Facebook Behavioral Targeting: How To Reach Ideal Audience [2024]

If you want to target the perfect audience for your Facebook ad campaign, Facebook Behavioral Targeting is a tool that you can’t skip. By using this feature, you can create better audiences and improve your ad performance. Today, we’ll take a closer look at Facebook behavior targeting, what it is, how it works and how to use it effectively for your ad campaigns.

What Is Facebook Behavioral Targeting?

Facebook behavioral targeting is a subtype of Facebook ad targeting that helps businesses reach potential audiences based on their behaviors, both on and off Facebook. 

Here are main sub-categories of Facebook Behavioral Targeting in 2024:

• Anniversary
• Mobile Device User/Device Use Time
• Consumer Classification
• Digital Activities
• Digital Activities Team
• Expats
• Purchase Behavior
• Soccer
• Travel
• More Categories

With each category, Facebook also provides more specific niche options related to user behaviors. 

For example, the Travel category includes: 

• Commuters
• Frequent travelers
• Frequent international travelers
• Returned from travels 1 week ago
• Returned from travels 2 weeks ago

Benefits of Facebook behavioral targeting

Facebook behavioral targeting allows advertisers to increase ad relevance score by targeting highly specific audiences aligned with ad content. When consumers see ads that are relevant to them, they will be more likely to click through our ads.

It also enhances customer experience with ads. A recent study shows that nearly all consumers (90%) prefer personalized ads. 

From that, businesses can make more sales, increase conversion rates, and improve return on investment (ROI).

How Facebook Behavioral Targeting Works?

Facebook Behavioral Targeting is based on data from two sources: from information that users provide to Facebook, and from information of Facebook’s data partner.

Information users provide to Facebook

This one is easy to explain. Facebook can infer your behaviors based on the information you provide in Facebook as well as your activities and engagement through Facebook platform.

For example, when you share photos of your recent trips, you may be targeted for other travel advertisements. 

Information mined by data partners

Facebook can also collect data from third parties to get additional information about users for Facebook ad targeting. 

For instance, when you make a purchase online, you may be targeted for ads of similar products at similar online stores.

How To Use Facebook Behavioral Targeting Effectively In 2024

Now, let’s move on to the most important part of this post. There are some steps you should follow to use this ad targeting feature.

Define Your Target Audience

Before launching your ad campaign, you have to define your target customers. Think of who will benefit the most from your products or services. You can also refer to your existing or desired customers.

For example, if you sell backpacks, your target audience could include students and adventurous travelers who enjoy camping, hiking, or exploring.

Based on these target audience segments, you identify potential behavioral targeting options, such as:

• For students: like student blogs, engage with pages related to student life.
• For adventurous travelers: engage with outdoor brands, like travel blogs and related content, buy camp equipment, etc.

Access Facebook behavioral targeting options

Go to Facebook Ads Manager and create a new Ad Campaign. Move to Ad Set, and scroll down to Audience section and look for Detail targeting. Click Browse and choose Behaviors.

As I had mentioned, Facebook offers a wide range of behavioral sub-categories, including digital activities, purchase behavior, travel, and more.

Select Relevant Behaviors

Now, choose behaviors that align with your target customers. You can combine multiple behavioral sub-categories to create a highly targeted audience.

For instance, you can target frequent international travelers who have engaged in shopping recently.

Combine with other targeting options

Facebook behavioral targeting works best when it’s combined with other Facebook targeting options, such as location, interest, demographics-based targeting, custom audience targeting, and Facebook lookalike audiences targeting. 

I suggest that you should mix these targeting options together to refine the Facebook audience.

Create Compelling Ads

Once you have targeted the right audience, you need to have an ad that is compelling to your audience. You should create ad content that resonates with the behaviors you select.

Let’s continue with the example of selling backpacks. For people who travel frequently, you may create ad content focusing on the durability and comfort of the backpack, highlight features such as multiple compartments and theft-prevention measures.

For students, your ad should focus on stylish designs, low prices, compartments for laptops, books and other essentials. 

You can experiment with different ad creatives to see what works best.

Test, test, and test

Run A/B tests to determine which behaviors perform better, monitor ad performance, and exclude behavioral targeting options that don’t work.

Conclusion

I hope this guide has helped you understand more deeply about Facebook Behavioral Targeting and know how to use this feature effectively to maximize the success of your Facebook ad campaigns. Follow SpeedX Agency today for more useful Facebook ads tips.