Facebook ad targeting only works if the ad’s messaging is just as targeted as the ad itself.

Just before Valentine’s day I found this on my Facebook page. And note that it was MY page:

Valentine's Day Ad

Now, normally I’m a pretty good candidate for a Valentines Day ad, seeing as I’m married and would like to avoid the dog house come February 14th.

But generally speaking, I’d like to see ads telling me how to suprise “HER” rather than “Him.”

And really, that’s not too terribly sophisticated in terms of message customization, is it? Make sure that men get one message and women another?

I guess if I weren’t involved in advertising and copywriting, this ad would have left me a bit confused or miffed… except that I AM a copywriter and this ad helped to drive home a pretty important point:

Tageting only helps you to REACH the right PEOPLE. But reaching the right people won’t do you any good unless you reach them with the right MESSAGE.

In other words, if your messaing isn’t as targeted as your ads, you’re probably wasting your money.