No city is the same city for all who live there. Everyone has different favorite restaurants, different commutes, different neighbors, hobbies, and so on. So while being “local” might mean being in the same city, being hyper-local doesn’t necessarily mean being in the same neighborhood. It often means being in the same city (or the same side of town) AND sharing a passion.

Sounds like a good fit for Facebook Advertising doesn’t it?

Well it is. Here’s an example of just such a hyper-local Facebook ad:

Now, I’m not thrilled with the copy, and frankly, I think the image could have been improved, but all in all, this ad did exactly what it was meant to: it made me aware of & interested in Graphicom.

Why is this important? Two reasons:

1) The nearest Apple Store is more than 3 hours away from my home town, and

2) Most Apple users in Pensacola would like to know about alternative Apple stores, in case they need emergency servicing, replacement parts, or just a place to check out the latest Apple products.

So while this ad isn’t going to cause me to go out to Graphicom’s store today, it has caused me to put Graphicom on my short list of places to go whenever I have an Apple itch to scratch. And it did so for an astoundingly cheap price when compared to traditional advertising platforms.

This same strategy would work just as well for any other specialty or enthusiast store, ethnic food restaurants, or anywhere else. Remember, the idea for the ad isn’t to generate business on that first click, or even to get clicked — the idea is to get onto prospects’ “short list” of providers that they’ll turn to when the time comes to buy.

Of course, you still need to make sure your ad is seen, which is why I might suggest the following as an alternative to Graphicomes black and white ad:

Notice the pop of color and dark background that make the ad stand out visually.

I also changed the copy a bit to differentiate Graphicom from Best Buy, which also carries Apple Products, but who only carry them bone stock. Want extra memory or upgraded Graphics? They don’t carry that at Best Buy. Graphicom does offer laptops and desktops configured how you want. So this gives Apple enthusiasts more of a reason to remember Graphicom.

Even though Facebook was made for Hyper-Local ads, you’ll only really see the results with higher quality creative that refuses to blend into the background.