Everyone’s obsessed with targeting their “ideal customer profile.”

But here’s what’s actually happening: you’re fighting over the same audience as every other advertiser in your space, driving up costs while your results tank.

I learned this the hard way with a luxury watch client last month.

The Expensive Lesson

My client was obsessed with targeting “high-income men, 35-55, interested in luxury goods.”

Three weeks. $8,000 spent. 2 sales.

The problem? Everyone selling luxury anything was targeting the exact same people. We were bidding against Rolex, BMW, and every high-end brand you can imagine.

The Two Strategies That Actually Work

I’ve found there are only two ways to win at targeting in 2025:

Strategy 1: Target Adjacent Audiences

Instead of fighting over your ideal customer, target people who could become your ideal customer.

For the watch client, I started targeting people who buy budget watches on Amazon. Same interest in watches, but no brand loyalty yet. Result? 47 sales in two weeks.

Other examples:

• Target fitness beginners instead of protein powder buyers
• Target new homeowners instead of experienced DIY enthusiasts
• Target people interested in budgeting instead of those already using financial software

Strategy 2: Ultra-Precise ICP Targeting

When I do need exact ICPs, I don’t mess around with Facebook’s basic targeting.

I go to Apollo, apply specific filters for my client’s ideal profile, extract the data into CSV, and upload it as a custom audience in Facebook.

Meta then matches these exact people with their AI and datasets. The targeting precision jumps to nearly 100%, and I create lookalikes from this audience for scale.

This is so precise that clients often see sales on day one of launch.

When to Use Each Strategy

Use Adjacent Targeting when:

• Your market is saturated
• CPMs are high in your niche
• You need to expand your reach
• Building brand awareness

Use Ultra-Precise Targeting when:

• You have a specific B2B audience
• Selling high-ticket items
• Working with proven offers
• Need immediate conversions

Why Most People Get This Wrong

They pick one approach and stick with it forever. The smartest advertisers I know switch between strategies based on campaign goals and market conditions.

Sometimes you need to cast a wider net. Sometimes you need laser precision.

The key is knowing which tool to use when.