Different platforms have their own formats for ads and geotargeting. Here’s a brief overview of five of the top platforms and how manufacturers can utilize location-specific ads.
Google: Search and GDN Ads
Google Ads is a paid advertising service that allocates ads within search results. The results are dependent on location. For example, if you search “Siding Services,” the first results that appear on your search page will be those in nearby areas.
Local search ads are also available through Google Ads. This is a great way to drive foot traffic to an event, store or specific location. For users that include “near me” in their search, these ads can ensure your company appears in the results.
Through Google Ads, you can also use Google Display Network (GDN) ads. These ads will appear as users visit other websites across the GDN. These can be targeted to people in a specific location.
Facebook: Promoted Ads and Posts
Facebook offers two types of campaigns: ads and posts. Ads are more customizable — for instance, you can create a carousel ad of products. A promoted post boosts a specific post to appear in more feeds and focuses on increasing engagement rather than click-throughs. You can use geotargeting for either strategy.
Facebook allows you to select people who live in an area, have recently visited there or are currently traveling there. Available locations to choose from can be extremely specific, such as a zip code area or a business address. So if someone has visited a competitor’s showroom, you could create a laser-focused ad campaign to appear in their feed.
Twitter: Ad Campaigns
Twitter ads are structured similarly to Facebook ads. You can use a number of geographic targets, as well as interests and keywords, to narrow down your audience. There are three types of Twitter ads to choose from:
- Promoted ads: These look like tweets and can include text, images and/or video.
- Follower ads: With this option, you can choose your location and demographic audience and have your brand suggested to them as an account to follow.
- Trend takeover: Your ad will appear on Twitter’s Explore tab as either a static image, quick video or GIF.
Instagram: Feed and Stories Ads
Choose from four feed ad types or two stories ad types on Instagram. When incorporating geotargeted ads in your audience’s IG feed, you can select carousel images, a single image, a video or a slideshow. In stories, you can opt for a single image or a video. Add a location sticker to your story to boost your visibility even more.
When creating either type of ad campaign on Instagram, the geotargeting features are very similar to Facebook, allowing you to create an audience based on location as well as other interests and behaviors.
LinkedIn: Promoted Ads
If your building materials company has a B2B business model, you can gain traction by using geotargeted ads on LinkedIn. In addition to location, you can also target specific companies or job titles. For instance, you could promote ads to architects in a specific region. Or if a commercial real estate firm recently announced a major construction project, you could blast ads to the entire company to boost the visibility of your product.