Facebook’s July 30 release of its Page Post Targeting Enhanced feature, which allows companies to target posts to certain readers, is among the more important features the social network has implemented in recent years, says Matt Wurst, director of digital communities at digital agency 360i.
The targeting tool will provide companies with the opportunity to target certain posts to specific demographics on Facebook. For example, when creating a post, a company can enter desired age group, location, language, among other criteria.
“When brands can create better content for their audiences, they will more fully realize the value a platform like Facebook can offer to a marketing channel,” says Wurst.
Though Facebook has always been able to provide a platform to help strengthen the relationship between brand and customer, the hardest part was getting the information out to the right consumers, Wurst says: “With enhanced targeting, brands can now create customized content that’s more relevant for individual subsets of their consumer base – without alienating the rest.”
Initially, he expects “a period of experimentation, evaluation, and optimization” around Page Post Targeting Enhanced.
If used correctly, brands may find great success with the new tool. “Brands that understand their audience – and create content that caters to that audience – are more likely to find success in the evolving social media marketing landscape,” adds Wurst.
Wurst says that consumers on Facebook users will be more likely to engage with brands because of catered content. “If brands leverage the tool properly, users should see more content that is relevant to them – and less that is more generic in nature.”
Facebook’s release occurred days after its July 26 earnings report, in which the company revealed that 84% of its total revenue derives from ads.
Facebook was unavailable for further comment.
