Geo-targeting in Facebook Ads allows you to pinpoint people within a specific geographic radius—even as precise as one mile. This precision becomes a competitive weapon when used to target audiences around your competitor’s physical store or business location. Instead of broad, expensive campaigns, you focus your ad spend on highly relevant local prospects.
According to Meta, location-based targeting can improve ad performance by up to 27% compared to non-targeted campaigns. This makes it one of the most cost-effective tools in your paid social media strategy.
How to Reach Your Competitor’s Local Audience
Map example: pin a competitor’s location, set a 1–3 mile geo‑fence, and target prospects within that radius.
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Identify Competitor Locations
Use Google Maps or business directories to find exact addresses of your competitors. This gives you the foundation to build a location-based audience. -
Create a Geo-Fenced Campaign
In Facebook Ads Manager, select the "People Recently in This Location" or "People Who Live in This Location" option depending on your targeting goals. Then, drop a pin near the competitor’s address and set a radius (we recommend 1-3 miles). -
Refine with Behavioral and Demographic Data
Layer additional targeting like interests, age, income, and behaviors to mirror your ideal customer profile. Combining geo-targeting with audience attributes can drastically improve conversion rates. -
Use Lookalike Audiences for Expansion
After testing your localized campaign, use LeadEnforce to create lookalike audiences based on engaged users. This allows you to scale your campaign while maintaining targeting accuracy.
Case Study: A Fitness Studio's Local Takeover
A boutique fitness studio in Austin used geo-targeted Facebook Ads to run a campaign focused on the 1-mile area around a competing gym. By combining geo-targeting with fitness-related interests and age groups, they saw a 45% increase in studio visits within two months.
Best Practices for Geo-Targeting Campaigns
Location-based ads can outperform untargeted campaigns—boosting performance by 27 % and delivering up to 20× greater effectiveness versus standard display ads.
Use High-Converting Creative: Showcase customer testimonials, limited-time offers, or unique features that differentiate you from the competitor.
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Optimize for Mobile: Most location-based ads will appear on mobile devices. Make sure landing pages load fast and are mobile-friendly.
Final Thoughts
Geo-targeting on Facebook is not just about showing up on a map—it’s about showing up where it matters most: right next to your competitor. Combined with behavioral targeting and tools like LeadEnforce, it can become one of your highest ROI strategies.
To learn how to set up your first geo-targeted audience in minutes, visit our guide to custom audience building.
