Facebook Ads Can Target More than Meets the Eye

Anne Garcia - June 1, 2011

Facebook’s advertising platform is great for audience targeting in that you can target its 500 million users based on a user’s location, demographics, interests and education and workplace. In addition, although Facebook does not advertise the fact that occupational targeting is available, it most certainly is, along with the ability to direct your ads to users who “Like” your competition.

In order to target a user’s occupation, you can enter job titles in the “Precise Interests” box under “Interests”:

If you are seeking a way to target a specific industry or even a certain company of an individual, you can use the “Workplaces” section under “Education & Work” targeting.

For example, if you are trying to sell hospital scrubs to people who work in hospitals in the Miami, FL area, you can isolate users in the target city and then enter names of hospitals in the area. Users that work at the specific companies you listed in the area you are specifying will see your ad.

You can also direct your ads to users who “Like” competitor companies, in addition to finding users who “Like” yours.  In the same “Precise Interests” box, you can list names of competitors to target. For example, if you are a lesser-known sneaker brand, you may want to target other brands of sneakers like: Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Reebok, Puma, Converse, etc., which will put your ads in front of users who like similar products.
As you can see, there are more ways to target Facebook’s 500 million users than meets the eye. The social network promotes the capability to target its users by location, demographics and interests, but if you dig deep, you can find innovative ways to reach a very specific audience that fits the goals of your company.