How do you create a lookalike audience in Facebook Ads Manager?

Creating a lookalike audience in Facebook Ads Manager allows you to reach new people who are likely to be interested in your business because they're similar to your existing customers or contacts. Here's how you can create a lookalike audience step-by-step:

### 1. Navigate to Facebook Ads Manager

Log in to your Facebook Ads Manager account at [business.facebook.com](https://business.facebook.com/) and select the ad account you want to work on.

### 2. Access Audiences

In the Ads Manager dashboard, click on the menu icon (☰) in the top left corner. Scroll down and find "Audiences" under the "Assets" column. Click on "Audiences."

### 3. Create a New Audience

Once in the Audiences section, click on the green "Create Audience" button and select "Lookalike Audience" from the drop-down menu.

### 4. Choose a Source Audience

- **Source:** Select the source audience that Facebook will use to create your lookalike audience. This can be based on a variety of sources:
  - **Custom Audience:** A list of your existing customers, website visitors, or app users that you've uploaded to Facebook.
  - **Website Traffic:** People who have visited your website or specific web pages.
  - **App Activity:** Users who have taken specific actions within your mobile app.
  - **Engagement:** People who have engaged with your content on Facebook, such as liking your Page or watching your videos.
  - **Offline Activity:** Customers who have interacted with your business offline, such as making a purchase in-store.

### 5. Choose Location and Audience Size

- **Location:** Specify the location(s) where you want to find similar people. You can choose a country, region, or even a specific city.
- **Audience Size:** Adjust the audience size using the slider. A larger percentage (e.g., 1%) creates a larger audience that is less similar to your source audience. A smaller percentage (e.g., 0.5%) creates a smaller audience that is more similar to your source audience.

### 6. Create Your Lookalike Audience

- Click on the "Create Audience" button to finish creating your lookalike audience. Facebook will begin generating your lookalike audience, which may take some time depending on the size of your source audience and the complexity of the data.

### 7. Use Your Lookalike Audience in Ad Campaigns

- Once your lookalike audience is created, you can use it in your ad campaigns. When setting up your ad set, select "Use a Saved Audience" and choose your newly created lookalike audience from the list.

### Tips for Using Lookalike Audiences:

- **Refresh Regularly:** Update your lookalike audience periodically to ensure it remains relevant and reflects changes in your customer base.
- **Experiment with Different Sources:** Test different source audiences (e.g., different customer segments) to see which generates the best results.
- **Combine with Other Targeting Options:** Combine lookalike audiences with other targeting options like demographics, interests, and behaviors to further refine your targeting.

Creating and using lookalike audiences can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your Facebook advertising campaigns by reaching new potential customers who share characteristics with your existing customer base or engaged audience.