How often have you clicked the “Boost Post” button on Facebook thinking you are reaching the masses? While you might be giving your content a much needed jolt, you could be doing it better. Here is a look at how you can target more relative prospects with your Facebook ads.
When you hit the “boost” button for the very first time, you are given a few options: People you choose through targeting, People who like your page, and People who like your page and their friends. (You may also have an option for an audience that you set up previously because you’ve done some testing in the past as I have below.)
The different selections are pretty self explanatory. However, the majority of people select either people who like their page or people who like their page and their friends. The reason you’d pick one of these two is to guarantee your content is seen by your audience. As Phil recently wrote, because of Facebook’s ever evolving algorithm changes, you’re definitely going to need to do this. One of the most interesting choices you have is, “People you choose through targeting.”
Going with the targeting approach means you’ll be able to reach a brand new custom audience. You can leave it “as is” which is male and females, ages 18-65+ in the state you are currently setting up the ad from. But I wouldn’t do that. Its an incredibly broad audience and it would be a quick way to blow through a good chunk of change with minimal return.
As it is with every marketing campaign, you need to target an audience that is specific to your brand. Here is what it looks like when you try to customize an audience:
As you can see we’ve zoned in on males, between the ages of 40-55 in the state of Massachusetts. Our sweet spot for this test. We are also given the ability for detailed targeting. This can help with further narrowing in on your target. While these are all fairly self explanatory, here’s a brief description of each:
- Demographics is exactly what you think it would be. Things like education, income, and political affiliation are found here.
- Interests are the things that people have liked along the way. You like the latest Celtics video, they know you like sports. You loved an article about branding, they know you’re into that too.
- Behaviors might just be the most interesting of the pack. All those times you check into different locations, Facebook is keeping track. From breweries and bars at night, to your family vacation photos you posted, they know where you’ve been and what you’ve done.
When you first see this, it’ll definitely dawn on you just how much information Facebook has on you. Seriously, its crazy. But after you get past that initial shock, you’ll quickly realize just how detailed you can get with your ads.
What should you do?
As always there really isn’t a right or wrong answer here. It all depends on your goals. Just remember this – A large audience usually means you’re spending a lot of money for people that might not necessarily be right for your brand. But, dial in too much and you could definitely miss out on quite a few people. As always, continuously test and try different strategies to see what works best for you.
