For years, brands had to build their follower base on Facebook simply through word of mouth and social sharing. Most followers were accrued simply by sharing the page, designing posts that encouraged other users to spread the word, and asking tourists to follow them on Facebook after completing their experience. Today, your tour and activity company can use Facebook lookalike audiences to expand your reach on social media. So, what are lookalike audiences on Facebook and how can you use them?

What are Facebook lookalike audiences?

Lookalike Audiences is a Facebook tool that helps brands uncover more users who resemble their current base of followers. The idea is that similar users may also be interested in your brand’s offerings. Lookalike Audiences can be built, based on the following factors:

  • Custom Audiences — This tool requires you to upload your current list of customers. It will then suggest additional followers for you based on those demographics.
  • Website Visitors — You can place a Facebook Pixel on your website, which will then capture data about your website visitors that can be used to build a Lookalike Audience.
  • Facebook Interaction Audiences — A Lookalike Audience can be created from the base of followers that you already have on Facebook.

Here’s how it works:

  1. You take a group of your best customers. 
  2. Facebook then analyzes that list and finds all the things in common those customers have (based on the vast amount of data Facebook already has on those customers).
  3.  Facebook creates another group of audiences that closely resemble the group you provided.
  4. You advertise to the new group of customers who closely resemble your favorite customers.

In short, Facebook can automatically find and advertise to the customers who most closely resemble your best customers. Meaning, Facebook will help you locate new customers who are most likely to make a booking. 

There are various ways you can upload the data of your group of customers. The most popular methods include:

  • Uploading an excel sheet of your customers that you can download from your mailing list.
  • Customers who frequent your website (this can be done automatically with the Facebook Pixel)
  • Users connected to your Facebook Page. 

facebook advertising tools

Once you’ve selected your audience source, you’ll be able to pick how closely you want the lookalike audience to resemble your audience source. The higher the percentage, the broader the targeting will be, but the larger your potential audience. 

However, in most cases 1% will at the very least still have a size of a couple hundred thousand, so we’d definitely recommend sticking to 1%.

How can you use a lookalike audience within your social strategy?

  • Surface engaging brand content. Use photos, videos and even polls to showcase your tours and activities. You can easily build a Lookalike Audience based on the type of people who typically engage with your content. By appealing to new followers with inviting and exciting videos, you are more likely to increase engagement with different market segments. Ultimately, this gives you the opportunity to drive bookings within a market segment that would not have otherwise connected with your tour and activity brand.
  • Drive bookings to your website or integrated ‘book now’ button. Did you know you can integrate Rezdy with your Facebook page? This allows you to have a book now button on your page that lets your customers book directly from Facebook. You could use lookalike audiences to find similar people to those who have previously booked your experience. By driving these people to your website or book now button, you’re bound to increase those bookings.
  • Contain your ad to reach regions and geographies near your business. In the age of COVID, it’s unlikely that customers will travel far for a tour or activity. So you could use lookalike audiences to contain your ads only to people in your surrounding locations.
  • Use Lookalike Audiences to create an e-mail list for an upcoming e-mail marketing campaign. Once you have connected and engaged with your Lookalike Audiences, you can then start building your trust with this group by contacting them via e-mail. The data that you receive from your Lookalike Audiences will allow you to create an innovative e-mail marketing campaign that encourages them to learn more about your brand and ultimately book a tour or activity with you. E-mail marketing is a highly effective way of increasing conversions, particularly among new market segments that may not have otherwise known about your tour and activity company.

In order to have access to the best data that will allow you to grow your brand’s presence online, you need to have the right technology in place. Rezdy is the only business solution designed for tour and activity companies, and it has constantly worked to provide this niche industry with the features and services it needs. Rezdy allows you to collect and analyze data in the most effective way, which has a direct impact on your ability to increase bookings for your brand.

Making the most of Rezdy

Did you know you can integrate Rezdy directly with your Facebook Page? This allows you to have a ‘book now’ button on your Facebook page and enables your customers to book directly from your page. Sign up today for a free 21-day trial.

If you enjoyed this article – What are lookalike audiences in Facebook – then follow the Rezdy blog. There are a lot of marketing tools and resources designed with businesses like yours in mind.

Image credit: Helena Lopes