When it comes to Facebook ads, you could have the cleanest copy, the most eye-catching creative, and even a perfect funnel, and still fail. Why? Because it didn’t get in front of the right people. However, Facebook’s ad platform gives you a tremendous amount of autonomy over who sees your ads, and more importantly, the type of client you work with. 

Facebook is one of the most powerful platforms for reaching future clients, but it must be paired with a precise strategy. Let’s discuss how to choose the right audience for your ads. 

Leveraging Demographic-Based Audiences

One of the reasons Facebook is a fantastic advertising platform is its vast information and data. As a result, you can target individuals based on age, gender, income bracket (derived from behavior and zip code), and educational level. 

It’s easy and somewhat enticing to run a Facebook ad and select your target audience as you go, but this would be a mistake. This type of targeting is most effective when you already have a clear understanding of your client profile. Who are the individuals or organizations that require your services? For example, a family law firm targeting divorce cases does not need to reach everyone—their ads need to be seen by people who married, aged 30-50, living within a 15-mile radius of the law firm. 

Casting a wide net may be appealing, but this would be counterproductive. You don’t want to be everyone’s solution. Narrow down the type of people who would or will be looking for you, even if they don’t need your services yet. (You can nurture this relationship through newsletters, social media posts, informative blogs, and educational videos until they do.) The tighter your filters, the more relevant you will be. Relevance drives clicks and conversions, which in turn lowers your costs. 

Using List-Based Custom Audiences

It’s essential to note that you’re not entirely reliant on Facebook for data. You can build a custom audience with CRM exports, newsletter lists, email subscribers, past clients, and anyone else you have a connection with. Upload your lists into Facebook Ads Manager, and Meta will securely match the data to user profiles (using hashed data) to create a private audience tailored just for you.

Segment your list before you upload it. Create separate audiences for cold leads, warm leads, and past clients. You can retarget people who almost hired you. Re-engage your best clients. Promote a new service to people who opted in two years ago but haven’t interacted since. Your own data is often your most valuable.

What About Lookalike Audiences?

Your custom audience is an opportunity to build a wider one. Facebook’s Lookalike Audience feature finds people who resemble the ones in your original list. It’s pattern recognition at scale. You give Meta the blueprint, and it scans for similar profiles.

This is how you scale while ensuring your ads are still seen by the right people. You can start with a Lookalike Audience that’s 1% similar to your source list (this means the most precise match). As your budget and performance grow, you can gradually broaden to 2% or 3% to reach more users with slightly looser matching criteria.

The quality of your source list matters. If you upload a list of cold leads, your Lookalike will inherit that. But if you base it on actual clients? You’ll get more people who behave like actual clients. 

Retargeting Audiences

Sometimes, people click on your ad but don’t take any further action. Others will visit your website, leave, or watch a video, and stop it halfway through. People may mistakenly assume that these are lost leads. They aren’t; they’re warm leads. A warm lead is someone who has interacted with your content or firm in some way, but they haven’t yet become a client. They’re in a space where they may take another step toward booking a consultation, but they may need a nudge, i.e., retargeting. 

Retargeting captures warm leads by tracking digital behavior. It watches who’s interacted with your content and then follows up. This is accomplished in several ways: 

  • Facebook Pixel or Meta Tag
  • Engagement Tracking 
  • Audience Building 
  • Follow-Up Ads

You can set retargeting windows based on user behavior—last 30 days, 60 days, 90 days—and deliver fresh content based on what they’ve already seen. Maybe it’s a testimonial. Maybe it’s a short FAQ video. Perhaps it’s just a reminder about a cleaner CTA. If someone sees the same ad six times, it’s not “branding”—it’s noise. Keep the content fresh, relevant, and sequential. Treat retargeting like a conversation, not a billboard.

Ready for Smarter Ads?

Audience targeting isn’t a guessing game and shouldn’t be an afterthought. Spotlight Marketing & Branding helps law firms build ad campaigns that start with precision, not hope. Ready to stop wasting clicks? Contact us to determine if Facebook ads are the right fit for your firm.