Using Facebook's Targeting Features for Your Business
Facebook recently rolled out the new targeting features for posts, which will make a huge difference in the way businesses reach out to their audience. Instead of broad postings to all of your followers, you can now sharpen the focus of each post in order to fit with only a select portion of your fans.
Having more targeted postings will mean that your posts are reaching the people that will be most likely to interact and respond. That can mean more traffic and increased sales.
You are now able to target posts based on several sets of criteria, including:
GenderAgeEducationLanguageLocationWorkInterestsRelationship statusFor example, if you wrote an e-book of natural homemade cleaning products, your target audience may include women, ages 25-50 and anyone working in the housekeeping industry. With a targeted post, you can be sure that only the followers who will benefit from your product and are more likely to purchase it will view the post.
Although you are limiting the reach when you use targeted posts, you avoid having the majority of your followers feel put off by the number of posts that do not apply to them. If all they are seeing from you on Facebook are posts that are irrelevant to them personally, then they may decide to unlike you altogether.
Every post you add will show up on your timeline, even your targeted posts. This can make things look messy quick, so you may want to adjust your settings so that only those that will appeal to your entire audience. With a clean timeline, you will appeal to a much broader audience as new traffic comes to your brand page.
Another new targeting feature for your posts allows you to post in the news feeds of the people who have joined your mailing list or have given you other contact information, including their phone number.
If you already have a customer list, maybe with people who have signed up to receive your emails and newsletter, Facebook will hash the data so that they do not have access. With this information, you will be able to determine which of your customers are a match for your posts. You will be able to set your demographic data as well for more specific targeting.
Even if some of your customers are not Facebook fans, you can still create special ads that will encourage them to "Like" you by visiting your page. You can make the deal even sweeter by offering them something in exchange for becoming a Facebook fan, such as 20% off their next purchase or free shipping.
You can present special offers to a targeted fan audience as well. That will mean an increased chance that people will claim your offer and even share it with their friends and family, increasing your fan base easily.
With targeted posts, you will be able to see more fan engagement and increase the number of shares and followers you have through Facebook. Your fans will feel less alienated when they are no longer bombarded with posts that are irrelevant to them.
The people that you are targeting will feel like a part of a select VIP group on your brand page. You can share information with them that you know they will benefit from and they will be grateful.
Have you tried targeted posts? What results have you seen from them?
Dawn Pigoni of Be Social Worldwide is a certified social marketing specialist and a social media virtual assistant. Dawn offers superb social networking, social marketing and social bookmarking to WAHMs, Small Business Owners, Internet Marketers, Affiliate Marketers, and Coaches who desire to bring stunning internet presence through social networking to their businesses. Get Dawn's free report, Social Networking today & see how she can assist you with being Social Worldwide!
