3 Ways to Use Targeted Facebook Ads to Directly Increase Profits

Facebook is by far the most profitable social media platform that has ever existed, and it's because of their success selling advertising.

And there's a good reason for this level of astounding success on their part: Facebook advertising works.

Their unique targeting capabilities give marketers the opportunity to hone in on highly specific audiences, sending their message to exactly the right people.

Targeted Facebook ads can be powerful, when executed correctly.

But what's the best way to target audiences on Facebook?

The platform offers tons of options, but in a recent post from AdEspresso, they highlight one of the best places to start: people who have already visited your website, or bought something from you.

Not only can you target people who visited your site in the past, but you can also create lookalike audiences similar to known customers, increasing your chances of making a sale or getting traffic.

Here are three great ways to create highly targeted audiences that are likely to convert.

Facebook audience #1: All your past website visitors

If you could create a single Facebook Custom Audience for maxing out on your Facebook ads results, I’d recommend this one.

People who have previously visited your website are already familiar with your brand, making them more likely to find your offer of interest.

When retargeting past website visitors, your goal should be reminding them of your product. Create ad campaigns that promote your key value proposition, but don’t try to be overwhelmingly salesy in this phase.

For example, Freshbooks’ Facebook ad says clearly what their product is about, without prompting viewers too aggressively to sign up.

[image source: AdEspress]
How to create a Facebook audience of your past website visitors:

To create a Custom Audience of all people visiting your website, go to your Audience Manager, select “Custom Audience” and click on “Website Traffic.”

You can retarget people who visited your website in the time frame of past 1-180 days.

[image source: AdEspress]
Don’t forget that you need to have the Facebook Pixel installed to your website, so that Facebook can track all your website visitors.

Or you could use AdEspresso’s new tool Pixel Caffeine to create Custom Audiences in WordPress, and ignore the complex Pixel setup process.

[image source: AdEspress]
Facebook audience #2: People who have already purchased from you

You might be thinking “Why would I want to retarget someone who has already made the purchase?”

Here’s why:

Adobe’s research found that in the US, 41% of overall revenue comes from repeat customers.

The average revenue per visit for repeat purchasers in the US is 497% higher compared to regular shoppers.

[image source: AdEspress]
You could use this Facebook audience to upsell or cross-sell. For example, if someone orders a book about coffee from Amazon, they may also be interested in a kettle.

[image source: AdEspress]
However, selling more to existing customers isn’t the only good reason to remarket to past converters. Sometimes, it also make sense to use this tactic for higher engagement and customer success.

For example, AdEspresso often promotes their free eBooks to help customers and prospects become better at Facebook advertising.

[image source: AdEspress]
How to create an audience of past converters and paying users:

Head to Facebook’s Audience Manager and set up a Custom Audience that targets your Thank-you page’s URL.

[image source: AdEspress]
Facebook audience #3: Lookalike audience from past converters

If you’re struggling to create many Custom Audiences due to low website traffic, create Lookalike audiences to expand your ads’ reach.

Lookalike audience targeting is based on the idea that people who are most similar to your current paying user group, are also the most likely to convert.

According to Facebook, an online travel site saw 70% lower cost-per-action when targeting Lookalike Audiences. I’ve also seen it working on many other Facebook advertising campaigns across multiple industries.

You can test two different approaches when targeting Lookalike audiences:

Using low-threat offers such as a free trial offer or promoting blog posts

Asking people to buy or sign up right away

For example, Jobbatical’s Facebook ad doesn’t ask people to immediately sign up. Instead, it’s building brand awareness and making people curious about their product.

[image source: AdEspress]
How to create a Facebook Lookalike audience that’s similar to your paying customers:

To create a Lookalike audience, you first need a “seed audience” – the audience that Facebook can use to find more similar users.

The first step would be creating a Custom Audience of past converters (see point 6 in this article).

Next, create a Lookalike audience from a Custom Audience. You can choose to target 1%-10% of a country’s entire population. If you’re targeting a large country like the US, create a 1%-3% Lookalike audience.

[image source: AdEspress]