Paid Social Audience: Derby Street Shops
When people think about a retail property like Derby Street Shops, they usually think about the tenants. Sephora, Bartaco, Lululemon and Barnes & Noble and so much more.
But what makes Derby successful isn’t just what shops are there, rather it’s the people that go there to shop. Knowing their audience and segmentation is what turns a general awareness campaign into a high-performing paid social strategy.
Understanding Derby’s Target Audiences
Derby serves multiple audience segments, each with distinct motivations and digital behaviors. One core group includes high-income young professionals (ages 25-35) who commute or work hybrid schedules, prioritize wellness and social experiences, and are highly active on Instagram and TikTok. Another major segment consists of family-focused women (ages 30-50) who manage busy household schedules, value convenience and quality, and frequently use Instagram and Facebook to discover local events and shopping opportunities. A third segment includes teens and young adults (ages 14-21) who are trend-driven, social-first consumers influenced by short-form video, beauty brands, and personalization culture.
Because each audience interacts with Derby differently, segmentation allows paid messaging to reflect lifestyle rather than just geography. Instead of broad calls to action, campaigns can promote date-night dining to young professionals, self-care and convenience to busy parents, or back-to-school trend moments to younger shoppers. This targeted approach increases engagement, improves click-through rates, and ensures paid social dollars reach the most relevant consumers at the right time.
Using Custom Audiences to Drive Conversions
Custom Audiences allow Derby to retarget people who have already shown interest. For Derby, strong Custom Audience sources could include:
Website visitors (home page views, event pages)
Insider app users
Email subscribers
Instagram engagers
People who RSVP’d to past events
Users who clicked on tenant-specific ads
For example, if someone clicks on an event ad but did not register, Derby could retarget them with another ad to act as a reminder, an alert to share limited tickets, or an incentive to sign up. This retargeting keeps acquisition costs lower because the audience is already aware of the event.
Expanding Reach with Lookalike Audiences
Once Derby identifies a high-performing segment, Lookalike Audiences become the growth lever. Strong source audiences might include:
Top Insider users (frequent redeemers)
Event ticket purchasers
High-dwell-time visitors (via CRM match lists)
Email subscribers with high open/click rates
If Derby uploads its most engaged Insider users into Meta, it can build a Lookalike Audience within top-performing ZIP codes like Hingham, Cohasset, Duxbury, and Norwell.
Even more strategically, it could build Lookalikes from specific purchasers to attract similar customers. Lookalikes would further allow Derby to expand beyond its existing base while maintaining similar income levels, lifestyle patterns, and engagement behaviors. That’s especially important as competition grows from nearby destinations.
Sephora’s Strategy
Audience segmentation is used by lots of businesses. Take one of Derby’s tenants, Sephora, for example, they manage their business social media page with their audience in mind.
Sephora uses Custom Audiences to retarget shoppers who browse specific product categories and Lookalike Audiences built from its Beauty Insider loyalty members. It also segments by behavior, serving different ads to skincare shoppers versus makeup buyers.
This layered targeting increases return on ad spend by ensuring relevance. In comparison to Derby, the Insider loyalty program offers similar potential. Loyalty data isn’t just for rewards, it’s a segmentation tool that can power smarter paid campaigns.
Why Segmentation Matters
Without segmentation, paid social campaigns often function as broad awareness tools, reaching large audiences but failing to drive meaningful engagement or measurable business results.
With segmentation, paid social becomes a strategic performance channel. Campaigns are tailored to specific audiences, budgets are allocated more efficiently, messaging is optimized for conversion, and results can be tracked and measured against clear objectives.
For Derby Street Shops, segmentation ensures:
The right ZIP codes see the right tenants
Events attract the right personas
Insider App grows strategically
Paid dollars support real tenant sales impact
Hey, I’m Ashley!
I am a graphic & interactive designer passionate about creating purposeful, fun, and engaging design. Whether it’s a brand identity, a responsive website, or a social media campaign, I love connecting ideas with strategy to make work that’s not only beautiful, but effective.
