For those who are new to Facebook advertising, it can be overwhelming due to the various options available, such as different types of campaigns, budgeting, and targeting. However, it is important to understand the system and test out different strategies to effectively utilize Facebook advertising and get the most out of the money spent.
This post is specifically aimed at helping beginners, new marketers, and bloggers create a customer audience of email subscribers for their Facebook ads. It is important to note that the more specific the targeting is, the better the results will be.
To succeed in Facebook advertising, it is essential to practice and test different strategies. For newbies to Facebook ads, it is suggested to start with Facebook Ads for Newbies Instead! By understanding the system and trying out different targeting options, businesses can effectively use Facebook advertising to reach their target audience and accomplish their marketing objectives.
When it comes to Facebook advertising, two primary factors determine whether people will engage with your ad: relevance and interest.
- Relevance is crucial. If your ad or offer is relevant to the audience or they are already familiar with your brand, they are more likely to pay attention and engage with your ad by clicking or taking some sort of action. The more relevant your ad is to the audience, the higher the chance that they will engage with it.
- Interest is also essential. If your ad appeals to a new audience who may not have heard of your brand before, but it piques their interest, they are more likely to take action or engage with the ad. To reach this new audience, you may need to create an ad that stands out and captures their attention.
To determine which targeting strategy will work best for your business, it is necessary to test a variety of options. One effective approach is to target your email subscribers and display your ad to them. This can help to further engage them with your brand or provide them with an offer to take action.
However, it is important to note that the success of your Facebook advertising campaign will depend on a variety of factors. For example, the relevance of your ad, the quality of your targeting, the ad placement, and the overall design and message of your ad are all crucial elements that can affect the success of your campaign. Regular testing and optimization are necessary to improve the effectiveness of your Facebook advertising efforts and achieve your marketing goals. Therefore, make sure to regularly monitor and adjust your ad's performance to ensure that your Facebook advertising campaign is successful.
Let's dive right in and begin with the step-by-step process of creating a custom audience of email subscribers for Facebook ads:
Step 1: Prepare your email subscriber list.
Creating a custom audience of email subscribers is a powerful way to target your Facebook ads to people who have already expressed interest in your brand by subscribing to your email list. To get started, you can download your email list from your email marketing software and save it in CSV or txt format.
If you haven't yet built an email list, there are many effective strategies to grow your list without spending money on advertising. My article on 6 Ways to Grow Your Email List Without Advertising outlines some of these methods.
Once you have your email list, you can create a custom audience on Facebook by uploading your CSV or txt file. Facebook will then match the email addresses on your list with user accounts on their platform, creating a target audience of your email subscribers. This allows you to deliver highly targeted ads to people who have already shown interest in your brand, increasing the likelihood of conversion and ROI.
Step 2: Access/Open your Ads Manager
To create your custom audience of email subscribers on Facebook, you'll need to access your Ads Manager. This is where you can manage all your Facebook advertising efforts.
After logging into your Facebook account, navigate to the Ads Manager. If you've previously run Facebook ad campaigns, you'll likely see them listed in your Ads Manager dashboard. Don't worry about those campaigns just yet, as we'll only be focusing on creating a custom audience from your email subscribers.
To access the Ads Manager, simply click on the dropdown menu in the top right corner of your Facebook homepage and select "Ads Manager" from the list of options. This will take you directly to your Ads Manager dashboard, where you can begin the process of creating your custom audience.
Step 3: Proceed to the 'Audiences' section
To create a specific audience on Facebook, you need to access the Ads Manager and navigate to the 'Audiences' section. This can be done by opening the top menu and clicking on 'Audiences'.
Once you're in the 'Audiences' section, you can begin the process of creating a custom audience. Facebook will prompt you to define the criteria for your audience, such as age range, location, interests, and more. You can also choose to upload a source file in CSV format that contains information about your existing customers or leads.
