What are the top strategies for targeting audiences with video ads on social media platforms?

Emily Team
Sep 15, 2025
3 min read

When it comes to targeting the right audience with video ads on social media, precision is everything. You want to reach viewers who will not only watch your ad, but engage with it, remember your brand, and take action.

Here are EMILY’s top strategies for effective audience targeting with video ads across platforms like Meta (Facebook/Instagram), YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn:

🎯 1. Custom Audiences (First-Party Data)

Upload your own:

Customer email list
CRM segments (e.g., past buyers, leads, high-value clients)
Newsletter subscribers

Then create video ads specifically tailored to them — like loyalty offers or upsells.

💡 EMILY sets up and syncs your CRM or email lists with Meta, Google, and LinkedIn for personalized retargeting.

🔁 2. Retarget Video Viewers

Target users who:

Watched a previous video ad (e.g., 25%, 50%, 95% watched)
Visited your website or specific product pages
Added to cart but didn’t convert

Example: “You watched our intro — now see what our customers say!”Retargeting is ideal for nurturing warm leads through sequenced video storytelling.

🔍 3. Interest & Behavior-Based Targeting

Use each platform’s behavioral data:

Meta: Interests, activities, purchase behavior, app usage
YouTube: Affinity and in-market audiences (e.g., "Tech Enthusiasts," "Home Renovation")
TikTok: Hashtag interactions, content engagement, app categories
LinkedIn: Job title, industry, company size, skills

Best practice: Match your product or service to clear audience segments aligned with their interests.

EMILY helps map your ideal customer to specific social targeting categories to avoid wasted spend.

📍 4. Geotargeting for Local Engagement

Want to reach users in a specific area?

Use radius targeting (e.g., 25 miles around a store)
Target by zip code, city, state, or region
Customize creative with local references

Example: “New classes starting soon in Lexington, SC — Watch now!”EMILY pairs Google Business Profile optimization with localized video ads to dominate in local markets.

🧠 5. Lookalike / Similar Audiences

Let the platform find new people who behave like your best customers:

Upload a seed list (converters, VIP buyers)
Platforms create a broader audience with similar traits

Lookalike audiences are top-funnel gold — EMILY often starts cold video ad campaigns this way before remarketing to engaged viewers.

🧪 6. A/B Testing Across Audiences

Test variations of:

Audiences (demographics, interests, behaviors)
Video content
CTA wording

Track:

Watch time
Click-through rate (CTR)
Conversion rate

EMILY runs multivariate ad testing and reallocates spend to the top performers monthly.

📊 7. Use Engagement-Based Custom Triggers

Target users who:

Clicked on your bio link
Commented, liked, or shared
Watched specific lengths of a video (e.g., over 15 seconds)

This lets you serve more relevant follow-up content — like testimonials or product walkthroughs — only to the most engaged users.

💼 8. Platform-Specific Audience Strategies

Platform	Best Targeting Features
Facebook/Instagram	Lookalikes, retargeting, interests, behaviors
YouTube	In-market, affinity, keyword/contextual
TikTok	Video views, hashtag engagement, interest clusters
LinkedIn	Job title, industry, company, skillset

EMILY customizes each video strategy by platform, so your message hits where it matters most.

✅ Summary: Targeting Strategy Framework

Target Type	Best For
Custom Audiences	Loyalty, repeat buyers, upsells
Retargeting	Abandoned carts, video viewers
Lookalike Audiences	New cold leads at scale
Interest/Behavior	Top-funnel brand discovery
Geo-Targeting	Local promotions or events
B2B Targeting	Professional services, SaaS