Selling to people you already have a relationship with is the easiest sale you can make.
If you are advertising on Facebook, uploading your Custom Audiences is the very first step to take.
The interface has changed a lot, so I thought it would be helpful to have an updated guide for how to upload your Custom Audiences so that you may advertise to them.
Step 1: Prepare Spreadsheet(s)
Prepare a spreadsheet with JUST email addresses. You’ll need a separate spreadsheet for phone numbers and/or Facebook User IDs. Files need to be in .csv or .txt format with one record per row.
- Emails must be plain text. Ex: name@example.com
- Phone numbers must include a country code and be numeric characters only. Ex: 16505551234
- Facebook user IDs must be numeric characters only. Ex: 9876543
Step 2: Go to Facebook Ads Manager
1. Go to www.facebook.com/ads/manage
2. Click on “Audiences”
3. Click on “Create Audience”

Step 3: Select File Type
Select “Data File Custom Audience”
**If you use MailChimp, you can upload directly from there.

Step 4: Name & Describe Your Audience
1. Name the Custom Audience.
2. Describe the Custom Audience.
3. Select the upload type: Either emails, phone numbers OR User IDs.

Step 5: Choose A File, Click Create
1. Choose a file to upload.
2. Read & agree to the Facebook Custom Audiences Terms.
3. Click “Create Audience”.

Once your Custom Audience is uploaded, give it up to 24 hours to populate.
Facebook will NOT find a match for all of the people on your list. The match percentage will vary greatly depending on your niche, as well as how you obtained the email addresses & phone numbers. A rough range to expect is between 20-75%, but your mileage will definitely vary.
Have more Facebook Ads questions? I’d love to hear them. andrea (at) marketersbraintrust.com