How Should We Set the Location for Our Ads?

Short Answer: You should enter a specific location when setting your ads. For large cities, choose the city option rather than the region since different parts within a region may need separate campaigns. For rural areas, use the radius option by selecting a specific mile radius to define your target area accurately.

Full Explanation

Setting the location for your ads plays a crucial role in targeting your audience effectively. When dealing with big cities, selecting the city itself instead of the broader region is important because various areas within the same region can have different advertising needs. This means campaigns tailored to one part of a region might not be as effective in another. Conversely, when targeting rural areas where population centers are more dispersed, using a radius around a specific point allows you to encompass the desired audience within a chosen number of miles.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Identify the Location Type: Determine whether your target is a big city or a rural area.
For Big Cities: Select the city itself as the ad location instead of the entire region. This helps in managing distinct campaigns for different parts of that region if needed.
For Rural Areas: Use the radius targeting option where you specify a central location and choose how many miles around it your ads will be shown.

Real Examples

If you are advertising in a central metropolitan city with multiple neighborhoods, selecting the city ensures your campaigns are as targeted as possible and reflective of diverse local audiences. If your target is a small rural town, setting a radius of, for example, 15 miles around the town center will capture the nearby population without extending unnecessarily into other areas.

Common Mistakes

Choosing a Region for a Big City: Selecting the larger region rather than the city can lead to less targeted campaigns and wasted ad spend due to varying needs across areas.
Not Using Radius for Rural Locations: Failing to use the radius option can result in either under-reaching or overreaching your rural audience because the geography isn’t as densely populated or uniformly defined.

FAQs

Why not always use region targeting? Because regions often cover large and diverse areas where different ad strategies are necessary, especially in big cities.
When is radius targeting most useful? Radius targeting is best for rural areas where locations are spread out, allowing focus around a specific point.

Key Takeaways

Always enter specific locations to improve ad targeting.
Pick the city option for large urban areas to tailor campaigns effectively.
Use the radius option in rural areas to define a precise mile range around your target.