Over the course of the last decade Mark Zuckerberg and the Facebook team have built the most powerful advertising platform in the world. The ability to target incredibly specific groups of people is one of the primary reasons why this platform is so powerful. Amazingly, most advertisers have barely scratched the surface when it comes to setting up the targeting for their ads. Facebook has collected an absolutely massive amount of consumer data, which you can tap into when creating your ads. This data goes far beyond age, gender, location, language and broad interests. Facebook provides advertisers with over 1,300 unique pieces of consumer data that can be used for targeting. 

We put together an awesome excel doc that lists all 1,300+ data points. The sheer diversity and volume of these options can be a little overwhelming so we decided to highlight 20 of our favorite targeting options.

  1. New Vehicle Buyers: This allows you to target people who are in the market for a new vehicle. Even cooler is you can target based on style of car, so you can show your ad just to people in the market for a new luxury SUV or hybrid. This targeting option is great for car dealers, insurance companies, car washers/detailers and auto accessory brands.
  2. Facebook Page Admins: Target only people who are the admin on at least one Facebook page. This targeting option is great if you are looking to reach other business owners or social media marketers.
  3. Internet Browser Used: Target people based on the primary web browser they use to access Facebook. This targeting option is great for companies with a piece of software that works best on certain browsers.
  4. Technology Early and Late Adopters: Technically 2 different targeting options, but they both revolve around whether the person you are targeting buys the latest and greatest tech gadget or waits years before upgrading. This targeting option is great for startups running Kickstarter or other crowdfunding campaigns. It’s also great for companies looking for alpha or beta testers for a new product or service. 
  5. Purchase Habits: Target people based on whether they are above average spenders. Also target based on whether a person is an online or offline buyer. This is a great targeting option for pretty much any B2C retailer. 
  6. Buyer Profiles: Target people based on a long list of profiles, such as DIYers, Gamers, Sportsmen, Trendy homemakers and gadget enthusiasts (just a few of the total options available). Similar to purchase habits this targeting option is great for pretty much any B2C retailer.
  7. Likely To Move: Target people who are likely to move into a new residence in the very near future. This targeting option is great for real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, moving companies and home service providers.
  8. Television: Target people based on the type of TV they watch, such as action shows, children shows, home improvement shows and reality. This targeting option is great for nearly all B2C companies looking to further narrow down their target audience.
  9. Seniority: Target people based on their seniority at their place of work. You can target only people who are executives or mid-management. This targeting option is great for B2B companies looking to reach key decision makers at potential clients.
  10. Charitable Donations: Target people who donate money to specific types of nonprofits, such as animal welfare, political, religious and veterans. This targeting option is great for nonprofits.
  11. Investments: Target people based on what type of investor they are: real estate investors, likely investors, full-service investors, etc. This targeting option is great for banks, investment advisors and online brokerages.
  12. Spending Methods: Target people based on how they spend their money. This allows you to target people based on how many lines of credit they have, whether they primarily use case or credit cards and if they have high-end department store credit cards (among many other options). This targeting option is great for banks, financial managers and retailers.
  13. Mobile Devices By Brand: Target people based on the brand of smartphone they own and use. This targeting option is great for app developers, electronics retailers and smartphone makers looking to steal customers from other smartphone makers.
  14. Length Of Residence: Target people based on how long they have lived in a single residence. This targeting option is great for home improvement companies, repairmen, real estate brokers, home appliance brands and companies that make smart home products.
  15. Upcoming Birthday: Target people who will be celebrating their birthday within a week. This targeting option is great for any retailer looking to drive sales/traffic by offering a personalized birthday gift through an ad.
  16. Long Distance Relationship: Target people who are in a long distance relationship. This targeting option is great for companies that deliver flowers, chocolates and other romantic gifts. 
  17. Friends of Newly Engaged: Target people who are friends with someone that just got engaged. This targeting option is great for greeting card companies and companies that offer wedding registries. 
  18. Liquid Assets: Target people based on their total liquid investable assets. This targeting option is great for financial advisors, banks, accountants, real estate brokers and luxury car dealers.
  19. Employers: Target people based on the company they work for. This targeting option is great for recruiters and B2B salesmen.
  20. Parents With Children: Target people based not only on whether they have children, but also on what age those children are: toddlers, preschoolers, pre-teens, adult children, etc. This targeting option is great for a wide range of potential advertisers depending on the age of the children. Examples include daycares, amusement parks and toy stores.

This list is just a small sample of all the targeting options Facebook provides advertisers. If you would like to view all 1,300+ options click here. Now stop reading this and start using this information to take your ad targeting to the next level!