A Stellar Overview of Facebook’s Targeting Options

Facebook is the king of connecting businesses with their exact audiences, down to the most specific of demographics. There has never there been a digital tool that allows companies to go after such a wide variety of consumers. From options such as location, age, and specific interests, Facebook marketers are able to reach consumers that are most likely to buy from them. Let’s take a look at a few of the main categories that Facebook allows you use when it comes to targeting your potential customers.

Basic Demographics

First and foremost, one of the most important sections of Facebook’s targeting options is the basic demographics section. The main components of this area includes age, gender, and location. Establishing a targeted audience starts with these three components, especially if you’re business is more locally based. One of the most under-utilized areas is the location option. Facebook marketers can now target specific addresses, reaching more people who are maybe within walking distance of their store. Make sure to always establish these three areas before running any Facebook ad!

Advanced Demographics

In this section, we’re exposed to significantly more options in terms of more advanced demographics. A few examples include education, parents, relationship, and the industry in which consumers work. You can even take it one step further and target specific parents, such as expecting parents, parents of newborns, toddlers, pre-teens, and teenagers. Imagine the possibilities for a new baby/small children store that opens up in a prime downtown location. With Facebook, they’re able to target only expecting and parents with young children, all within a specific location. Talk about a successful conversion rate!

Specific Interests

This is where the possibilities are nearly endless. Sports, reality TV, politics, consumer goods, food, breaking news, fitness/exercise are all areas that can be targeted on Facebook based on user interests. Let’s take a look at a specific example. Say you’re opening a new gym with the main focus of the facility being on heavy lifting. This is not your friendly, next door neighbor kind of gym either. The people who utilize this particular fitness center are serious about their lifting and are much more advanced in their training than individuals working out at the more chain-based centers.

Your first idea is to run a Facebook campaign offering potential members a month free when they agree to a 12-month contract. When it comes to targeting an audience, there are two roads you can take. To save time, you could just target areas of interest such as physical fitness, exercise, and nutrition. While this will yield a much larger audience, the likelihood of a majority of these people engaging with your content is unlikely. Think about it. How many people who are only interested in broad terms like ‘physical fitness’ are going to take interest in a Facebook ad promoting a more intensity-based gym? Not many.

The better route to go is to do a little research and look for things like industry influencers, publications/magazines, and products that more serious weightlifters are likely to be interested in. While your overall audience size will be smaller, your conversion rate will almost always be significantly higher. To put this whole example into just a few words: the more targeted an audience you go after, the more likely they are to take interest in what you have to offer.

The targeting options discussed above are just a few of the many that are available to us as Facebook marketers. What are some of your favorite ways to target digital consumers?