This shouldn’t be controversial. I recently published a video about how targeting is less important now, and I think people misunderstood the primary point.
It’s not that you should never enter targeting inputs anymore and broad targeting will always work better. While having success going broad is a factor, don’t get lost in that point. Broad targeting doesn’t work for everyone.
Your targeting INPUTS are less important than ever before.
If you ever use performance goals that focus on website conversions or app installs or click to message, detailed targeting and lookalike audiences are automatically expanded (via Advantage Detailed Targeting and Advantage Lookalike) and that expansion can’t be turned off.
Your targeting inputs matter to a point, but we have no idea what percentage of your results can be credited to your targeting inputs and what percentage to the expanded audience you weren’t planning to target.
And this assumes you use the old targeting options! Advantage+ Audience is the default now, and Meta makes it difficult to switch back to the old way.
With Advantage+ Audience, your inputs are only suggestions that Meta will prioritize before going much broader.
Your targeting inputs are fuzzy now. The credit those inputs deserve for results is less clear than ever before. Don’t obsess over those inputs.
And since Meta can expand your audience in a lot of cases, the creation of multiple ad sets targeting interests and lookalikes will likely lead to all kinds of unnecessary overlap. Not because you intended it, but because the expansion will make it the case.
It just isn’t necessary. That’s why I say your targeting inputs may still be beneficial, but it’s not as important as it once was.
It’s not an opinion. It’s not up for debate. It just is.
Embrace it.
