How AI-Powered Embedding Search Makes Audience Targeting Smarter Than Ever
If you’ve ever struggled to find your ideal customers with keyword search, you’re not alone. The future of audience discovery is here—and it’s called SmartSearch™.
In this guide, we’ll break down what makes AudienceLab’s SmartSearch™ revolutionary, how embedding search actually works, and provide expert tips for constructing queries that get you laser-precise results—even for complex, niche, or “fuzzy” B2B/B2C use cases.
SmartSearch™ is AudienceLab’s advanced, AI-driven search feature designed to help you discover companies and audience segments based on meaning, context, and industry language—not just keywords.
Unlike traditional search tools, SmartSearch™ understands the “why” and “what” behind your query, surfacing results you’d miss with keyword-only filters.
At the core of SmartSearch™ lies embedding search—an AI technology that “translates” your search phrases and company descriptions into mathematical representations called vectors.
In plain English:
Instead of matching just the words you type, SmartSearch™ converts every query and company profile into a long list of numbers (an embedding vector) representing their meaning and context.
It then finds results with similar vectors, surfacing companies whose descriptions mean the same thing—even if they use totally different words.
| Traditional Search | Embedding (SmartSearch™) |
|---|---|
| Exact keyword matching | Finds synonyms & conceptual matches |
| “Italian restaurant” → only “Italian restaurant” | “Italian restaurant” → also finds “trattoria,” “authentic pasta dining,” “pizzeria,” “Mediterranean bistro” |
| Misses context & nuance | Understands intent, relationships |
Bottom line: You get richer, more relevant results with less trial and error.
Diagram suggestion: Show a “vector space” with your search query and various business descriptions as points, with the closest points representing the best matches.
How it works:
Your query (e.g., “family-owned Italian restaurant serving authentic pasta”) becomes a vector like [0.23, -0.41, 0.67, ...].
Every business description is also a vector.
SmartSearch™ finds businesses whose vectors are closest—meaning they’re conceptually most similar, even if no exact words match.
Let’s see how SmartSearch™ goes beyond keywords with practical, industry-specific queries:
Query: orthopedic surgeon sports medicine joint replacement athletes
Finds:
“sports injury specialist”
“joint replacement clinic”
“musculoskeletal health center”
Query: custom software development web applications mobile apps healthcare
Finds:
“bespoke web & mobile app developers”
“healthtech software company”
“digital product engineering for hospitals”
Query: fee-only financial advisor retirement planning investment
Finds:
“independent wealth management”
“fiduciary retirement specialists”
“investment strategy consultant”
Query: cloud business management software integration streamline operations
Finds:
“SaaS platform for workflow automation”
“enterprise resource planning cloud solution”
Query: residential construction contractor custom homes renovation
Finds:
“luxury home builders”
“remodeling and additions”
“design-build contractors”
Query: farm-to-table restaurant locally sourced organic vegetarian vegan
Finds:
“organic kitchen and vegan bistro”
“vegetarian-friendly farm restaurant”
Best Practice: 6–12 words, describing business type + service + audience + specialization.
Poor: dentist
Great: dental practice general dentistry cleanings fillings oral health
Poor: lawyer
Great: personal injury attorney car accident workplace injury claims
Layer descriptors: industry + service + audience + specialty
Example: CPA accounting firm tax preparation bookkeeping small business
Use “problem-solution” phrasing
Example: managed IT services network security data backup technical support
[Business Type] [Key Services] [Target Market] [Specialization]
“SEO agency e-commerce online visibility website traffic”
“veteran-owned brewery craft beer taproom”
“independently owned farm-to-table restaurant locally sourced seasonal menu”
Too generic:
construction company
residential construction contractor custom homes renovation
Too technical or buzzwordy:
B2B SaaS platform API integration
cloud business management software integration streamline operations
Missing context:
training services
corporate training leadership development communication skills management
Conflicting terms:
luxury budget wedding planning affordable high-end
wedding planning elegant celebration mid-range budget stylish affordable
Think like your target business: Use their language.
Include scale: small business, enterprise, family-owned.
Use industry modifiers: licensed, certified, experienced.
Try synonyms and test variations—iterate for better results.
Power phrase starters:
“comprehensive care for…”
“specialized expertise in…”
“innovative solutions for…”
“custom solutions for…”
How long should my query be?
6–12 words is optimal.
Should I use natural language?
Yes! Write as if explaining to a colleague.
Does singular or plural matter?
No, the AI understands both.
What’s happening under the hood?
SmartSearch™ uses “cosine similarity” to compare vectors. The closer the score is to 1.0, the stronger the match.
Go to the SmartSearch™ tab in AudienceLab.
Write your descriptive query (see frameworks above).
Submit your search.
Review your results.
Refine and test new queries as needed.
SmartSearch™ is powered by embedding search, which means it finds matches based on meaning—not just exact words.
Describe the business as it would describe itself. More detail = better results.
6–12 word queries, using natural language, work best.
Test, refine, and iterate—SmartSearch™ rewards creativity and clarity.
Try building queries using these strategies, and discover audiences you never thought possible.
If you need more help, reach out to AudienceLab support, join our user community, or check out the next live training!
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