Stop wasting ad spend! Master advanced Facebook ad targeting with our 2025 guide. Step-by-step strategies for Custom Audiences, Lookalikes, and layered targeting that actually convert. Download your free targeting checklist.
Is your Facebook ad budget disappearing faster than your morning coffee, with nothing to show for it? You’ve set your targeting, but you’re still reaching the wrong people. The problem isn’t Facebook—it’s that you’re likely only using the basic targeting options.
At our Nairobi-based agency, we’ve discovered that businesses using advanced targeting strategies achieve up to 60% lower cost-per-lead than those sticking to basic demographics. The secret? Moving beyond “Interests” and “Demographics” to precise, data-driven audience targeting.
In this advanced guide, we’re revealing the five precise targeting formulas we use to consistently achieve under KSh 250 cost-per-lead for our Kenyan clients.
Why Basic Demographic Targeting Is Costing You Money
If you’re still primarily targeting by age, gender, and location, you’re leaving money on the table. Here’s why:
- Too Broad: “Women 25-45 in Nairobi” could include millions with zero interest in your offering
- Low Intent: Demographics don’t indicate purchase readiness
- Expensive Competition: Everyone targets these basic segments, driving up costs
- Poor Relevance Score: Facebook punishes irrelevant ads with higher costs
The solution? Intent-based targeting—reaching people based on their actual behaviors and demonstrated interests, not just who they are.
Prerequisite: The Facebook Pixel & Conversions API (CAPI)
Before we dive into advanced strategies, ensure your tracking foundation is solid. The Facebook Pixel and CAPI are non-negotiable for serious advertisers.
What to Do Right Now:
- Install the Pixel: If you haven’t, use Facebook’s setup guide or hire a developer
- Enable CAPI: This backup tracking method is crucial with iOS privacy changes
- Verify Events: Ensure key actions (purchases, leads, content views) are tracked properly
- Test Everything: Use Facebook’s Test Events tool to confirm proper setup
Without proper tracking, you’re flying blind. The strategies below depend on this foundation.
Advanced Strategy #1: Hyper-Target with Layered Custom Audiences
Custom Audiences are your most powerful targeting asset. They let you reach people who already know your brand.
How to Create Your 3 Most Valuable Custom Audiences
1. Website Visitors (Your Warmest Audience)
- Create separate audiences for:
- All website visitors (last 30 days)
- Product page viewers (last 60 days)
- Add to cart abandoners (last 30 days)
- Purchasers (last 180 days)
Pro Tip: Exclude purchasers from your prospecting campaigns to avoid wasted spend.
2. Customer Email List (Your Goldmine)
- Upload your customer email list to create a high-value Custom Audience
- Facebook matches emails to user profiles (typically 60-70% match rate)
- Use this for upsell campaigns or creating Lookalike Audiences
3. Engagement-Based Audiences
- Video Viewers: People who watched 25%, 50%, 75%+ of your videos
- Page Engagers: People who liked, commented, or shared your posts
- Instagram Engagers: People who interacted with your Instagram content
Advanced Strategy #2: Scale with Lookalike Audiences The Right Way
Lookalike Audiences help you find new people similar to your best existing customers. Most businesses use them wrong.
Choosing the Best Source Audience
Not all source audiences are created equal. Here’s our hierarchy from best to worst:
- Purchasers (180 days) – Highest Quality
- Add to Cart (90 days)
- Key Page Visitors (e.g., pricing page, 90 days)
- All Website Visitors (30 days)
- Email List Subscribers – Lowest Quality
The 1% vs. 10% Lookalike Debate
- 1% Lookalike: Most similar to your source. Use for: high-value products, limited budget, testing new offers
- 2-10% Lookalike: Broader but still relevant. Use for: scaling winning campaigns, lower-priced products
*Case Example: For a Kenyan e-commerce client, the 1% Lookalike of purchasers generated 3x more revenue than the 1% Lookalike of all website visitors.*
Advanced Strategy #3: The Power of Layered & Exclusion Targeting
This is where true advanced targeting happens—combining multiple criteria to create hyper-specific audiences.
