Intelligence again and drilling in on users of the hyper-relevant hashtag #EtsyShop

Hopefully, these examples can inspire you to broaden, iterate, and experiment with searches for your target market so you can find exactly the data to help your market research or marketing campaigns soar.