How to Target Local Customers (and Tourists!) with Facebook Ads

Do you want to connect with local customers AND/OR tourists on Facebook? Have you considered targeting them with Facebook Ads? Facebook Ads offer a quick, easy and cost-effective way to reach new customers locally with pinpoint accuracy. In this article we’ll show you how you might target locals or tourists with Facebook Ads.

Step 1: Choose An Ad Type

You can target any type of Facebook Ad to a local audience, including several designed specifically for local marketing, you just need to define your desired geographic area for the audience you are targeting. To get started, go to your Facebook Ads Manager and click on Create Ad.

Here, you’ll select your ad objective. The ad objective determines the type of ad you’re going to show to your targeted audience. What you choose depends on your goals and what you’re promoting.

Facebook has a few ad options designed for businesses looking to target local users. In this example we’ll be selecting an audience by manually targeting People who live in this location by zip code with Facebook’s handy geographic locator tool.

Step 2: Select Your Location Targeting

How you select the location you want to target depends on the Facebook Ad type you selected in Step One. You may select your targeted ad locations by country, state, city and even zip code as we show here. If you choose to target by city you will see the option to target those living within a specific distance of that city or that city only. You can also use the Drop Pin feature to pinpoint the center of your targeted location. Additionally you can choose to target all people in this location, people who live in this location, people recently in this location or people traveling in this location (tourists!)

Select by Zip Code

Select by City

Step 3: Refine Your Targeting

The ability to target ads directly to potential customers according to their precise location is an incredibly effective tool for business marketers. But we can do even better!

Now that you have selected your location targeting, it’s time to refine your audience even further by age, gender and language (may be required depending on your ad objective).

If you own a women’s clothing or gift store you will probably want to choose women as your target. If you operate a fishing charter business you will more likely choose to target men with your message. Age is equally important as you can choose to show your ad to the age customer who is most likely to become a customer.

Refine Your Target Audience

In order to maximize your Facebook Ads ROI the ability to target beyond location will drive your costs down and your opportunities up by not paying for ads that may miss your target audience. Now go create some ads!

Frank ‘Bo’ Milbourn

If you have any questions or would like our assistance in establishing or managing our Facebook Ads click here to Contact Us or give us a call at (843) 682-2212.