Getting Started with Facebook Local Awareness Ads

Facebook added call-to-action buttons to its newsfeed ads last October, allowing users to click a button to either call or get directions. These new features make it more convenient for customers to reach you directly from their mobile device. Facebook has been upgrading its local awareness ad program and this is latest example of how they are trying to make Facebook advertising cost effective for small businesses.

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The Call Now or Directions button appear on the bottom right corner of a newsfeed ad. This saves customers valuable time by not forcing them to click an ad, visit a web page, and then find the appropriate contact information. Additionally, it (in theory) should help businesses cut down on abandonment from users who get frustrated by the process above. By making this information available with one click, users are more likely to become to customers. Facebook also added a call-to-action metric in its analytics tool so you can see precisely how many people called or got directions to your store.

To get started, simply choose the “Reach people near your business” campaign objective on the campaign creation page.

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From there, simply enter your address, choose the radius you’d like to target in, then enter in all other audience selection pieces just like you would with any other Facebook campaign and you’re off to the races!

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Although Google text ads have provided click-to-navigate and click-to-call buttons to its users for some time now, this is just another of Facebook’s attempts to try and design ways to keep users on its platform. By extension, keeping those users on Facebook and off Google.

To learn more about Facebook’s call-to-action buttons visit Facebook for Business.