How do you target Facebook ads? Useful tips
For business
30 July 2025
An effective marketing message must be tailored to a specific audience. This is known as targeting. Find out what targeting ads are and what precision targeting on Facebook entails. We also present an alternative to the popular Meta tool!
What is Facebook ad targeting?
Advertising content that is not tailored to the nature of a particular group of internet users may significantly discourage them from buying the brand's products. In addition, the money spent on such advertising will not be recouped, as the marketing activities undertaken will not generate traffic to the website and will not bring conversions. So how do you target Facebook ads?
According to a study conducted by PVC, up to 75% of online shoppers state that they are significantly annoyed by content that is not tailored to their preferences and needs. The answer to this is targeting - such a measure can be implemented on social media, including Facebook. Every marketing team should be well versed in this topic.
However, if you are just starting out in advertising and are wondering what targeting means, we are already rushing to the answer. It is nothing more than determining the target audience together with their characteristics and creating a persona, i.e. the profile of a standard customer for your brand. In this context, it is important to determine characteristics such as age, gender, place of residence, occupation and material status, and, at a later stage, their preferences and needs.
Facebook ad targeting - why is it worth it?
Facebook is a large and popular social media platform with extensive marketing opportunities. It registers around 3 billion active users worldwide, which makes it far easier to reach your target audience. So what are the key benefits of Facebook ad targeting?
- Increase conversions - by skilfully tailoring messages to your audience, you can improve valuable traffic to your Facebook profile or website. This is what conversion is all about. If users perform an action after seeing an ad, e.g. subscribe to a newsletter, make a purchase, use the telephone contact, the conversion rate increases.
- Increasing sales - with increased conversions also comes multiplying sales profits. If advertisement will reach people who are genuinely interested in and need the product, the chance of a sale will automatically increase.
- Building a loyal audience - this is not a direct result of correct targeting, but rather something that comes with time. Designing messages that take into account the needs of the audience, catch their attention and have the potential to make them stay with the company for longer. They will know that the brand fits in with their interests and preferences. Reliable advertising is also able to build trust among customers.
- Saving on advertising costs - Facebook's offering is quite flexible in terms of the budget available to a business. So if it is quite limited, you can still opt for selected forms of targeting.
The targeting tool itself has a number of functionalities to help target specific people with the message. There is also an option to test different types of campaigns and generate reports. Analysing the activities will allow you to see which ones are working and which ones need to be changed slightly. In this way, every marketer can bring their Facebook post targeting strategy to perfection step by step.
Facebook ad targeting and audience groups
Targeting Facebook adverts begins with determining the nature of the target audience. However, it is worth knowing that this social platform allows you to reach three different groups with your message (using three different tools). Amongst these are:
- Primary audience - this group is created based on the profile of the persona. Demographics and interests need to be determined. A detailed analysis of customers who have already, for example, made a purchase in a shop or attended an event organised by the company helps to do this.
- Custom audiences - these are people who have already interacted by, for example, liking a Facebook post or expressing interest in an event. Such a group is collected based on contact details and encouraged to revisit the company's website.
- Similar audiences - these are users who fit the profile of a persona or an audience from a non-standard group. In this case, the tool analyses the group indicated by the advertiser and, based on its characteristics, selects similar but new users of the platform and it is to them that the message is directed. The option "Target new users only" should therefore be selected. - Facebook Ads will then skip the audiences already known.
However, the most common tool of choice is the core audience group. This is defined in Facebook's targeting options based on the following parameters:
- Age - it must always be remembered that there is no product or service that suits everyone. Therefore, one of the key characteristics you choose when creating your target audience on Facebook is age. If a company offers something to students, it usually targets the message to 18-26 year olds. If for pensioners, on the other hand, it chooses the 65+ range.
- Location - this is another important parameter, and the options are wide in this respect. You can specify the location as nationwide, voivodeship-wide or even more narrowly. There is also an option to exclude - this is useful when, for example, the message is addressed only to large towns with more than 200,000 inhabitants.
- Gender - in this case, the advertiser chooses to select a specific gender or an option for all.
- Language - allows the exclusion of audiences who speak a particular language or, on the contrary, the expansion to include those who are bilingual.
- Interests - the passions and behaviour of users is one of the key parameters. Ads can thus be targeted at people who like travelling, reading books, coffee drinkers or animal lovers.
- Demographic data - this also includes characteristics such as education level, wealth, occupation, marital status, etc.
How do you target Facebook ads?
Detailed Facebook targeting options can be found on your or your brand's profile. It is necessary to have a professional account for this - otherwise there will be no paid advertising options. However, using these tools effectively takes time and practice.
It is therefore important to prepare thoroughly before taking action. It is worth knowing that you can opt for one of two forms of Facebook ad targeting. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, so it is best to tailor your choice to your own capabilities and needs:
- Broad targeting - in this case, Facebook is responsible for selecting the target group. The CPM, or cost per 1,000 impressions, is usually slightly lower. It works well for large promotional campaigns and in situations where the entrepreneur is not quite sure who fits into the target group. With broad targeting, there is also the option of analysing the results (which is definitely worth using). This will help to plan and specify further promotional activities.
- Narrow targeting - this involves directing the message to a more specific, and often narrow, group of users. It works well when a company knows its target group in detail. In this case, it is also possible to use a slightly expanded version of targeting. Unfortunately, this involves a higher CPM cost.
Secrets of successful targeting on Facebook
Effective targeting on Facebook is a skill that is often acquired through experience and testing different options. However, there are ways to improve the effectiveness of your efforts. These include:
- Carry out thorough research - targeting your target audience should start by collecting statistics about the users who have interacted with your Facebook profile. The Meta platform's Audience Insights tool can help you do this. It gives you access to demographic data and information on interests. On this basis, a persona profile is created.
- Use of remarketing - with the help of Facebook ads, you can reach users you already know and, for example, encourage them to return to their virtual shopping cart and complete their order.
- Watching out for conjunctions - this is a useful practice when designing adverts and selecting a target group. It applies particularly to interest options, but not exclusively. It is worth bearing in mind the conjunctions "and" and "or". If you select users who like to travel or hike in the mountains, the system will only select users who prefer one of these options. It will be different if you select travelling and walking in the mountains.
InPost advertising - targeted at your business!
However, if paid Facebook adverts are not enough for you, but you are looking for different advertising solutions, we encourage you to take a look at our marketing offer for companies. We make various forms of promotion available within its scope, from displaying banners on our websites to wrapping Paczkomat® machines or sampling products - you can also reach new customers through our InPost Mobile app thanks to PUSH notifications, as well as through mailing in the form of a newsletter entry. Everyone can choose the option that is most convenient for them!
Targeting is nothing more than the targeting of marketing messages to specific audiences. In this way, you can increase conversions and sales and build a loyal customer base. See for yourself!
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