From March 17th 2022, Facebook is reducing detailed targeting options in compliance with new privacy and data laws. Facebook will be removing options that are not widely used, are redundant alongside other options, or are too granular.
This update is particularly important for ecommerce businesses that are using Facebook to target customers based on interests and behaviours with Facebook Ads. With the reduced options, it will be harder to target customers based on interests and you may find ads belonging to these audiences slowing down and struggling to convert.
To help you mitigate the effects of this new update and ensure your ads continue to convert and bring revenue to your business, it’s vital that you prioritise first-party customer data. This first-party data can be uploaded to Facebook and used to target these customers and users who are similar to them. We’ve created some tips for gathering first-party customer data for your Facebook Audiences to help you prepare for Facebook’s new updates.
Tip 1: Collect Customer Email Addresses
Customer email addresses are becoming increasingly valuable to ecommerce businesses. Businesses can capture email addresses from customers via pop-ups, giveaways, forms, or when users make an account or purchase a product.
Companies can upload a list of these email addresses to their Facebook audiences and use them for targeting these users and those similar to them.
If you need a platform that can store email addresses, create email flows, and segment customers into data groups for your business, we recommend Klaviyo.
Tip 2: Track Website Visitors
Make sure your company’s website has a Facebook pixel, which can be used to track customer browsing habits. By tracking your company’s website visitors, you will gather some great first-party data of interested users who have visited your website and know about your brand.
This data can be added to your custom and lookalike audiences on Facebook Ads to help you reach these users and those similar to them. This will help you target people who already have an interest in your brand or products, making them more likely to convert compared to users who haven’t visited your website before.
Tip 3: Build Engagers on Socials
Facebook allows you to target ads to users who have engaged with your company’s Facebook and Instagram page and posts. With the new update potentially reducing the size of your audiences, it’s important to try to build your Facebook and Instagram following and likes, as this will help you build your audience and reach more people.
Like website visitors, social engagers already know about your business and are more likely to be interested in purchasing from your website or Facebook store. This is an audience you should be trying to grow via competitions, giveaways, and engaging content that encourages them to interact with your page or posts.
You can refresh this audience on Facebook Ads to ensure you are reaching the latest Facebook and Instagram engagers.
Get In Touch
If you have any questions about how the latest Facebook update will affect your business, or you would like help gathering and using customer data, please get in touch!
Our team of Ecommerce Experts can help you collect valuable customer data, target relevant users who are most likely to convert, and grow your business online.
