When advertising via social networking sites, targeting is the key, just like with any other marketing method. You want your ads to be seen by the right demographics, people whose profile and interests will make them more likely to become paying customers of yours. One of the most common issues with advertising on the social networking giant Facebook is that advertisers can’t target specific users with their ads.
But there are reports that this could change, maybe in the next few months. Facebook advertisers could have the opportunity to target users that are already their cust
omers, or who have given them their information in some way, such as by signing up for their email list. The company is currently testing ways for advertisers to target Facebook users specifically by their user ID, email or phone number.
However, the information comes from a user who reported seeing a “custom audiences” tab in the Facebook advertising control panel, but then the tab was soon gone. It looks like a temporary bug allowed that user to see a feature that wasn’t intended to be operational yet. While this, in itself, is not surprising and has happened with many other websites, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Facebook will actually roll out this change. No official statements have been made by the company at this time. Furthermore, having the ability to target specific users that are on social media by using their personal information is likely to raise a few eyebrows among consumer and privacy advocates, many of whom already see social media as a serious concern for individual privacy.
This, however, may be resolved in a simple way. Facebook could make a setting that would allow users to opt out of being specifically targeted by marketers while they browse the social network. The feature could be left on by default and users who would see this as an intrusion on their privacy or who just don’t like being marketed to on social media could disable it if they wish.
Targeting your existing clients by social media also isn’t as bad as some other marketing methods, particularly those in use before the internet became popular. It’s actually quite common for many large companies to sell their user information to telemarketers as well as direct (postal) mail companies and while there is a possibility to opt out, the information is usually written somewhere in fine print on the subscription form or contract.
In any case, targeting your existing clients and people who have expressed an interest in your business is a good way to put your online presence to good use. This can be done in various ways, not just by social media. Among the most common ways to do this already is sending marketing emails to them, physical mailings like pamphlets and catalogs, or text messages on their mobile phones. Facebook’s move will just create a new opportunity for marketers to perfect something that many of them have already been doing for quite some time now.
