Facebook Ad Targeting for Higher Ed

Facebook is a vast repository of information about people’s interests, educational background, work history, and much, much more. Think about the information that is open to the world on your personal Facebook account. Chances are that your profile contains info about where you live, how old you are, where you went to school, when you graduated, where you work, what you are interested in – the list goes on. All of this information can be used to help you find the right students for your institution. This guide will provide insight on how to get the most out of your Facebook ad targeting strategy.

Education Targeting

The fact that you can target users based on their educational background is a big win for Higher Ed institutions looking to reach the right potential students. There are three especially helpful options for targeting based on education: Education Level, Field of Study, and Schools.

Education Level – This gives you the option to target users based on educational status, such as “high school grad,” “college grad,” and “masters degree.” This option is helpful when you can identify potential students’ level of education, which will obviously vary from program to program. “High school grad” and “in high school” are good options for undergrad programs, because only high school students and graduates who have not declared to be “in college” will see your ads. Similarly, you may only want those who identify as a “college grad” to see your graduate program ad. Some institutions with unique programs can get creative with this targeting option. For example, if your school offers a degree completion program, targeting users with “some college” as their educational status is worth a try. As a general rule, you should always use Education Level, even if you are using additional targeting options.

Field of Study – Typically only users who are in college or have graduated include information about “Field of Study” on their Facebook profile, so this option is most practical for graduate level programs. Let’s say you want to promote your intuition’s Medical School program. Targeting medical-related “Fields of Study” such as Pre-Med, Biology, Anatomy, and Physiology will help you reach the students who are most likely to be interested in your program.

Schools – Facebook allows you to target based on all types of academic institutions, including high schools, colleges, community colleges, and universities. Do you want to promote your school’s MBA program? Study the undergrad intuitions of current and past MBA students and apply the patterns to this targeting option. You may also want to use school targeting to re-market graduate programs to your institution’s students and alumni. They are already very familiar with your brand, so why not inform them about additional programs?

Employment Targeting

Facebook provides several employment-related targeting options, including: Employers, Job Titles, and Industries. Naturally, these targeting options will mostly apply to graduate programs in which employment history is relevant.

Employers – Do you know which companies feed into your program? If so, then you should definitely consider targeting by employer. Just be careful – it is easy to target too narrowly when using this option.

Job Titles –  If you know job titles common to prospective students, this is a no brainer. Let’s say you want to promote an advanced project management workshop to current project managers. Find as many job title variations related to “project manager” as you can, and include them under this targeting option. Your list might look like this:

Industries – Facebook provides a list of about 30 of the most common industries to target. Targeting by industry is more of a high-level approach, and could be good for programs that don’t have specific insight into the job titles or employers of potential students. New programs might find this option a good starting point, because it casts a wider net than targeting by “Employers” or “Job Titles.”

Interest Targeting

Targeting by interests is extremely flexible, allowing you to reach users based on an extensive list of topics. Facebook provides a drop down of some of the most common interest topics to work with, but the available possibilities really are endless. Interest targeting can be extremely useful for programs that have a good sense of topics that are important to potential students. Do you want to promote your school’s theater program? Target a list of related interests, such as this:

All of these targeting options may seem overwhelming – especially considering that you can use them all simultaneously. The best place to start is to create separate Ad Sets for each targeting option. After a few weeks, you will have a better sense of what works best for your school. It is important to keep in mind that the more specific your targeting specifications, the smaller your potential audience will be. Finding the right targeting criteria is a balancing act between finding enough eyes to see your ads, and finding the right eyes. With enough practice and patience, you can find the right students for your school using Facebook ad targeting.