Have you ever wanted to reach people where they are, right now, in an area from as small as one mile around your business to as large as an entire country?
Facebook recently released an option to target paid ads toward people where they are right now, changing the size of the target area.
In the past, the smallest target area was a zip code, with only a choice of the area picked and a radius of 10, 25, or 50 miles.
Now, you can specifically target an address along with a radius from one mile up to a custom number of miles of your choosing.
This gives the user the option of going further, without having to be creative about picking other cities and drawing a circumference around them. For example, if you own a local store and want to connect with your neighbors, and the store is located at the edge of a zip code, in the past you had to pick two zip codes, even if you did not want to reach that many people. Now, you can choose your address and create a one-mile radius around it, specifically targeting just those people. Consequently, this can reduce the cost of your Facebook ads. This program will also tell you how many people in this market have a Facebook account.
This is the first of the changes to Facebook I’m writing about today; the other is the ability to target people by where they are or have been recently.
This is one of the refinements to geographic targeting that was previously offered.
Users have always been able to target Facebook ads toward people in an area, but they have never had control over which people in that area. In the past, this option was assumed only to target people living in an area, but people traveling through the area could not be reached.
Being able to target all of the people in a certain area is powerful, and this added option makes it even more powerful.
Who you can target currently:
- Everyone in this location
- People who live in this location
- People recently in this location
- People traveling in this location
Let’s take a minute and look at what can be accomplished with each option.
Everyone in this location:
This gives you the power to reach everyone who is in an area right now. This should be used when you want to reach people in an area that may be inclined to use your service either regularly or on a one-time basis. This is great for restaurants that want to invite everyone to the business. It can work for recreational businesses, as well as those that people choose to splurge on when traveling, such as a waterpark or spa.
Targeting everyone in an area requires an ad that tells about the kinds of products and services offered. You have to assume that nobody who sees your ad has heard of you.
People who live in this location:
This option is great for a business that wants to target people living in an area, but not necessarily those traveling through it. Think of electricians, plumbers, and other home repair businesses; these types of services are only used by people who live in the area. This option could also apply to service professionals, such as CPAs and insurance people. These types of businesses usually only deal with people living in the area.
The types of ads used to reach people living in an area should evolve over time. For example, a new business needs to start with ads introducing it and stating what makes it different from other businesses, letting people get familiar with the name. For a business that has been around for some years, it can offer items for sale or requests for appointments to meet, as people are familiar with the name.
People recently in this location:
This option is good for businesses that people return to when coming back to an area, or that offer a service that people who have been to an area would like to purchase.
Think of a hotel or resort that wants people to return year after year. These businesses can target people who have been to the area with information. This is a long-term strategy, as people will usually not be ready to return for several months.
Perhaps a business offers a service to help people remember their time in an area. One business that comes to mind with this type of service is a t-shirt or souvenir business that can easily ship their products to customers.
People traveling in this location:
This option is the last, but certainly not the least. In fact, this option is exciting for a variety of businesses.
Facebook defines people in this category as those who were recently located within the area selected and more than 100 miles from home.
Many businesses can use this targeting, without costing much money to leave running on an ongoing basis.
As with other Facebook advertising options, a business can see how many people are targeted by its ads. Targeting visitors creates a smaller audience, many of whom are looking for things to do in an area.
This option would work for:
- Restaurants
- Nightclubs
- Sports Bars
- Fun Centers
- Adventure Services (bike rentals, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, etc.)
- Museums
- Book Stores
- Spas
- Grocery Stores
- Clothing Stores
- Wineries
- Micro-Breweries
- Coffee Shops
- Campgrounds
- Car Repair Shops
- And on and on …
These types of ads should introduce your services and show how you can help people traveling in an area, either by having fun or helping with needed services.
This type of targeting will be a little different for each type of business. Make sure to think about what you can do with your business by reaching out to people in different ways with messages that will encourage them to do business with you.
If you would like help developing a strategic plan, I offer a one-time, Facebook-marketing coaching session. It is 45 minutes long and costs $147. In this time frame, we can develop a plan tailored for you that you can put into place.
You can go from wishing for to getting results in a short time. Click here to schedule a time to work with me and put these tools into action faster.
Have a great week