Facebook has launched a new local awareness ad service to allow small businesses to target users based on their geographic location. So what makes this an extremely valuable tool for small and medium-sized businesses across the Inland Empire region? Let me explain…

The new local awareness ad category on Facebook can appear on desktop computers, but clearly the tool focuses on reaching smartphone users.  Business owners now have the option when using Facebook’s Ads Create tool to select “Local Awareness” ads from the drop-down list, with the setup flow following previous ad unit creation.  Ads can now feature local specifics like “Get Directions” if this option is chosen during the ad creation.  There’s also the ability to select a targeting radius to define which users see the ad (Note: This will only work if the user has not turned off location services for Facebook on their smartphone app).

This new service allows Inland Empire small businesses to utilize this tool to reach potential customers who are in the local area but may not know their business exists.  For example, perhaps a Facebook user is driving down Alessandro Boulevard from Moreno Valley to Riverside thinking about a good place to stop with their family for a casual dinner when an ad for Romano’s Chicago Pizzeria in Mission Grove appears at just that perfect moment in the user’s Facebook news feed.

“Local awareness ads are built to be more cost-effective than traditional advertising channels like newspapers while offering more precise targeting and greater reach.  We think they’re the best way for local businesses to reach people near them, and the best way for people who use Facebook to discover more useful things in their area.” – says Facebook.

In a recent study by the Gannett Company, it was discovered that incentive based advertisements beat other categories, such as the promoted posts, by a wide margin when it comes to the ads effectiveness.  This particular study involved over one thousand U.S. based consumers, and also found that the majority of respondents read reviews before making an offline purchase.  Based on this discovery, Gannett indicates that Local Awareness Ads should include an offer that will further attractive users to take action with your advertisement.

The new Local Awareness Ads offering from Facebook provides a new channel for marketers who want to precisely target users when they are in a specific geographic proximity to their business. This is a counter-punch to some complainants from marketers who have concerns about the value and targeting methods of Facebook ads, and their effectiveness.  Facebook believes that more of the 30 million Local Page owners will start running ad campaigns on Facebook as a result of this service.

Facebook mentions in their official release that Local awareness ads should begin to roll out to advertisers in the coming weeks, and available globally in coming months.

I would definitely recommend giving this service a try and analyzing results to see what kind of boost these ads can provide for your business. Click here to learn more about our social media marketing options and how Raincross can help you drive more business.