Have you ever watched the movie The Shooter with Mark Wahlberg?

It’s a story about an ex-marine scout sniper who is framed for a political assassination and is forced into a dangerous mission to clear his name.

While it certainly isn’t the most original or intriguing film of all time, I could never help but sit back in awe of Bob Lee Swagger’s (the protagonist) ability to select and hit his target every time.

The guy never missed a beat.

And while this article has absolutely nothing to do with marksmanship or Marine Scout Snipers, it is about learning how to hone in on your target with lethal precision.

Specifically, how to optimize and target your Facebook ads to reach your ideal customers.

I am going to delve into some simple, but scary effective targeting strategies that will help you find and zero in on the exact customers you want on Facebook.

So consider this article your bootcamp.

I am going to show you the ropes of building specialized ad campaigns that will reach only the best clients and help you to grow your business at an obscene rate.

So get ready soldier!

It’s time to drop and give me 20…

Or just read the rest of this article.

1. Create a lookalike audience and narrow it down

Something that I recommend everyone takes advantage of is Facebook’s ability to target an audience that is a lookalike to people who have already been converted by one of your ads.

While this is a simple hack, it is extremely powerful.

It means that your ads will be targeted to an audience that matches the buyer profile of your current customers.

First, go to the audiences section of the Facebook Ads manager and select “Lookalike Audience” from the drop down menu.

Then, simply select the conversion pixel as the source and Facebook will create a list of 2 million + people whose profiles resemble your existing clients.

However, 2 million people is a lot.

And quite frankly, if you are wanting to target new leads with sniper-like precision, then you are going to need to narrow that list down.

To do this, we are going to use interests to filter out unqualified or less qualified clients.

Select your lookalike audience and then select “Detailed Targeting” and add in the interests you want.

The key to mastering this targeting hack, like most things involving Facebook ads, is to test, test, test.

With the recent advancements in Facebook targeting, you can now choose interests that are as broad or narrow as you want.

You can go from “Running” to “Nike+” from “Entrepreneurship” to “Seo Direct” or from “Books” to “Awaken the Giant Within.”

Your options are almost unlimited.

It’s just up to you to run the tests and determine how broad or narrow your ads need to be in order to target the right people.

2. Take advantage of the “Must Also Match” filter

A while back, Facebook released a new ad feature that allows marketers to target individuals who match the criteria for multiple interests.

This means that you are no longer simply marketing to people who are interested in “Online Entrepreneurship.”

Now you can target people who are interested in ”Online Entrepreneurship” and “SEO for Local Businesses.”

If they do not match both interests, then the ad will not show up in their newsfeed.

Now this is a powerful tool that has lead to increased audience engagement and a 25% conversion increase for some companies, but it can also be abused.

Whenever you start adding more and more filters, you need to watch your conversion rates carefully.

If you notice that they start dropping significantly after you added an extra interest to the “Must Also Match” filter, you have gone too far.

I recommend that you add one interest at a time and test conversion rates to see if they improve.

3. Eliminate existing customers from the campaign

Unless you are releasing a new product and are actively trying to target existing customers, this tactic will help save you thousands of advertising dollars.

The thing is, customer loyalty is a great thing, but there is no need to plaster your existing customers’ news feeds with advertisements for products they already own.

This is where, once again, you can use the power of lookalike audiences.

The first step you will need to take is to install the Facebook pixel onto your website.

Once you have done this, then it’s time to create a lookalike audience that will specifically exclude your website visitors.

I suggest that you do this even when you are launching a new product that your visitors have not yet purchased.

Why?

Because Facebook advertising can be expensive, and if you have already reached a group of people through your website, then you likely have free/cheap methods of advertising to them.

Instead of spending thousands of dollars on your next Facebook ad campaign, losing money on every existing customer that sees your ad, simply exclude them from the list and use another marketing method.

4. Piggyback off of your competition

This tactic is as sneaky as it is ruthless.

Whenever you are creating filters for your next advertising campaign, ensure that you are including all of your major competitors in the “Interest” filter.

This accomplishes several goals simultaneously.

First and foremost, it allows you to target people who are already spending money on products similar to the ones that you are selling.

But even more importantly than this, it allows you to slowly but surely chip away at your competition by converting their customers into your customers.

Realize that this tactic is a calculated risk, especially if you are targeting bigger and more established brands.

Many of their customers will be loyal to them (and probably have been for years) and your ads will be entirely wasted upon them.

However, most people are pragmatic when it comes to their money and they are not going to turn down a better price or value simply out of loyalty.

5. Only display ads to people who have not seen it that day

You know what really gets under my skin?

Seeing the same darn ad 50 times in one day.

Nothing is worse.

And if you have not set up your ads properly, they will be spamming people’s Facebook feeds and likely reducing your chances at a conversion.

Luckily, there is a simple hack to fix this.

By using the Daily Unique Bidding method, you can restrict your ads so that they will only appear in a person’s feed once per day.

Go into the Facebook ads manager and change the Daily Unique Reach option to ensure that people are only seeing your ads once a day.

Conclusion

Well, congratulations grunt.

You are no longer a Facebook targeting newbie, spraying and praying all over the place while your precious ad budget disappears faster than a marine in a ghillie suit.

No, now you are a fully armed and operational Facebook targeting weapon.

You can zero in on the exact customers that you want to target and use the above methods to double your conversions in a very short amount of time.

So get your eye in the scope, take a deep breath, and get ready to pull the trigger.

With these 5 tips, your Facebook ad campaigns will never be the same.

What is your favorite targeting hack on Facebook for reaching your ideal customers?