Know Your Target Audience Before Advertising On Facebook
More often than not, you’ve probably noticed brick and mortar business ads showing up on your timeline that are nowhere near your residence. It’s very possible that your business is one of them, as the employee that is running your Facebook page and social media accounts doesn’t know the target audience you’re trying to reach. Recently I had an Audi dealership in Illinois show up on my timeline. Being a resident of Massachusetts who has five Audi dealerships to choose from within a 30 mile radius, the ad fell on deaf ears, and possibly had the same effect on others in my area. Know your target audience before advertising.
In a previous article I posted last week, “Facebook’s “Check In” — An Untapped Social Media Marketing Tool”, I talked about documenting your customers who “check in” to your car dealership. You’ll get a good understanding of the demographics of your clients that walk into the showroom or bring their vehicle in for maintenance. From there you can create content that is appropriate for the customer base you currently have, and promote that same post to people who will find it relevant to their interests. You’ll be able to advertise directly to the people who are more likely to engage with the content your dealership is posting and promoting, which leads to higher percentages of potential buyers taking action and visiting your online inventory.
Facebook ad campaigns are more than just throwing money into content promotions and seeing what sticks. There has to be involvement and a strategy to implement so you get the most out of the budget you have, or give to your social media manager. Knowing the demographics, such as age and gender, along with the creation of eye catching native content that your dealership produces, is the key to seeing greater returns on investment. Most dealerships advertise blind when choosing a target audience. For example that Audi dealership. I suspect that the dealership was reaching any Audi fan or customer, and as a result I was selected as an ideal target audience member in that ad campaign.
For dealerships that sell exotics, nationwide reach is essential to finding clients that can afford the vehicles they’re selling. If you’re locally owned, or a statewide franchise, you’ll have to be more specific with the target audiences you’re trying to reach. This is where having a customer database from the Facebook “check ins” comes into play as you’ll know exactly who to target in future marketing campaigns. If most of your customers claim they don’t have a Facebook or social media account (highly unlikely in 2017 as 40–60 year olds are the largest growing demographics on social media) then traditional advertising would be more effective.
Remember, the millennial generation is getting up there in age. Half of them are in their 30’s and are the most successful out of the entire generation. They use social media on a daily basis, and are much more engaged than their older counterparts. So the content you’re promoting has to be relevant and tailored to what gets their attention, and that’s digital media. You must know your audience before throwing money into ads, which is why being committed and involved with your social media marketing team is crucial to seeing results in 2017.
