As the tattoo industry continues to grow, it’s crucial to leverage advanced digital marketing strategies to stay ahead. One of the most effective methods is using Meta Ads to create Lookalike Audiences. This allows you to reach potential clients who share similar characteristics with your best existing customers. In this blog, we’ll walk you through creating a Lookalike Audience campaign, adhering to Meta Ads best practices to ensure optimal results.

Step 1: Set Up Your Source Audience

Before creating a Lookalike Audience, you need a source audience. This could be your existing customer list, website visitors, or people who engaged with your social media content.

1. Collect Data: Ensure you have a high-quality source audience. The more data points you have (ideally at least 1,000), the better Meta can create a Lookalike Audience.
2. Upload Source Audience: Go to Meta Ads Manager and navigate to Audiences. Select "Create Audience" and then "Custom Audience." Follow the prompts to upload your customer list or choose an existing audience from website visitors or social media engagers.

Step 2: Create Your Lookalike Audience

1. Navigate to Audiences: In Meta Ads Manager, click on "Audiences."
2. Select Lookalike Audience: Choose "Create Audience" and then "Lookalike Audience."
3. Choose Source Audience: Select the custom audience you uploaded or created in Step 1.
4. Select Audience Location: Choose the geographical location where you want to find your Lookalike Audience. This could be the same location as your source audience or a new target market.
5. Determine Audience Size: Choose the percentage size of your Lookalike Audience. Meta allows you to select between 1% and 10% of the combined population of your chosen location. For best results, start with 1% as it closely matches your source audience. As you optimise your campaign, you can experiment with larger percentages.

Step 3: Set Up Your Meta Ad Campaign

1. Campaign Objective: Choose an objective that aligns with your goals, such as conversions, traffic, or lead generation.
2. Ad Set Configuration:

• Audience: Select the Lookalike Audience you just created.
• Placement: Use automatic placements to let Meta optimise where your ads are shown across Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, and Messenger.
• Budget and Schedule: Set a daily or lifetime budget and schedule your ad run times.

1. Create Your Ad:

• Ad Format: Choose a format that suits your message (e.g., carousel, single image, video).
• Creative Elements: Use high-quality images or videos. Highlight your tattoo USP's, customer testimonials, and any promotions.
• Ad Copy: Write compelling ad copy that resonates with your target audience. Include a strong call-to-action (CTA) like "Book Now" or "Learn More."

Step 4: Monitor and Optimise

1. Track Performance: Use Meta Ads Manager to monitor key metrics such as CTR (click-through rate), conversion rate, and ROAS (return on ad spend).
2. A/B Testing: Run A/B tests to compare different ad creatives, copy, and targeting options to determine what performs best.
3. Optimise Audience: If your initial Lookalike Audience isn't performing as expected, try increasing the audience size percentage or adjusting your source audience.

Best Practices for Meta Ads Lookalike Campaigns

1. Quality Source Audience: Ensure your source audience is highly relevant and contains at least 1,000 people for better accuracy.
2. Start Small: Begin with a 1% Lookalike Audience to closely match your source audience.
3. Use Engaging Creatives: High-quality visuals and compelling ad copy are crucial to attract and engage your audience.
4. Regular Optimisation: Continuously monitor your campaign performance and make data-driven adjustments to improve results.

Conclusion

Creating a tattoo studio Lookalike Audience campaign on Meta Ads is a powerful strategy to expand your reach and attract new clients similar to your best customers. By following these steps and adhering to best practices, you can enhance your digital marketing efforts and drive more bookings for your tattoo studio.

Remember! Ongoing iterations are key. The CPA (cost per acquisition) for any single campaign only ever increases over time so it's crucial to continually test different ad variants. Experiment with your ad graphics, carousels, video, USP's, CTA's and let your audience's behavior guide you on the best way to connect with them.

Tattooers! If you want to arrange a free, no obligation 1-to-1 digital marketing consultation, with us, you can schedule a meeting  with our director, Max, by clicking the link below:

https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/max-wheatcroft

Ink team