Many users know Facebook as a social media platform that keeps them close to family and friends through updates, memes, and videos from home that stop us from feeling left out... oh, and I almost forgot sometimes Facebook also does this really weird thing where it shows you an ad of something you were just thinking about. It’s almost as if they’re reading your mind.
At least from The Ezer Agency, we promise we’re not.
Facebook has over 2.7 billion active users monthly and about 1.6 billion worldwide connected to a small business on the platform. These users make Facebook a great advertising platform for all businesses. The platform has become one of the most efficient ways to advertise by connecting businesses to all the right people.
How Facebook Connects Businesses to Their Base
Facebook allows anyone with a business page to run ads on its platform. Businesses can select their objective, format, placement, and most importantly the audience. This is called targeting, and Facebook Ads has a number of options, such as demographics, behaviors, and common interests, that can help a business hone in on the best audience for their ad. There are three ways your business can get its desired audience.
Core Audiences
Core Audiences gives you the most power to define your audience; however, you like. This option is the most hands-on selection and is best if you have a well-defined target audience. At the same time, this option allows you to create ads that are broadly targeted. You can target your ads based on the following criteria; location, demographics, interests, behavior, and connections. Your audience can be crafted from anything as simple as, their age or zip code, to their hobbies and recent purchases. The specific targeting tools found in Core Audiences can be leveraged to create smarter more successful ads that connect businesses to the consumer they’re searching for.
Custom Audiences
If you’ve already found your audience, but you’re looking to close a sale, Custom Audiences might be best suited to your needs. With Custom Audiences, you can advertise to people who are already showing interest in your business. You can reach your most loyal customers or your newest site visitors. Custom Audiences uses contact lists, site traffic, or app data to help you target your ads. You can use your contacts on Facebook, email lists, or a CRM system to build a contact list for your ads. Using site visitors, you can set up a Facebook pixel to automatically create a list of people who have visited your site. This automatic list can be used to target ads to Facebook users for items they've previously viewed on your website. To target ads for your app you’ll need to install Facebook SDK to help create relevant ads that drive in-app purchases and actions.
Lookalike Audiences
Lookalike Audiences can be used when you’re looking to expand your current consumer base by reaching people who are similar to your current customers. This is a fast and effective way to connect with users who are more likely to engage with your ads. To use this option create a source audience of people you know and your ad can then reach people with common interests and traits.
Have you used Facebook Ads before? Tell us about your experience! Join The Ezer Tribe Group to get in on the conversation!
Looking to learn more about using Facebook for your business? Join our Founder, Altimese, as she shares industry insight on the latest updates to the Facebook platform in an exclusive Facebook Business Fundamentals Live Event on Wednesday, September 16! You don’t want to miss this! Join here.