How to Layer Interests with Custom Audiences
Instead of targeting “people interested in entrepreneurship,” try:
Target:
- People interested in “Entrepreneurship” AND
- In Custom Audience “Website Visitors (last 30 days)” AND
- Living within 15km of Nairobi Central Business District
Exclude:
- People in Custom Audience “Existing Customers”
This creates a audience of local, interested entrepreneurs who’ve already visited your site but haven’t purchased—incredibly high intent!
The Exclusion Strategy Most Businesses Miss
Always exclude these groups from your prospecting campaigns:
- Existing customers (unless you’re upselling)
- People who completed your desired action (purchase, lead, etc.)
- Email subscribers (if that’s not your conversion goal)
- Recent website visitors (if you have a separate retargeting campaign)
Advanced Strategy #4: Retargeting Sequences Based on User Intent
Stop showing the same ad to everyone who visited your site. Create sequenced retargeting based on user behavior.
The 3-Stage Retargeting Framework
1: Top 25% Video Viewers (Awareness)
- Show brand story content or educational material
- Goal: Deepen brand connection
2: Website Visitors (Consideration)
- Show specific product benefits or case studies
- Include social proof and testimonials
3: Add to Cart/High Intent (Conversion)
- Show urgency messages (limited stock/time)
- Offer a small incentive (free shipping, 10% off)
- Use strong, direct CTAs
Advanced Strategy #5: Value-Based Lookalikes for E-commerce
This advanced tactic requires customer value data but delivers incredible ROI.
How It Works:
- Upload your customer list with a “lifetime value” or “purchase value” column
- Facebook weights the algorithm toward finding people similar to your HIGH-VALUE customers
- Result: You find new customers likely to spend more, faster
Implementation Note: This requires proper e-commerce tracking and customer value data. If you have it, it’s worth the setup.
Case Study: How We Reduced Cost-Per-Lead by 60% for a Nairobi SaaS Company
The Challenge:
A B2B SaaS company targeting Kenyan SMEs was spending KSh 850 per lead using basic interest-based targeting.
Our Solution:
- Created Tiered Custom Audiences from their website traffic and demo sign-ups
- Built 1% Lookalike from their best-converting demo users
- Layered Targeting: Interest in “small business software” + Lookalike audience + Excluded current users
- Sequenced Retargeting: Different ads for blog visitors vs. pricing page viewers
The Results (30 Days):
| Metric | Before | After | Improvement |
| Cost Per Lead | KSh 850 | KSh 340 | 60% Reduction |
| Lead Quality Score | 5/10 | 8/10 | Higher Intent |
| Conversion Rate | 2.1% | 4.8% | 2.3x Increase |
| Total Leads | 47 | 118 | 151% Increase |
Ready to Transform Your Facebook Advertising?
While this guide gives you the advanced framework, sometimes you need expert execution. At Neksas Digital, we specialize in creating data-driven Facebook ad campaigns that deliver measurable results for Nairobi businesses.
Book a free 30-minute ad account audit with our team, and we’ll:
- Analyze your current targeting and performance
- Identify your biggest opportunities for improvement
- Provide a customized targeting strategy for your specific business
[Book Your Free Facebook Ads Audit Now]
Don’t let poor targeting burn through your ad budget. Start implementing these advanced strategies today, or let us handle it while you focus on running your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create a custom audience from my customer email list?
Go to Ads Manager > Audiences > Create Audience > Custom Audience > Customer List. Upload your CSV file with email addresses. Facebook will match them to user profiles (typically 60-70% match rate).
What’s the best source for a lookalike audience?
Your best source is always your highest-value customers. For most businesses, this means people who actually purchased. If you’re just starting, use your website visitors or email subscribers as a foundation.
How do I exclude existing customers from my prospecting ads?
Create a Custom Audience of your existing customers (from your email list or purchasers via the pixel). When setting up your ad set, go to the “Exclude” section and select this audience.
What’s the ideal audience size for Facebook ads?
For prospecting: 50,000 – 500,000 people. For retargeting: 1,000 – 50,000 people. Too small (<1,000) and you’ll have delivery issues. Too large (>1M) and you’ll struggle with relevance.
Neksas Digital is a Nairobi-based digital marketing agency specializing in data-driven Facebook and Instagram advertising for Kenyan businesses. Contact us today to discuss your growth goals.