Uploading a source file is a powerful way to create a custom audience as it allows you to target people who are already interested in your business or have interacted with your brand in some way. Facebook will match the information in the source file with user profiles on its platform to create a list of people who fit your criteria.
Overall, accessing the 'Audiences' section and creating a custom audience on Facebook requires careful consideration of your target market and the information you have about your existing customers. But with the right strategy and approach, you can use Facebook's tools to reach the people who are most likely to engage with your brand and become loyal customers.
Step 4: Choose/Select the 'Custom Audience'
After clicking on the 'Audiences' option, the next screen will prompt you to describe the type of audience you want to create.
When creating a custom audience on Facebook, you need to specify that you want to create an audience for your Facebook Ad account. To do this, select the 'custom audience' option from the dropdown menu after accessing the 'Audiences' section.
Once you've selected 'custom audience', you will be directed to the next window where you'll be asked to choose the method of custom audience creation. There are several options available, each with its own unique benefits and uses.
For example, you can create a custom audience based on customer data you already have, such as an email list or phone numbers. Alternatively, you can create an audience based on website traffic or engagement with your Facebook content.
It's important to choose the right option that best aligns with your marketing goals and the audience you want to reach. By selecting the right method of custom audience creation, you can ensure that your Facebook ads are seen by the people who are most likely to engage with your brand and become loyal customers.
When creating a custom audience of email subscribers for Facebook ads, you will see four options on the pop-up window:
- Customer file.
- Website traffic.
- App activity.
- Engagement on Facebook.
To upload your CSV file of email subscribers, select the 'customer file' option.
Uploading your customer file allows Facebook to match the email addresses in your CSV file with user profiles on its platform. This creates a custom audience of people who are already familiar with your brand and have opted in to receive communications from you.
It's important to ensure that your CSV file is formatted correctly and contains only email addresses. You can download your email list from your email marketing software and then use a tool like Excel or Google Sheets to remove any unnecessary columns and ensure that the remaining column contains only email addresses.
By creating a custom audience of email subscribers, you can reach out to people who have already shown an interest in your business and are more likely to engage with your Facebook ads. This can help you to increase conversions and grow your customer base.
Step 5: Upload Your Customer File
In the next step, Facebook will prompt you to choose how you want to add your customer file to the audience you're creating. You will have two options to choose from:
a) Choose a file or copy and paste data
b) Import from Mailchimp
Since you have already downloaded the CSV file onto your computer, you should choose option a. This will allow you to upload the file directly from your hard drive.
To upload the file, click on the 'upload' button and browse to the location where the file is saved on your computer. Once you have selected the file, click on the 'open' button to begin the upload process.
It's important to note that it may take a few hours for Facebook to process your customer file and create your custom audience. During this time, you can continue to work on other aspects of your Facebook ad campaign, such as ad creatives and targeting options.
Additionally, if you are interested in becoming Google Ads certified and generating revenue by providing digital marketing services, you can find more information and resources online to help you achieve this goal.
I have attempted to explain one of the simplest things about Facebook ads that can sometimes intimidate people.
It may seem a bit daunting if you've never done any Facebook advertising before, but creating a custom audience is actually one of the easiest things to do on Facebook.
The best part is that once you start doing it yourself, you'll realize just how simple it is. Plus, if you make a mistake like uploading the wrong file, Facebook will alert you so that you can fix the issue.
The goal of writing this blog post was to educate readers on how to build a custom audience and provide a strategy for engaging email subscribers through Facebook Ads.
Email subscribers are people who have previously shown interest in your content by subscribing to your newsletter or blog. Targeting them through Facebook ads offers the benefit of reminding them to check out your blog again, or to read fresh and exciting content they may have missed.
Creating a custom audience is an essential part of successful Facebook advertising campaigns. By targeting specific groups of people, such as email subscribers, you can maximize the effectiveness of your ads and reach the right audience. With a little bit of practice and experimentation, creating custom audiences on Facebook can be a breeze.
Will this custom audience guide impact your future Facebook ad targeting efforts?Let me know in the comments.