Create target groups in Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads is awesome. Not only because you have ridiculously many segmentation options and because you can also create a need with Facebook Ads, unlike Google Adwords based on an existing need. You also have wonderful opportunities to appeal to all kinds of interesting new target groups with Facebook Ads. Based on your newsletter file. You can learn how to create your customized target group in Facebook with this 'hands-on' blog. 

I assume that you already have a Facebook Ads account, access to Excel and work with MailChimp or similar mailing program. The starting point is this: newsletter readers are open to receiving your messages by e-mail. So they would also be positive can about your posts via Facebook.

Retrieve newsletter file in MailChimp

Have you already read how you more readers for your newsletter gets? Connect nicely with this. We are going to pick up your newsletter file. I give MailChimp as an example because I work with it myself. You can also do a selection on the quality of your newsletter readers in this way. If you do not want to do that, or if you do not have so many newsletter readers to filter (minimum 100 is required), skip this step and go directly to Create custom audience in Facebook Ads.

• Go to you in MailChimp lists and click on the list you want to work with.
• You can still choose from Subscribed / unsubscribed / cleaned, but it seems to me that you also want to reach Facebook especially those people who are open to your messages. So choose Subscribed. Right click on Export list.

• I immediately received an email, but with really large (paid) accounts that will take a little longer.

• The button in the mail is also the download button, you check Downloads So. Extract the file. It is a CSV. Open Excel next to it. (That is easier than double-clicking on the file)

Edit newsletter file in Excel

The standard rule is that if you want to read mail addresses, it is best to do that in TXT format and not in CSV format. We will now read the CSV file into Excel, filter for quality and transfer to a TXT file.

• Go to Excel data / From Text. Select your downloaded CSV file from MailChimp.

• Go through the Text Import Wizard. Step 1: click on next one. (stop original data type Divorced)

• Step 2: Click Comma as a separator. click on Next one.

• Step 3: Click Complete.
• For any question click on OK:

You have now successfully imported your MailChimp list into Excel. You not only receive e-mail addresses, but also all kinds of extra information:

• E-mail address
• First Name
• Last name
• MEMBER_RATING
• OPTIN_TIME
• OPTIN_IP
• CONFIRM_TIME
• CONFIRM_IP
• LATITUDE
• LONGITUDE
• GMTOFF
• DSTOFF
• TIMEZONE
• CC
• REGION
• LAST_CHANGED
• LEID
• EUID
• NOTES

Interesting? Uh, yes. Because column D gives you the member rating: the extent to which the newsletter reader also reads your newsletter. That is a good indication of the extent to which a similar person would be interested in your Facebook advertisement. Provided that you hit the same string of course. I recommend to member rating 2 filter out: those people don't even open your newsletter yet. For this you need a minimum number of Member rating 3+ of around 200 people (Facebook needs 100 profiles, and not every email address corresponds to a Facebook profile).

• Press CTRL A to select everything;
• Press Filter at the top:
• Press the pulldown menu behind MEMBER_RATING and put it on 3,4,5:

• Select the e-mail addresses and paste them into a simple TXT file.

Create custom audience in Facebook Ads

Each Facebook account is linked to one or more e-mail addresses. If that e-mail address matches an address in your newsletter file, you can then set up a Facebook campaign on it. Please note: you will never be told by Facebook that dus@niet.nl is linked to a 'Peter Jansen'. And that's a good thing too. This is how you create your customized audience in Facebook Ads:

Go to you Facebook Ads account and click on at the top Utilities and then on Target audiences.

Then click Create target group and choose Create custom audience.

A new window with options appears:

App activities is therefore for readers with an app or game, which I do not cover here. Website traffic is covered by the Facebook Ads Pixel below. We will now start with Customer list. Click.

You have the following options:

• upload file. That is why the above explanation was given Retrieve newsletter file in MailChimp.
• Copy and paste your custom list. Can. But we are not going to do that.
• Import via MailChimp. This is very cool. Facebook is also a fan of MailChimp!

I explain File Upload and Import via MailChimp:

Upload customized target group as file by customer list

• click on upload file. 
• Set up Data Type Emails, select email file, put one check mark (and of course read that Facebook Custom Audiences Terms!) and click Create target group.
  
• Then enter one Target group name and possibly a description. click on Next one to complete. Then read on Create comparable target group.

