One of the most powerful aspects of advertising on Facebook is the ability to tailor your audience. Now you can take it to the nth degree. That’s the reason Facebook is free. Users trade their personal data for an engaging social platform. Advertisers purchase that data to find audiences who resonate with their message (read: buy).

In non-profit and charity fundraising, dedicate your precious advertising dollars for donors and volunteers sympathetic to your cause. The focus needn’t be myopic. However, audience consciousness makes a difference in the effectiveness of an ad.

Building a basic audience is easy. There are a few things to consider:

• Location
• Age
• Gender
• Language
• Connections – whether they like or follow your page
• Detailed targeting – this is where it gets fun!

Detailed targeting allows you to find pet lovers, runners, or social warriors. Users either gave this information willingly or performed telling behaviors on the platform. Some audience examples might be:

• Women aged 55+ in Dallas, TX who speak English and list knitting as a hobby
• Anyone 18-40 within 20 miles of Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio concerned with LGBTQ equality
• Spanish speakers in Texas who like BBQ

Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, who you’re trying to reach is a huge part of success!