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You heard and saw all the amazing results around Facebook lookalike audiences, but you have no idea what it is or how you can find yours.
Maybe you have even tried to install a Facebook pixel and you think that it has been installed properly but you cannot see anything in your analytics reports.
Everyone keeps talking about running Facebook ads to warm audiences and you don’t want to feel like the odd one out and you are too ashamed to even ask.
It is possible that you have spent over 100 hours in forums and on Facebook groups trying to figure out how you too can get these eye-popping results that everyone and their grandmother is getting from Facebook Ads.
You may have even dipped your toe and created your first Facebook Ad and the results were not exactly exciting. Actually, you spent $100, $300 or even $600 on campaigns and you have very little to show for it.
If any of these examples sound familiar or even if you can resonate with them slightly then stick with me as I help you understand Facebook lookalike audiences in more detail and even give you the opportunity to join a free Webinar.
What are Facebook Lookalike Audiences?
According to an article in the Social Media Examiner “A lookalike audience is a targeting audience based on a custom audience. Examples of custom audiences include people on your email list, website visitors, and Facebook users who engage with your video or Facebook page”.
So what does that mean exactly? Well, basically it is an audience that resembles the prospects that already visited your website, are on your email list, are fans of your Facebook Page or engaged with any of your content in the past.
Based on any of your prospects past behaviour on any of your content as well as their interests and habits Facebook can then come up with a near enough audience that resembles those prospects.
Why Are Facebook Lookalike Audiences Important?
Well, this can add real value to you and your business because it gives you the opportunity to reach new potential customers.
If you are really happy with your current customers or even prospects who engage with your content the best way to get more of the same kind of customers or prospects is to use technology to help you find them.
How can Facebook know what my audience looks like?
One of the reasons why it is difficult for entrepreneurs and small businesses to really understand Facebook lookalike audiences is because they don’t realise that they need to give Facebook access to something that they have such as an existing audience.
Unless you have a Facebook group or a Facebook page the only way for you to create a lookalike audience is to either install a Facebook pixel on your site or upload your email list to Facebook.
At first, this may sound a little bit scary. Why should you give Facebook more information about you and your business? The truth is if you already have Google Analytics installed on your site then you are already giving a third party access to your information anyway.
If your ideal customer is on Facebook then installing a Facebook pixel can only add value and give you a deeper insight into your marketing efforts.
Google Analytics lets you know a lot of information about who visited your website and from which countries. Facebook, however, can give you more in-depth information about your prospects and customers especially if they use Facebook regularly.
Lookalike Targeting
In order to create a successful lookalike targeting campaign, you will first need to create your Facebook lookalike audiences.
To do that you will need to install your Facebook pixel successfully. Once that has been running for about 3 months you then need to go in and create a lookalike audience.
The reason why you need to wait is that you need a minimum of 1,000 unique users captured on the Facebook pixel before you can create a lookalike audience.
After your lookalike audience is ready then it is safe for you to target that specific audience when you create your next appropriate Facebook Ad.
Bear in mind there are several different types of ad objectives available like:
- Brand awareness
- Post engagement
- Lead generation
- Traffic
Unless you are a Facebook Ads expert or working alongside a Facebook Ads mentor you will soon realise that there is so much more to Facebook Ads than you originally thought.
How to Create Lookalike Audiences on Facebook
After installing your Facebook pixel on your site and waiting for 3 months you will notice that there is a good set of analytics available on your website.
Now I am going to explain how to create your Facebook lookalike audiences in the video below. Click to play the video.
Do you want to know if targeting 1% or 10% of the country’s population will yield better results? Check out the $1,500 experiment here.
Facebook Lookalike Algorithm
The Facebook lookalike audience is very sophisticated as it can create a lookalike audience for you in a very short time giving you the ability to jump-start your ad campaign with a small number of tweaks.
Facebook does this by looking at your original audience whether it be an email list or people who visited your site or even people who visited a specific page on your site or even responded to some content.
Imagine what it will take for a single human being even someone who is an expert in statistics to find prospects who are most likely going to respond to your content like your original list?
It will take that person weeks or even months. Since the technology already exists then use what you have available you may as well use it as a shortcut to 10X your marketing efforts.
The coolest thing about these Facebook lookalike audiences is that Facebook is able to generate a list size of 2,000,000 prospects in double-quick time.
What this means is that you now have the opportunity to make this list even more targeted by using the options available while creating your ads.
Having problems with converting custom audiences? Then check out this article on the 5 reasons why your Facebook Ad for custom audiences is not converting.
Pinterest Actalike Audience
The good news is if you are a Pinterest user like myself you will have the ability to install a Pinterest pixel on your site as well and even create a Pinterest actalike audience.
The difference with Pinterest is that you will have two different audience types. Those who engaged with your pins and those who visited your site.
So on Facebook, the audiences are called Lookalike and in Pinterest, they are called Actalike but they mean the same thing.
Conclusion
As you can see Facebook lookalike audiences can help you generate a list of 2.1 million prospects in a very short space of time especially prospects that behave like people who already engaged with your content.
For me, this is amazing and very intelligent because you have a list of people who have a high propensity to engage with you and your business.
All you need to do is place your content in front of them and see if they are interested. Your next big hurdle is knowing which campaign to create and what kind of content to put in front of these people.
You now have two choices. You can go on ahead and install these pixels and spend the next few weeks and months or even years continuing to bang your head off a wall trying to figure out Facebook Ads and how you can get results.
