It is estimated that $10B is spent on political advertising. Some of this is broad targeting to wide swaths of audiences in the US. Many of these ads are very highly targeted to individuals based on demographic data, interests, attitudes, purchase habits and data that suggests leaning toward certain points of view. If you are a marketer here a few ways you can use precision marketing for your business.

My girlfriend, Nicole Rosenloecher works at a multi-national consulting firm, and while they may work on political advertising projects, her passion work is being a Professional Organizer and Interior Designer. You can see her work at nnlifestyling.com. Did you know you can get paid to organize other people’s physical spaces? It’s part therapy, part cleanup and part design all rolled into very personally intimate work. You are inside people’s homes helping them decide what to keep and what to throw out. There’s a lot of emotion tied to things.

So, in helping her with her marketing there’s an opportunity for everyone to learn about Facebook targeting. In the book Rocket, Eight Lessons To Secure Infinite Growth, there’s a great story about The Container Store. The book shares The Container Store’s work, growth patterns and  mission. One of the key tenets of their business, and of a lot of good businesses, is Man in the Desert Selling. That’s selling thought out solutions, rather than selling a one-off product. A man in the desert needs “a hat, an umbrella, some lotion, some slippers, a chair, an ice machine, and maybe even a margarita!” So, sell the entire solution by understanding the exact circumstances your client is in. The Container Store also helps its customer measure out their spaces for big items like a closet. For $75/ hour they’ll go to your home and help you organize your physical space and assess your needs for holistic solutions that can be bought at The Container Store.For Professional Organizers, people who are fans of The Container Store, people who have recently been to their locations, and especially those who are looking at a major life event are those who are in need of a Professional Organizer’s services.

For Professional Organizers, people who are fans of The Container Store, people who have recently been to their locations, and especially those who are looking at a major life event are those who are in need of a Professional Organizer’s services.

For a marketer there is an obvious targeting opportunity. Serve ads on Facebook, and outside of Facebook, to people who are customers of The Container Store. Layer on targeting to people who are recently engaged, recently married and who have a new child in the household.Target ads to the serviceable area, say 50 miles in any direction.

Target ads to the serviceable area, say 50 miles in any direction.

For small and mid size businesses really get into the head of your target customer, and you’ll probably find some niche pockets of performance where you can find your targets based on astute observation. To derive some targets in Facebook and outside of it think about the places the shop, where they go in the world, the media they consume and the challenges your customer faces.

In a future post we’ll talk about creating the proper lead funnel, which is a great way to leverage such sophisticated targeting.

Here on Election Day 2016 remember that political advertising is a big business. You, as a marketer, have access to some of the most sophisticated data and targeting tools ever created. These are the same capabilities that major political advertisers use to segment users and target ads!

Happy voting!