When marketers think about Facebook they usually think about things like profile pages, getting fans, and maybe even making an app. Successfully implemented, those avenues can offer a very high level of user engagement and make a great addition to a company’s marketing mix. However, there is another way to reach the many millions of Facebook users which is often overlooked.

Facebook Ads

Facebook’s self-serve advertising system can be a great way to reach a uniquely targeted audience. The ads can drive traffic to a page or group inside of Facebook, or to an external site (such as your job listings). In addition, the ads can be purchased on a pay-per-click basis or the more traditional CPM pricing model. That makes it easy to get the results you’re looking for whether you are a direct or a brand marketer.

The key feature of Facebook ads, however, is not the pricing. It’s the targeting. Ads can be targeted by any, or all, of the following top-level criteria:

• Location
• Age
• Sex
• Keywords
• Education
• Workplace
• Relationship Status
• Relationship Interests
• Languages

In some cases there are additional sub categories available. Education, for example, allows you to target all people who are ‘in college’, or to further refine that group by specifying up to 20 colleges by name. That seems ideal for a regional employer who’s looking for new grads from the top local universities.

The information used to target the ads comes from user’s profiles and, as in the case of location, other factors such as their IP address. These targeting options offer unique opportunities for employers and recruiters. The ability to specifically reach people inside of a target organization, such as a competitor, goes beyond the capabilities of a search engine or job board. The potential applications here are numerous and, we think, pretty exciting. So the next time you’re thinking about adding Facebook to your marketing lineup, don’t forget about Facebook ads.

If you’d like to talk in more detail about what Facebook ads could do for your organization, don’t be afraid to send us an email or drop us a line. We’d love to talk with you.