Advertising on Instagram and Facebook: How to Reach the Right Audience

Advertising on Instagram and Facebook remains a key channel for brands in Singapore that want to reach the right audience. According to We Are Social, a global digital research company,

social media usage in Singapore stays high going into 2026, with about 91% of the population active on social platforms.

This high level of engagement makes Instagram and Facebook important spaces for businesses to connect with users, not just for visibility, but for meaningful results.

This step-by-step guide shows how advertising on Instagram and Facebook helps you reach the right audience and drive meaningful action.

Quick Takeaways

• Strong ad results come from clear audience targeting, not higher ad spend.
• Defining user intent before launching ads helps prevent wasted budget.
• Each targeting option works best when matched to a specific campaign goal.
• Ad creative performs better when aligned with platform behaviour.
• Ongoing testing and refinement lead to more consistent performance.

Step 1: Understand How Advertising on Instagram and Facebook Works

Advertising on Instagram and Facebook runs through Meta’s ad system, which lets you manage campaigns, audiences, and placements in one place. While the tools are shared, user behaviour differs by platform, and that directly affects how ads perform.

The Top 5 Social Platforms in Singapore

The table below shows the leading platforms in Singapore, based on usage, as reported by We Are Social and supported by local platform analysis from MediaPlus, a Singapore-based digital marketing agency.

Platform	Reported Global Monthly Active Users	Best Used For	Why It Matters in Singapore
Facebook	~3.07 billion	Broad audience reach and community engagement	Still useful for broad age groups and group-based interactions.
Instagram	~3.0 billion	Visual branding and short-form video	Strong for discovery, social commerce, and visual storytelling.
YouTube	~2.5 billion	Video content and product education	Video remains a key way people learn and compare before buying.
TikTok	~1.6 billion	Viral short-form video and trends	High engagement and strong reach with younger audiences.
Snapchat	~932 million	Casual, real-time content	Helpful for authentic engagement, especially with youth audiences.
X (formerly Twitter)	~586 million	Real-time updates and conversations	Works well for trend participation and immediate interaction.
Pinterest	~578 million	Visual inspiration and planning	Good for product inspiration in retail, lifestyle, and home markets.
LinkedIn	~350+ million	Professional content and B2B marketing	Useful for targeting professionals and industry decision-makers.
Threads	~275–300 million	Conversational updates related to Instagram	Helps maintain presence with lighter text engagement.
Reddit	~201–245 million	Niche community discussions	Effective for deep engagement and specialised audience insights.

How Meta Decides Who Sees Your Ads

Meta does not simply show ads to everyone in your selected audience. The system uses signals to decide which users are more likely to engage.

• The platform looks at user behaviour, such as what content people interact with and how often.
  
• It considers how similar users have responded to ads like yours in the past.
  
• It prioritises ads that match the platform context, such as visuals on Instagram or discussions on Facebook.

MediaPlus notes that users in Singapore move between platforms and expect ads to feel relevant to their interests. Because of this, broad targeting without clear intent often leads to weaker results.

Understanding these mechanics helps you avoid wasted spending and sets the foundation for choosing the right audience in the next step. Ready to build Facebook Marketing skills? Vertical Institute’s Facebook Marketing Class takes you from the basics to hands-on practice.

Step 2: Define the Right Audience Before You Run Ads

Before you launch any ads, you need to be clear about who you want to reach. Advertising on Instagram and Facebook works best when your audience definition comes first, not after your ads go live.

Users in Singapore spend time across multiple social platforms and interact with content based on interests, habits, and intent. This means broad targeting often leads to wasted spending, while focused audiences drive better results.

Start with a Clear Goal

Your audience depends on what you want to achieve.

• Awareness campaigns work best with broader interest-based audiences.
  
• Traffic and engagement campaigns need people who are already curious about your topic.
  
• Conversion campaigns perform better with users who have shown intent before.
  

When your goal is unclear, your targeting becomes unfocused.

Know the Main Audience Types on Meta

Meta offers several audience categories, and each serves a different purpose.

• Core audiences help you reach people based on demographics, interests, and behaviours.
  
• Custom audiences let you reach people who have interacted with your business before.
  
• Lookalike audiences help you find new users similar to your existing customers.
  

Choosing the right type depends on where your audience is in their decision journey.

Think Beyond Age and Gender 

Many advertisers stop at basic demographics. This limits performance.

• User behaviour, such as content engagement and browsing patterns, matters more.
  
• Interests should reflect intent, not just general categories.
  
• Differences in platform behaviour can lead the same audience to respond differently on Instagram and Facebook.
  

Users expect ads to feel relevant to their interests. Ads that feel generic are more likely to be ignored.

Avoid Common Targeting Mistakes

Some mistakes lead to poor results even with good creatives.

• Targeting too broadly without a clear purpose reduces relevance.
  
• Narrowing audiences too much limits delivery and increases costs.
  
• Copying audiences without testing ignores how user behaviour changes.
  

Defining the right audience sets the foundation for every step that follows. Once this is clear, you can choose targeting options that support your goal instead of guessing.

Step 3: Choose the Best Targeting Options for Your Goal

Once you know who you want to reach, the next step is choosing the right targeting options. Advertising on Instagram and Facebook offers several ways to reach users, each suited to a specific goal. People engage with brands at different stages, from discovery to decision-making, which makes it essential to match your targeting method to the action you want users to take.

Use Core Audiences for Discovery  

Core audiences help you reach people based on interests, behaviours, and basic demographics.

• This option works well for awareness and engagement campaigns.
  
• It helps introduce your brand to users who are likely to be interested.
  
