Open Targeting: The Big Facebook Ads Debate

Summary

The video script discusses the evolving importance of targeting in Facebook and Instagram advertising. It challenges the conventional wisdom that detailed targeting is crucial, suggesting that 'open targeting'—advertising to a broad audience without specific interests or demographics—can be effective due to Meta's advanced algorithms. The script outlines scenarios where open targeting excels, such as with mature ad accounts, broad appeal products, and local businesses, while also noting its limitations and the importance of retargeting for certain campaigns.

Takeaways

• 🎯 Open targeting is a strategy where no specific targeting options are used, allowing ads to be shown to a broad audience within a chosen location.
• 🚀 Open targeting has become more popular due to advancements in Meta's advertising platform, which can now better determine the right audience for ads.
• 🔍 Some marketers advocate for always using open targeting, believing that Meta's algorithms are better at finding the right audience than manual targeting.
• 🛑 The speaker disagrees with the extreme view of not retargeting, citing scenarios where specific retargeting is necessary, such as for abandoned cart campaigns.
• 📈 Open targeting can be effective for mature ad accounts with conversion history, as Meta can use this data to improve ad performance.
• 💍 Products or services with broad appeal are good candidates for open targeting, as they are likely to resonate with a large portion of the population.
• 📉 The speaker notes that the criteria for using open targeting are becoming less stringent as Meta's AI improves, allowing for testing even with newer ad accounts.
• 🏘️ Open targeting is often preferred for local businesses or in countries with smaller populations, where detailed targeting options could limit the audience too much.
• ⏳ Open targeting may take longer to deliver results compared to more specific targeting options, as there are more variables for the algorithm to consider.
• 📊 The best targeting options can change over time, and the speaker suggests re-testing open targeting periodically as the ad account generates more conversions.
• 🔄 Meta is introducing a hybrid targeting option that sits between open and detailed targeting, offering a new approach to consider in advertising strategies.

Q & A

What is open targeting in the context of Facebook ads?

Open targeting refers to not using any specific targeting options, such as interests, behaviors, or demographics, and instead advertising to everyone within a chosen location, often with an age range of 18 plus, allowing the platform's algorithms to determine who sees the ads.

Why has open targeting become more popular over the years?

Open targeting has become more popular because Meta's advertising platform has become more sophisticated, and it is now better at determining who to show ads to than it was six or seven years ago.

What are the potential downsides of using open targeting?

The downside of using open targeting is that by not specifying interests, you might miss out on people who don't fall within a specific interest category but could still be good prospects for the business.

According to the script, why might someone advocate for only using open targeting?

Some people advocate for only using open targeting because they believe that Meta's algorithms are more capable of figuring out the best audience for the ads than the advertisers themselves.

What is the speaker's opinion on not retargeting as part of open targeting?

The speaker feels that not retargeting is a step too far and believes there are scenarios where retargeting is necessary, such as for add to cart campaigns or when using an omnipresent content strategy.

What is an 'omnipresent content strategy' and why is retargeting important for it?

An omnipresent content strategy is a method used by service-based or expertise-based businesses to demonstrate their knowledge, results, and trustworthiness to prospects over time through various ads. Retargeting is important for this strategy to ensure that prospects see a variety of ads that address all the necessary points.

Under what conditions does the speaker recommend using open targeting?

The speaker recommends using open targeting for mature ad accounts with conversion history, for businesses with products or services that have a broad appeal, and for local businesses or those operating in countries with smaller populations.

What is the 'hybrid option' mentioned in the script, and how does it relate to open targeting?

The hybrid option is a new feature introduced by Meta that acts as a middle ground between open targeting and more detailed targeting options. It's designed to provide a balance between the broad reach of open targeting and the specificity of interest-based targeting.

Why might open targeting take longer to deliver good results compared to more specific targeting?

Open targeting might take longer to deliver good results because it involves a larger and more diverse audience, which requires more time for the platform's algorithms to learn and optimize the ad delivery.

What advice does the speaker give regarding testing open targeting with new ad accounts?

The speaker advises that even though open targeting may perform better with mature ad accounts, it's worth testing with new ad accounts as Meta's machine learning processes improve, and to retest open targeting periodically as the account generates more conversions.

How does the speaker suggest determining the duration for testing different ad targeting options?

The speaker suggests that the duration for testing ad targeting options should be based on how far off the target CPA is and the number of conversions being generated, with more conversions allowing for quicker assessment of ad performance.