Laser-sharp Audience Targeting with Facebook Ads for Gym Owners

Laser-sharp Audience Targeting with Facebook Ads for Health & Fitness Business Owners

Written by Greg Vasil on May 4, 2018

What in the World is a Facebook Ad?!

Before we get into the strategy and the “how” of Facebook ads, let me briefly tell you about the "what" and the “why."

First, what in the world is a Facebook ad?!

Facebook ads are something you came across a thousand times before, but probably never really noticed…

Now, a lot of people mistakenly think that an ad on Facebook is something that is hanging on the right side of their newsfeed... (see adjacent image)

Well... Yes, in the picture above this is a Facebook ad, but... This is only one type of Facebook ad, called a "right column ad," and it accounts for only 5% of all the ads on Facebook. And frankly it can be a bit annoying...

The rest of the ads on Facebook are cleverly disguised as posts and articles inside your newsfeed…

So how do you know if a post is an ad? Well usually, if it’s offering you something, chances are it’s an ad, but to know with dead certainty, just look for the word “sponsored” in the top-left corner (under the page name).

If you see the word “sponsored,” it’s an ad – meaning someone is paying money for it to appear in your newsfeed. Here are some examples from my newsfeed today:

These are what 95% of Facebook Ads look like. In fact they look more like articles or blog posts, instead of the traditional annoying “banner ads” hanging on the side of a website. That’s why they work so well!

Start paying attention to what ads are in your newsfeed next time you're scrolling, because there's a reason why you are seeing them...

Why use Facebook Ads?

According to the Canadian Press, in 2013 there were 14 million daily active Facebook users...

The population of Toronto & The GTA is about 6.4 million. This means that roughly 2.2 million people in the GTA log into Facebook every single day!

And this was in 2013... Imagine now, in 2018, it's even more!

Basically, Facebook is where your whole dream market of clients is hanging out on a daily basis.

There is just no modern day equivalent of a space, physical or digital, where this much attention is focused daily and this many people congregate every day.

Another eye-opening statistic – “75% of those earning $80K-$100K use Facebook.”

This means that the majority of the people with higher incomes, those that have the means and can afford your services, are also on Facebook.

Why use Facebook Ads?

According to the Canadian Press, in 2013 there were 14 million daily active Facebook users...

The population of Toronto & The GTA is about 6.4 million. This means that roughly 2.2 million people in the GTA log into Facebook every single day!

And this was in 2013... Imagine now, in 2017, it's even more!

Basically, Facebook is where your whole dream market of clients is hanging out on a daily basis.

There is just no modern day equivalent of a space, physical or digital, where this much attention is focused daily and this many people congregate every day.

Another eye-opening statistic – “75% of those earning $80K-$100K use Facebook.”

This means that the majority of the people with higher incomes, those that have the means and can afford your services, are also on Facebook.

The Traditional Marketing Approach (is dead)

Traditional Marketing: TV commercials, radio ads, magazine ads, billboards, flyers, etc., are all pretty much similar...

If you have been paying for any marketing materials for your business up to this point, you can relate to the following...

You pay a monthly fee of several hundred to several thousand dollars and you get a slot (or some flyers), and you blindly send your message out, hoping that your product reaches as many interested people as possible..

Basically you have zero control over who hears or sees your message. You simply hope that your ad will reach enough potential clients.

The Traditional Marketing Approach (is dead)

Traditional Marketing: TV commercials, radio ads, magazine ads, billboards, flyers, etc., are all pretty much similar...

If you have been paying for any marketing materials for your business up to this point, you can relate to the following...

Basically you have zero control over who hears or sees your message. You simply hope that your ad will reach enough potential clients.

Facebook’s Brilliant “Audience Targeting”

Enter Facebook… You are completely in charge of every single aspect of who, where, and when sees your Ad!

Here is an example of choosing the Audience Targeting for a Facebook Ad:

In the case above, because we selected this specific Audience Targeting, your Facebook Ad will only be shown to:

1. Location: People who are located within 2 miles of your business

(I simply typed in: 2000 Bloor St. W., Toronto, Ontario + 2mi / you can also manually drop a pin / you can select specific postal codes / or target an entire city or country)

2. Age: Only people who are 33-39 will be targeted with your ad (certain age groups will respond better to certain offers)

3. Gender: You can target men only / women only / or both

(Depending on your business, you may want to choose either men or women, and not necessarily both)

HINT: Women are known to buy things more often and are known to take better care of themselves than men. So for any fitness, or healthcare-related ads, selecting "women only" may sometimes be better.

(Choosing specific Audience Targeting will determine who is eligible to see your ad in their newsfeed. All others will not be shown your ad.)

4. Potential Reach: With our current settings above (Location, Age, Gender), we can reach a total of 25,000 people, however...

5. Estimated Daily Reach: This is where Facebook gets clever! You can't reach all 25,000 people every day... The more you choose tospend per day, the more people will see your ad. (Our daily reach of 350-910 people is for a $10 daily budget)

*** For a $10-$20 daily ad budget (recommended) you can reach 2,500 or more people per day with your ad!

*** Again, only people who match your specific Target Audience can see your ad. Anyone that’s outside this targeting WILL NOT be able to see your ad and you will not be charged. Incredible, isn’t it?!