Last week, Facebook announced Facebook partner categories, a new way to improve the targeting of your Facebook Ads. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to work with them and see Facebook partner categories as a valuable asset for any business. To help you begin thinking about Facebook partner categories, I’ve compiled a list of 5 Facebook partner category uses.
While these are just some of the Facebook partner category uses, there are plenty more. Just remember to be creative and to think outside the box.
5 Facebook Partner Category uses
Target your competition
One way you can use Facebook partner categories is to target your competitors. Any business owner knows, competition can be a good thing.
When creating a Facebook Ad, don’t just use it to sell products. Remember to create Facebook Ads that also target your competitors so that you can get your products in front of customers who are looking at a similar product.
For example, if you sell a vehicle that competes with Mercedes-Benz, you may want to run a Facebook Ad targeting the following options:
- Topics: #Mercedes-Benz (29,500,000)
- Precise-interests: Mercedes-Benz
You can use Facebook partner categories to help refine your initial Facebook Ads such as:
- Partner categories > Datalogix > Auto > Make > Mercedes-Benz (1,400,000)
Optionally, if you want to target people who own a Mercedes-Benz and who are Lawyers, you can add the following partner category options:
- Partner categories > Epsilon > Demographics > Occupation = Lawyers/Judges (17,300)
Remember, if you want to get more specific, you can add demographic data from Acxiom such as a person’s average income if you want to reach just the people in a certain income bracket.
Sell Products
Facebook partner category uses are not just limited to competition. A second way to use Facebook Partner categories is selling products.
Sure, it sounds like an obvious answer, but with the new Facebook partner categories, you can get much better at doing it.
For example, if you sell a coffee product, you can now use Facebook partner categories data to advertise your product to coffee-drinkers.
Here are some of the settings to use for your Facebook Ad and how to incorporate Facebook partner category data to improve them.
- Topics: #Starbucks (26,600,000), #Coffee (80,100,000), #Coffeehouse (6,500,000), #Caribou Coffee (2,100,000)
- Precise-interests: Coffee, Starbucks Coffee
To refine this Facebook Ad, you can use Facebook partner categories to help improve your initial Facebook Ads such as:
- Partner categories > Datalogix > CPG > Beverage Buyers > Coffee (24,357,000)
Optionally, think about who your ideal customer is. Are they people in a high-stress environment such as people in management positions or teachers who work a lot outside the classroom?
- Partner categories > Epsilon > Demographics > Occupation = Teachers/Educators (280,700)
- Partner categories > Epsilon > Demographics > Occupation = Management (2,500,000)
Reach ‘better’ Fans
Some other Facebook partner category uses include helping you reach better fans.
Initially, Facebook Ads only gave you the ability to target someone who expressed an interested in a Facebook Page. This doesn’t tell you if this is the right person you want to reach.
For example, if you’re trying to target someone who buy’s carbonated beverages like Coke or Pepsi, it makes sense to target people who have liked those Facebook Pages. Unfortunately, you don’t know if someone liked that page because they were entering a contest and actually don’t drink carbonated beverages.
With Facebook partner categories, you can improve the targeting of your ads. Here’s how:
- Topics: #Pepsi (29,500,000), #Coca-cola (36,000,000), #Diet Coke (5,900,000)
- Precise-interests: Pepsi, Coke, Pepsi Brazil (along with other country-specific interests)
To refine this Facebook Ad, you can use Facebook partner categories to help improve your initial Facebook Ads such as:
- Partner categories > Datalogix > CPG > Beverage Buyers > Carbonated beverages (29,600,000)
- Partner categories > Datalogix > CPG > Beverage Buyers > Diet Carbonated beverages (25,400,000)
Optionally, think about targeting certain occupations. Again, teachers come to mind along with professionals who travel a lot for work.
- Partner categories > Epsilon > Demographics > Occupation = Teachers/Educators (280,700)
- Partner categories > Epsilon > Demographics > Occupation = Professional/Technical (13,727,000)
Building Awareness
Another one of the Facebook partner category uses is to build awareness.
Building awareness can be looked at from the perspective of getting a new product on the market. You can also build awareness around causes.
For example, let’s say your business doesn’t sell anything. Instead, you want to bring awareness to the health dangers of soda.
In this situation, you would want to target your Facebook Ads at people who have liked Facebook Pages such as Coke and Pepsi.
- Topics: #Pepsi (29,500,000), #Coca-cola (36,000,000), #Diet Coke (5,900,000)
- Precise-interests: Pepsi, Coke, Pepsi Brazil (along with other country-specific interests)
In addition, you would want to consider reaching out to people who have identified themselves as carbonated and diet carbonated beverage buyers to get them to see the health dangers of soda.
- Partner categories > Datalogix > CPG > Beverage Buyers > Carbonated beverages (29,600,000)
- Partner categories > Datalogix > CPG > Beverage Buyers > Diet Carbonated beverages (25,400,000)
Optionally, consider targeting industries who drink a lot of soda. Again, teachers come to mind along with professionals who travel a lot for work. They may want to know about the important information you have on the health effects of drinking soda.
- Partner categories > Epsilon > Demographics > Occupation = Teachers/Educators (280,700)
- Partner categories > Epsilon > Demographics > Occupation = Professional/Technical (13,727,000)
Improve your messaging
Another example of Facebook partner category uses is to improve your message.
Previously, when you ran Facebook Ads, you were casting a much wider net. This meant you were reaching a lot of people, but you didn’t know if they were the right ones.
While I have touched on different Facebook partner category uses related to selling products and building brand awareness, remember, you can also use Facebook partner categories to improve your message.
For example, now that you can target certain occupations, it is time to work on the ads that you create. Because you have Facebook partner category data available to you. The next time you are creating a Facebook Ad, be sure to take into account the types of people you are now targeting.
If you’re targeting teachers and educators, consider networking with them to learn about the things that are important to them as it relates to your product to help you get your message as on-target as possible.
Benefits to Facebook Partner Category Uses
Facebook partner categories are going to be an extremely beneficial tool to businesses who learn how to incorporate them into their advertising strategy.
By improving your Facebook Ad targeting with these Facebook partner category uses, not only will it help you boost the quality of your Facebook fans that you’re attracting, but they can also help lower advertising costs because you won’t be wasting it on attracting the wrong types of people.
What do you think about these Facebook partner category uses? Do they make you want to start revising your Facebook Ads? I hope so.
Remember, Facebook partner categories are designed to help your business bring in better fans, prospects and customers and better target your message. Just remember to use them.
Question: What other Facebook partner category uses can you think of? I would love to hear your suggestions in the comments below.