• Results improve when interests reflect intent rather than broad categories.
  

Core audiences are useful for growing reach, but they work best with clear messaging and testing.

Use Custom Audiences for Warmer Users 

Custom audiences focus on people who already know your brand.

• These audiences include website visitors, video viewers, or past customers.
  
• They are effective for traffic, retargeting, and conversion campaigns.
  
• Costs are often lower because users already recognise your brand.
  

Users respond better to ads that feel familiar, which makes custom audiences valuable for follow-up campaigns.

Use Lookalike Audiences to Scale 

 Lookalike audiences help you find new users similar to your existing customers.

• This option works well when you want to expand reach without losing relevance.
  
• Performance depends on the quality of your source audience.
  
• Smaller, high-quality sources often produce better results.
  

Lookalikes are useful when you want growth but still need targeting accuracy.

Understand Automated and Advantage+ Targeting 

Meta now offers automated targeting options that use signals to find users.

• These options reduce manual setup and adapt based on performance.
  
• They work best when paired with strong creatives and clear goals.
  
• Results improve when you allow enough time for learning.
  

Choosing the right targeting option helps your ads reach users who are more likely to engage. With targeting in place, the next step is making sure your ad creative matches the audience you selected.

Step 4: Match Your Ad Creative to the Audience

Once your targeting is set, your ad creative decides whether people stop scrolling or ignore your message. Strong targeting alone is not enough. Your visuals, copy, and format must match how your audience uses each platform.

Adjust Creative for Platform Behaviour  

Interaction patterns vary between Instagram and Facebook, and ad creative should align with each platform.

• Instagram users respond better to visual-first content such as short videos, reels, and strong imagery.
  
• Facebook users often engage more with clear messages, longer captions, and community-focused content.
  

Using the same creative everywhere often leads to weaker performance.

Align Messaging With Audience Intent  

Your message should reflect where the audience is in their decision process.

• Awareness audiences respond better to simple ideas and relatable problems.
  
• Consideration audiences need clearer benefits and proof points.
  
• Conversion-focused audiences expect direct offers, reassurance, or next steps.
  

When messaging feels mismatched, even well-designed ads struggle to perform.

Use Formats That Feel Native  

Ads perform better when they blend into how users typically consume content.

• Short vertical videos feel natural in feeds and stories.
  
• Simple text overlays help communicate value quickly.
  
• Clear calls to action guide users without sounding forced.
  

Native-feeling ads reduce resistance and increase engagement.

Test Before You Scale 

You don’t need perfect ads to start. You need learning.

• Test different visuals, headlines, and formats.
  
• Let performance data guide which creatives work best.
  
• Pause underperforming ads early and refine based on results.
  

Consistent testing helps you understand what resonates with your audience, rather than relying on assumptions.

Matching your creative to your audience turns good targeting into tangible results. Once your ads are live, the next step is knowing how to measure performance and refine your approach over time.

Step 5: Measure Results and Refine Your Audience

Focus on Metrics That Show Audience Quality  

Once your ads are live, performance data tells you whether you’re reaching the right people. Measuring results helps you improve outcomes without increasing your spending.

Not all metrics matter at the same stage.

• Reach and impressions show how widely your ads are delivered.
  
• Engagement metrics such as clicks, saves, or video views show interest.
  
• Conversions, leads, or purchases show intent and action.
  

Low engagement often signals that your audience or message needs adjustment.

Look for Signals, Not Just Numbers

Performance trends matter more than single data points.

• Repeated low engagement suggests the audience is too broad.
  
• High clicks with no conversions may indicate weak intent.
  
• Strong performance from a small segment shows where to focus next.
  

These signals help you refine rather than restart campaigns.

Refine Before You Scale 

Improvement comes from small, clear changes.

• Narrow audiences that show no response.
  
• Expand segments that consistently perform well.
  
• Refresh creatives when performance starts to drop.
  

Small adjustments protect the budget and improve learning.

Give the Platform Time to Learn  

Frequent changes reset delivery.

• Allow enough time for ads to gather data.
  
• Avoid making multiple changes at once.
  
• Review results after meaningful volume, not after a few hours.
  

Patience helps the system optimise delivery more effectively.

Measuring and refining your audience enables you to turn advertising into a repeatable process. Over time, this approach helps you reach people who are more likely to engage, trust your message, and take action.

Related Article: All You Need to Know About Organic Social Media

How to Build Stronger Instagram and Facebook Advertising Skills

Building better ad performance takes more than knowing the tools. It comes from applying what you learn, reviewing results, and improving step by step.

• Consistent testing helps you understand which audiences and messages perform better over time.
  
• Reviewing results regularly allows you to spot patterns and improve campaigns without increasing your spending.
  
• Making small adjustments to targeting or creative builds confidence and sharpens decision-making.
  
• Hands-on practice turns strategy into skills you can apply across different campaigns.
  

Vertical Institute offers a Facebook and Instagram Marketing Course that focuses on practical skills, including audience targeting, ad creation, and campaign optimisation. The course helps you apply these techniques to real campaigns, whether you’re building skills for your role or managing ads for a business.

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FAQs About Advertising on Instagram and Facebook

Keeping Advertising on Instagram and Facebook Effective Over Time

Success in advertising on Instagram and Facebook comes from clarity and discipline. When you understand audience intent, test thoughtfully, and refine based on real signals, campaigns become more predictable and effective. As platforms evolve and competition increases, the advantage shifts to those who treat audience targeting as a skill to develop, not a shortcut to chase. This mindset helps campaigns stay relevant, adaptable, and sustainable over time.