Custom target group by importing customer list via MailChimp

You use MailChimp and you do not want to make filtering according to the quality of your readers? (perhaps because your newsletter file would otherwise be too small) Then use this option.

click on Import via MailChimp.

• Give OK to make the connection. Optionally choose another account if you have several MailChimp accounts. Select you list and click OK to complete.

Create similar audience in Facebook Ads

Your custom audience has been created. And you immediately get even more options offered by Facebook:

1. Create an advertisement based on the target audience. You will immediately get started with Facebook Ads. Wait a while.
2. Expand your target group. This creates a comparable target group. Yes!

• Choose Similar target group.
• The source is immediately placed on your adjusted target group. Put it country on the desired country (the Netherlands). You can set size, but the larger the more inaccurate.
  
• Is your source less than 100? Then you unfortunately get a message:

• click on Create target group and do a little dance.

You now see the two new target groups that you have created:

• Loyal Mailchimp readers, useful for example if you want to point them on your Facebook page;
• Lookalike, a much larger audience that you can select in your ads.

You will receive a notification from Facebook when your target groups are ready. You can then use them in your ads.

Install Facebook Ads Pixel and Measure Conversion

The possibilities with Facebook Ads go one step further. You know you are with Google Analytics can set your conversion goals? You can also do that with Facebook Ads ... and you can then create it again as a Custom Target Group. What does that mean:

• You can record and target every website visitor;
• You can record and target every visitor who has a specific page;
• You can record and target every visitor who does a conversion on your website;

When I say 'target', I mean:

• Create as a custom target group;
• Create a comparable target group based on that Custom target group.

Install Facebook Ads Pixel

• Go to Pixels in Facebook Ads. (or click on Pixels via Utilities at the top)
• You can directly create a Pixel code (This is also possible when you create an advertisement and choose Conversion on website)

• You can send the Pixel code directly to your website builder by e-mail. Or. You can install the code in WordPress yourself. Search in WordPress where you have placed the Google Analytics code (depending on your Theme, or your plugin such as Yoast), and simply place the Facebook Ads Pixel code in it nicely. The point is that, just like with the Google Analytics code, the Pixel code is placed on every page in the header.
• Testing if it works is very handy with the Facebook Pixel Helper, there is a nice plugin for Chrome. But you can also just see it in the Pixel section. The Pixel tool also helps with troubleshooting and insights for improving performance.
• You can adjust the code for registering conversions, such as Search, AddToCart, AddToWishlist, Purchase, Complete Registration etc. Read more about the options on https://www.facebook.com/help/402791146561655, and read How to set it up https://www.facebook.com/help/780705975381000.

Measuring conversions with the Facebook Ads Pixel

After the Facebook Ads Pixel is set up, you can then create a Target audience and make Conversion. I first explain how to set up conversions. You can then set your Ads to achieve those conversions. Facebook will use it to optimize your ads for your conversions ... and yes, that is very useful. Go to the Pixel section Make conversion.

You get 2 options:

The first option, Track Conversions With Standard Events, is, as I mentioned above: conversions for which you also have to adjust the code. Does it matter more complicated, while you can do most things with Track Custom Conversions.

• click on Track Custom Conversions.
• You see the Pixel as you created it (green dot = good)
• You can set the rule to 'URL equals' and 'URL contains'. Most conversions are page related: such as the thank you page after a contact form or an order form, or a specific product page. Choose URL is equal to.

• Then enter the Category on, really just the type of conversion:

• Then enter one Name, possibly a Description and Conversion Value on:

You can also do the explanation of Facebook read about it yourself. You will then find the conversion under Custom conversions on the right under the name you gave it. If no custom conversion has yet taken place, Facebook is happy to give you tips and help. You can now adjust your running ad and set the Custom conversion as a goal.

Create custom audience based on Facebook Ads Pixel

Do you remember that example of that restaurant? You do that as follows:

In the Pixel section, click Create target group:

• You have the option to select on:
  • Everyone who visits your website, People who visit specific web sites;
  • People who only visit specific web pages;
  • People who have not visited the webpage in a certain period;
  • a modified combination.

With a custom combination you have the most options:

click on Create target group and your new Custom Target Group is among your other target groups. And as explained below Create comparable target group, you can create a comparable target group based on your Custom target group. Yes it is a bit of a puzzle in the beginning. But once you run Facebook Ads Pixel, and you collect information about the behavior of your target group with your campaign, you can address a more appropriate target group every time. And that's just awesome.