Targeting by App Activity

You can create ads targeting people based on the actions they are taking within your app. For example, you can target people who previously used your app, but have not come back to your app within the last 90 days. Or you can target people who have added an item to their cart but didn't make a purchase. See Scenarios below for links to examples.

To target people by app activity, create a Custom Audience based on App Events. This page tells you how.

Why is this Important?

You can reach the relevant audience for your needs. You can also provide a more positive experience by showing ads only to people who are likely to be interested in them.

Requirements

You need to add App Events to your app to track actions people are taking within your app.

Related

Custom audiences can also be based on customer lists. See Targeting by Customer Lists.

Scenarios: Reach people who ...

- Recently Opened Your App

- Recently Completed a Purchase

- Completed Large Purchases

- Achieved a Certain Level in Your Game

Before You Start: Read our Essential Guides

1. App Ads

Learn how ads for apps work.

2. SDK Setup and Adding App Events

In most cases, you need to add the Facebook SDK before creating your custom audiences.

3. Example Case: Bring People Back to Your App

This guide walks you through an example so you can learn how to create a custom audience.

4. App Events

Learn how app events work.

Recently Opened Your App

1. Add App Launch Tracking to Your App

To create a custom audience based on recent activity, you need to track app launches using App Events. Track app launches by calling the activateApp method:

- (void)applicationDidBecomeActive:(UIApplication *)application {
   [FBSDKAppEvents activateApp];
}

@Override
protected void onResume() { 
  super.onResume(); 
  AppEventsLogger.activateApp(this); 
}

FB.AppEvents.activateApp();

2. Create Custom Audience by Recent Activity

Start creating a new ad. In Audience, choose Create New > Custom Audience and pick the following options:

Recently Completed a Purchase

1. Add Purchase Logging to your App

To create a custom audience based on purchase behavior, you need to log purchases using App Events. Track purchases using the logPurchase method:

[FBSDKAppEvents logPurchase:4.32 currency:@"USD"];

logger.logPurchase(BigDecimal.valueOf(4.32), Currency.getInstance("USD"));

var parameters = {};
parameters[FB.AppEvents.ParameterNames.CONTENT_ID] = "QW-12345";
FB.AppEvents.logPurchase(4.32, "USD", parameters);

2. Create Custom Audience by Purchases

Start creating a new ad. In Audience, choose Create New > Custom Audience and pick the following options:

Advanced 1: Narrow your Audience by Including More Criteria

You may also want to target your ads to a more specific audience. For example, you may want to reach users who have made a purchase within your app in the past 30 days, but not the past 7.

Choose Exclude, and choose the following options:

Advanced 2: Create Custom Audience by Abandoned Carts

Target people who expressed interest in completing a purchase but haven't done so by using the following options:

Completed Large Purchases

1. Add Purchase Logging to your App

Take same steps as in Recently Completed a Purchase: 1. Add Purchase Logging to your App.

2. Create Custom Audience by Large Purchases

Start creating a new ad. At the point of defining your ad audience create new custom audience and pick the following options when filling out the custom audience form:

Achieved a level

1. Add Event Tracking to your App

To create a custom audience based on level achievements you need to track such events using App Events. Track level achievements - or other events - by calling the logEvent method and providing a level parameter:

[FBSDKAppEvents logEvent:FBSDKAppEventNameAchievedLevel
  valueToSum:nil
  parameters:@{ 
    FBSDKAppEventParameterNameLevel: 123
  }
];

AppEventsLogger logger = AppEventsLogger.newLogger(this);
Bundle parameters = new Bundle();
parameters.putString(AppEventsConstants.EVENT_NAME_ACHIEVED_LEVEL, 123);
logger.logEvent(
  AppEventsConstants.EVENT_NAME_ACHIEVED_LEVEL,
  null,
  parameters
);

var parameters = {};
parameters[FB.AppEvents.ParameterNames.LEVEL] = 123;
FB.AppEvents.logEvent(
  FB.AppEvents.EventNames.ACHIEVED_LEVEL,
  null,
  parameters
);

2. Create Custom Audience by Level Achievement

Start creating a new ad, choose App Engagement as your objective. At the point of defining your ad audience create new custom audience and pick the following options when filling out the custom audience form: