Facebook advertising allows businesses to target potential customers by location. If you want to advertise to people in a specific city, state, or country, Facebook provides tools to narrow your target audience. Here are some quick answers about advertising in a certain area on Facebook:
- You can target ads geographically by setting a radius around a location or targeting people who live in or were recently in a specific city, state, or country.
- Location targeting is available when creating ads in the Facebook Ads Manager.
- You can target areas as small as a 1-mile radius or as large as a country.
- Location targeting options include: Cities, ZIPs/Postal Codes, Radius, Countries, Regions, States, Counties.
- Targeting works by showing ads to people who list locations in their Facebook profile that match your target area.
Step-by-Step Guide
Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up location targeting for a Facebook ad campaign:
- Access Ads Manager and click “Create Ad.”
- Select your campaign objective (ex: traffic, conversions, etc.).
- Under placements, select “Edit Placements.”
- Select “Locations” and enter your desired targeting area.
- You can target by country, state/province, city, zip code, or radius.
- For radius targeting, click the map and drag the radius pin to desired location. Adjust mile radius.
- You can add multiple locations to target multiple areas.
- Scroll down and set any other targeting such as interests, behaviors, connections.
- Give your ad set a name and budget.
- Click “Confirm” to finish ad set setup.
- Create your ads and place order.
Location Targeting Options
Here are some more details on the different location targeting options available in Facebook Ads Manager:
Cities
Target people located in specific cities. You can target multiple cities in one ad set. Just start typing city names and select from the dropdown.
ZIPs/Postal Codes
Target people located in specific zip codes. You can enter multiple zip codes separated by commas.
Radius
Target people within a specified radius around a location. Click the map to place the radius pin, then adjust the mile radius.
Countries
Target people located in specific countries. Choose from the dropdown list of 220+ countries.
Regions
Target large regions like Northern Europe or Pacific Northwest United States. 650+ regions available.
States
Target people in U.S. states or other countries’ states/provinces.
Counties
Target people located in specific counties within states. Only available for U.S.
Targeting Suggestions
Here are some suggestions for effective location targeting:
- Start broad if you’re new to the area and want maximum reach. Target a 25 mile radius around a city.
- Target a smaller 5 mile radius or specific zip codes once you identify the highest converting locations.
- Geo-target cities where you have brick-and-mortar stores or service areas.
- Don’t limit yourself to only the city where your business is located.
- Target surrounding areas and cities within driving distance.
- For national brands, select the top states, metro areas, and regions that drive the most business.
- Target expats abroad interested in products/services from their home country.
Audience Insights for Location Targeting
Use Facebook’s Audience Insights tool to research demographics and interests of people in your target locations. This helps refine your targeting.
- Go to “Audience Research” under the Tools dropdown in Ads Manager.
- Click “Locations” and select your desired target area.
- Facebook will show population size, age, gender, and page like demographics for that location.
- Scroll down and click “Interests” or “Behaviors” to see category preferences.
- Use these insights to fine tune your ad targeting for higher conversions.
Optimizing Location Targeted Ads
Here are some tips for optimizing the performance of your geo-targeted Facebook ad campaigns:
- Analyze performance by location – See which cities, regions, and zip codes drive the most conversions in Ads Manager.
- Tighten targeting around best performing locations.
- Create location-specific ad creative and offers tailored to each area’s audience.
- Adjust bid amounts and budget allocation based on performance.
- Schedule ads to align with high traffic days and hours for each location.
- Continuously test new locations with low budget trial campaigns.
Location can significantly impact the results of your Facebook ad campaigns. Optimizing based on performance data will allow you to maximize your ad spend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I target multiple locations in one ad campaign?
Yes, you can target many different locations within the same ad set in the Facebook Ads Manager. When setting up the locations, simply select multiple cities, countries, regions, zip codes etc. that you want to include.
How detailed can I get with location targeting?
Facebook allows you to target very specific areas, down to a 1 mile radius around a specific address. However, the more narrow your targeting, the smaller your audience reach will be. It’s recommended to start broader, then narrow down based on performance data.
Does Facebook have access to users’ current locations?
Facebook has access to users’ recent locations if they have location services enabled on their devices. However, they primarily rely on the location users list in their profile for ad targeting. Encouraging customers to list accurate locations in their profile can help improve geo-targeting accuracy.
Can I create lookalike audiences from my location-based Custom Audiences?
Yes, you can create lookalike audiences based on Custom Audiences built from website traffic or customer data from specific locations. This allows you to find new people with similar interests and demographics to your existing location-based customers.
Is location targeting available on Instagram and Messenger ads?
Location targeting is available for ads placed on Instagram and Messenger through Facebook’s Ads Manager. The targeting options and setup process is the same. Your ads can reach audiences across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.
Conclusion
Location targeting provides powerful options for honing in on specific geographic customer segments on Facebook. Start broad then narrow down your focus for the most relevant reach. Analyze performance data frequently and optimize your ad campaigns according to what drives the best results in each location. With the right geographic insights and optimization, you can connect with your ideal audiences and grow your business.