Ask the Digital Media Expert: Facebook Advertising
Welcome to our first edition of Ask the Digital Media Expert. All questions are answered by Goodway Group’s COO Jay Friedman.
Have a burning digital media question? Send it to us at melissa@goodwaygroup.com
QUESTION:
I have a question about geo targeting. Is Facebook Advertising better for local businesses or those wanting to reach a national audience? If local, can you share some best practices?
ANSWER:
With regard to geo-targeting, Facebook isn’t necessarily better at local or national. What Facebook does better, though, is geo-target better than most other digital tactics. The best way to understand how geo-targeting works within various channels/outlets is to think, “where could they get my location information?” Sites like Yahoo and Facebook get your ZIP code at sign-up, so those sites will be the most accurate in their geo-targeting. Ad networks and the like have traditionally relied on IP-based geo-targeting which is accurate to the “area of town” you’re in, but not much more specifically. That too will change in the next 12-18 months, as new ways of geo-targeting are becoming available that get down to the block level.
Mobile is similar. If you’re logged into an app in which you’ve provided your ZIP, expect great targeting. Same if that app is using your location (through permission.) However if your GPS is off and you’re simply on a mobile browser, expect some very inaccurate geo-targeting!
Tags: facebook advertising, facebook advertising advice, facebook advertising how to, local facebook advertising
