Facebook Broad Targeting

Interest Targeting Just Got an Upgrade!

One of Facebook’s key advantages has always been their demographic and interest targeting. Now Facebook has introduced an even more sophisticated means of targeting users called “Broad Category Targeting” that can take your Facebook campaigns to the next level and make reaching your intended audience faster, easier and more effective.

Broad Category Targeting

It was already possible to target individual interests like “Tennis” or “George Clooney” and display ads to people who had explicitly communicated an interest in those things on their profile. However, in order to target a broader group like “Gardeners”, you would have had to manually input individual interests like “Gardens”, “Gardening”, “Flowers” and so on, leaving a lot of room for missed opportunities.

What’s new with Broad Category Targeting is the ability to target broader interest groups such as “Gardeners” with a single click, allowing Facebook to decide what criteria might indicate a particular interest. This makes capturing a larger portion of your audience fast and easy! Here’s a quick screenshot of the new tool in action (click to enlarge):

Among the categories are interesting new options like various life stages (Engaged, Married, Baby Boomers, Expecting Parents), mobile users (Those who log in on IPhones, Blackberries, etc.) and even categories like those who no longer live in their home town! The depth and breadth of the categories is pretty amazing.

Specific Targeting & Messaging

Categories can be leveraged to help you serve up highly specific ads to exceptionally precise markets. For example, imagine you are running a store that sells toys, equipment and products for very young children. Instead of serving up just one ad for “Parents”, the ability to target narrow categories enables you to send specific messages to highly specific audiences.

For example, “expecting parents” could be served baby-related ads for your products suitable for newborns and babies:

While parents with older  toddlers might see a targeted ad aimed at toddlers:

You also have the option to switch back to precise interest targeting and run your campaigns as you always have. Unfortunately, at this time you cannot combine precise interests and the broad category tool, but the option to use either/or will suit the needs of most marketers.

Reach More People – More Quickly!

If you’re already running Facebook ads, now is a great time to give this new targeting feature a try. Compare the audience numbers you’re able to reach when using precise ads and broad category targeting and see which makes more sense for your campaign.

If you’re not using Facebook ads yet, broad category targeting is just another incentive that should encourage you to give the platform a try. If you’re not sure if Facebook is right for your business or you don’t know where to begin, we’d love to chat with you! Our Facebook Advertising Specialists will help you find the right solutions for your business.