If you sell a product, you may have tried Facebook Ads to drive targeted traffic to the product. Want to reach left-handed women in Coldwater, Ohio? With Facebook ads, you can!
Did you know you can also target your regular Facebook posts to specific members of your audience?
Why Would You Want to Do That?
Organic reach on Facebook fell to around 6% in 2014.
Today, it’s likely lower still. So for every 100 people who follow you, fewer than 6 will see your latest post.
We’ll cover how Facebook decides which 6 people see your post, and why, because you can multiply that “organic” number to 20%, 40%, or even higher. You just need to know how.
For now, though, we cover an easier, surer way to get your word out there. Set your own audience targets! You even get to choose those who matter most (left-handed women in Ohio)!
Does Audience Targeting Increase Organic Reach?
Not directly, no.
It almost certainly increases engagement, though. (Just like an ad, the more targeted a post is, the better it’s going to perform.) And guess what?
More engagement will result in greater organic reach over time. So it’s a win-win…
- Facebook shows your post to more than 6 in 100 people.
- By continuing to target your audience for every post you make, the 10% or 20% you reach will drive engagement higher still.
Now for the “how to”…
1. Set Up Audience Optimization
Have more than 5,000 likes on your business page? Facebook has already enabled the optimization tool. You’ll see it as an option at the bottom whenever you make a post…
Not at 5,000 yet? Enable it manually…
- Click “Settings” in the top right of your FB page.
- Select “General” in the left column.
- Locate the “Audience Optimization for Posts” row and click “Edit.”
- Check the box and save the changes…
2. Target Your Post
When you’ve written your post, click the Audience Optimization button at the bottom. Then…
i) Target your audience by interest…
If you’re in the travel niche, for example, and you write a post about surfing at your local beach, target those members of your audience who have an interest in surfing or watersports.
Writing about a movie star’s visit to a local bar? Target folks who have an interest in that celebrity. Or the local bar.
ii) Target by demographic
Next, click the “Audience Restrictions” tab at the top…
Then target by age, gender and/or location.
Again, think about who is most likely to be engaged by your post (like it, share it, leave a comment) and target accordingly.
Bottom Line Takeaway?
Audience Optimization from Facebook is quick and easy.
Used well, it makes it more likely that your posts will reach the right people… which in turn leads to greater engagement… which in turn leads to more organic reach. And best of all…
You don’t need to pay to play.