Your other option is to jump on this free webinar where you can find out how you can not only learn about Facebook Ads but you also have the option to transform your business and your life in the next 12 months.
Don’t have time to join a FREE webinar? Then sign up for this free Facebook marketing e-course here.
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49 thoughts on “Still Confused About Facebook Lookalike Audiences?”
Lots of information for me to process. The ad thing is something that I need to explore.
Okay Tara, thanks for stopping by.
how interesting is this topic! im a newbie in the online world so this is really useful, thanks for this information!
I’m glad you found it interesting Patricia-Ann. All the best in your online adventure.
Wait, whhhaattt? i knew nothing about this! This is so interesting! Thanks for the info!!
So glad you found it interesting Brittany. I hope it brings you the success you need.
Very cool! We use these at work with great success but I leave the technical stuff to other people so its great to know the process behind it.
That’s actually hilarious Sophie. I’m glad you thought it was cool.
Thanks for this! I’m also new to this concept of a lookalike audience, but it really does make sense when you think about. Attracting audience that is ismilar to what you already have!
Sandra, I so glad that it made sense for you. I guess we’ll be expecting great things from you going forward.
Glad to learn about facebook lookalike audience and the importance of it. I like you have also add in a short video clip.
Yes Kumamonjeng, Facebook lookalike audiences are quite important especially if you are using Facebook Ads for your business.
Never heard of a Facebook look alike audience. Thanks for the breakdown and I see how this can be helpful in the future.
I’m glad you found it helpful Kiwi.
I had never heard of Facebook Look alike audiences before reading this. Thank you for opening my eyes to newly discovered opportunities and such an informative post.
Okay Dani, I’m glad that your eyes were opened. Thanks for stopping by.
This is a great article! I just started my Facebook page and am hoping to dedicate some more time and space to it after I get lots of good content up on my blog. I’ll definitely be revisiting this!
That’s great Dani, all the best for your future on Facebook.
This is fascinating. I am going to have to sit down and really figure this all out so I can implement it.
Oh dear Heather, I hope my explanation was not complicated.
I wasn’t familiar with any of this. Marketing is very interesting and it is good to learn more. I have only purchased a couple facebook ads and I didn’t know all the details behind audiences.
Yes Marysa, the good news is that you just learned more things. I hope it helps you with your Facebook Ads custom audiences in the future.
Mind totally blown. I didn’t know this existed. Now I will have to spend time learning all of this. Thank you for the introduction.
Allison, as the saying goes, every day you’ll learn something new. Thanks for stopping by.
This is definitely great advice for people who rely on Facebook advertising. Some people don’t even know that audiences exist. I had to take a course when I started my business which proved to be very helpful in improving my engagement.
That’s awesome Dwight, I’m glad you liked the advice. Good to hear that you took a course to improve your engagement. Investing in knowledge is key.
I never heard of a Facebook look alike audience. I will have to explore it further. I am new to blogging and promoting it. Thanks for sharing.
That is okay Terri, learn as you grow in your blogging experience. No need to take a fire hose approach.
Very detailed article. Lots of information to process. I have heard about facebook look alike but I have not read more in deep about it.
I’m glad you liked the details included in the article Silvia.
This was such an interesting read about how to create an amazing audience. I have never heardabout the lookalike.
Yes Becca, now you know that they exist. So glad you found it interesting.
Sadly Facebook is just one of those things I’m putting off. After almost 10 years of blogging I know the significance but that learning curve is fierce when it’s always changing. This is such a helpful post!
Heather, there is no need to rush to use Facebook at all. I use it sparingly because it can be quite distracting. I’m glad you found the information helpful.
I need to read this post a few times to let all of the information sink in. It’s a lot to take in all at once. One of the challenges with Facebook is that they are frequently changing terms or not allowing certain terminology to be used for targeting. Also, what is the lowest cost of entry for something like a Facebook Lookalike Audience? Thanks!
Laurie, I’m not 100% certain I understand your question. Are you talking about the cost to run the ads? If yes, then you know that the answer to that question is “it depends”. There are so many factors that affect what anyone’s ads will cost per click, per lead or per conversion. Let me know if I got it right.
It’s interesting to see what can be done. Facebook is a real force, that’s for sure.
Yes Rosey, as long as the populace keep using Facebook then they will continue to profit.
Woah! Reading your article makes me learn a lot in just one seating. Let’s see if I can make it to the webinar. However, I wish you all the best. Good luck!
Thanks Anosa, I’m glad you learned something and it was nice of you to pop by.
I am similar to many other readers in that I did not know about any of this. I plan to create a Facebook page for my blog in the near future but I was under the impression that paying for Ads or boost on post was the only option.
Jessica, with Facebook lookalike audiences you would still need to pay for Facebook Ads. The only difference is that lookalike audiences will get you a better return on investment compared to a completely cold audience.
This is really helpful information! I’ve just started to dabble in Facebook Ads and will keep these tips in mind.
This is awesome Tara, Facebook Ads success does come after testing to see what gives you results.
Wow who would’ve thought? This is such an interesting topic.
Thanks Thatiana, I’m glad you found it interesting.
This is such a great and informative post, especially those who are putting their content through Facebook. It can definitely be a tricky task deciphering between real and lookalike audiences, as well as keeping up with the ever changing algorithms. This is very helpful information, thanks for sharing!
No problem Nicole, I’m glad you found it informative.
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