Local Businesses: Facebook Now Offers Stalkerish Ads That Target Nearby CustomersOh, the places Facebook knows your customers go! And live.
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Fact: Facebook knows all. Just when you thoughtBig Brother Bluecouldn't get anycreepier, now it even knows when potential customers are walking near -- or living near -- your business.
Two years in the works, the social media powerhouse officiallyunveiledits newLocal Awareness Adstoday. The aim is to help advertisers create Facebook ads that target a hyper-local audience "at the lowest possible cost." Well, for less than "traditional advertising channels like newspaper[s] while offering more precise targeting and great reach," Facebook says.
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So, let's say you sell gourmet grilled cheese and someone famished just happens to stroll by a stone's throw away from your restaurant (or live close by) -- and they're on their smartphoneandthey spy a mouthwatering ad for your grub on Facebook -- you just might score a brand new customer. At least that's the big idea.
所有的业务所有者(或社会媒体营销lucky interns) have to do to build a Local Awareness ad is 1) log in to their company's Facebook page, 2) select a geographical radius close their business's location (Facebook will pre-select an area for you, but you can specify an area as small as one mile.) and 3) add an eye-catching photo and a snappy headline. And, boom, Facebook will automatically work its scary-precise nearby customer-targeting algorithm magic. The result: Hopefully more neighborhood locals or local visitors meandering through your doors and, even better, a juicy bump in local sales.
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You can also use the new ads to provide closeby customers with directions and to tell them about special sales and offers. Note: If your company page doesn't feature a brick-and-mortar address, you'll have to enter it.
Specifically, the new initiative shows Facebook users certain Local Awareness Ads if they live in the targeted location based on their Facebook profile's "current city" or based on their most recent device location, per their mobile device's GPS signal.
Related:Facebook Rolls Out Site-Wide 'Privacy Checkup,' Revamps Default User Settings
Don't want Facebook pushing ads to you based on your whereabouts? There are a few steps you can take to control the location-based data you share with the social network:
1. Disable Location Services for Facebook on your mobile device.
2.Remove your locationfrom your Facebook posts.
3. Don't "check-in" to locations on Facebook.
4. Turn on Facebook'sTag Reviewfeature. Tag Review allows you to approve or ignore tags that people want to add to your and their Facebook posts. With it on, any time someone tries to tag you in a post, like a photo or a location check-in, the tag won't appear until you okay it.
Whether Facebook users will find the new, somewhat stalkerish Local Awareness Ads freaky or convenient remains to be seen. Either way, you can bet we'll hear all about it very soon, especially, you guessed it, on Facebook.
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