How to Use Meta Ads for Retargeting Local Customers

At Lillian Purge, we specialise in Local SEO Services and have developed comprehensive guidance on How to use Meta Ads for retargeting local customers.

Retargeting is one of the most powerful tools available in Meta Ads, allowing businesses to re-engage people who have already interacted with their brand. For local businesses, it can be particularly effective in turning website visitors, social media followers, or previous customers into repeat clients. This article explains how to use Meta Ads for retargeting local customers, how to set up your campaigns, and how to make them perform at their best.

What retargeting is and why it matters

Retargeting (sometimes called remarketing) is the process of showing ads to people who have previously visited your website, engaged with your Facebook or Instagram page, or interacted with your content. It keeps your brand visible to potential customers who have already shown interest but haven’t yet made a purchase or enquiry.

For local businesses, retargeting is particularly valuable because most customers rarely make a buying decision after a single visit. Retargeted ads remind them of your business, highlight your offers, and bring them back when they’re ready to take action.

How Meta Ads retargeting works

Meta’s advertising platform uses tracking tools like the Meta Pixel and the Conversions API to monitor user interactions with your website and social media pages. When someone takes an action such as viewing a product, reading a service page, or watching a video—Meta stores that information and allows you to serve ads specifically to those users later.

For local campaigns, you can combine retargeting with location targeting, ensuring your ads only appear to people in your service area. This keeps your campaigns efficient and relevant.

Step 1: Set up the Meta Pixel

Before you can run retargeting campaigns, you need to install the Meta Pixel on your website. This small code snippet tracks visitor behaviour and sends that data back to Meta.

To install it:

1. Log in to your Meta Business Manager account.

2. Go to Events Manager and create a Pixel.

3. Add the Pixel code to your website header, or integrate it using platforms like Shopify, WordPress, or Google Tag Manager.

Once installed, the Pixel starts collecting data about actions like page views, button clicks, and form submissions—allowing you to create highly targeted audiences later.

Step 2: Build custom audiences

Custom audiences are the foundation of retargeting. In Meta Ads Manager, you can create audiences based on user activity, such as:

• Website visitors from the last 30, 60, or 90 days

• People who viewed specific service or product pages

• Users who interacted with your Facebook or Instagram profile

• Past customers who made a purchase or enquiry

For local targeting, you can refine these audiences by combining them with geographic filters. For example, you could retarget users who visited your website and live within 10 miles of your business.

Step 3: Create personalised ad campaigns

Once your audience is ready, the next step is to create ads that speak directly to them. Retargeting works best when the content feels personal and relevant. Some ideas include:

• Reminding users of a product or service they viewed.

• Offering limited-time discounts or incentives to encourage action.

• Highlighting customer testimonials or case studies to build trust.

• Sharing content about your community involvement or local expertise.

Your ad copy should feel conversational and locally focused, using familiar landmarks or local phrases that make the message more relatable.

Step 4: Use dynamic ads for product-based businesses

If you run an ecommerce store, Meta’s dynamic ads can automatically show users the exact products they viewed on your site. The system pulls product information from your catalogue and customises the ad for each user. This approach increases relevance and conversion rates because customers see items they’ve already shown interest in.

For service-based local businesses, you can create dynamic-style ads manually by segmenting your audience based on service pages they visited, such as “boiler repair” or “emergency plumbing.”

Step 5: Refine your targeting by location

For local retargeting, it’s essential to focus on your service area. Use Meta’s location settings to restrict your ads to people living in or recently visiting specific cities, towns, or postcodes.

This prevents wasted ad spend on audiences outside your reach and ensures your messaging is hyper-localised. Pairing retargeting with local targeting ensures your ads stay relevant and cost-effective.

Step 6: Optimise frequency and timing

Retargeting can become ineffective or annoying if your ads appear too often. In Meta Ads Manager, you can control ad frequency to ensure users see your message enough to stay aware but not so much that it becomes repetitive.

A good rule is to limit exposure to two or three impressions per week and refresh your creatives regularly to prevent ad fatigue. Testing different ad durations and audience windows (for example, 7 days vs 30 days) helps identify what works best for your business.

Step 7: Track performance and measure ROI

Tracking ROI is essential for understanding whether your retargeting campaigns are generating results. Use Meta Ads Manager to monitor metrics such as click-through rate, conversion rate, cost per acquisition, and overall return on ad spend (ROAS).

By comparing these numbers to your campaign goals, you can see which ads are driving leads or sales and where adjustments may be needed. Pairing Meta’s analytics with tools like Google Analytics provides deeper insight into post-click actions on your website.

Step 8: Combine retargeting with local SEO

To maximise the impact of your Meta Ads, integrate your retargeting strategy with local SEO. When customers see your ads and later search for your services, strong local SEO ensures your business appears prominently in organic results and on Google Maps.

This combination reinforces brand visibility across multiple touchpoints and builds trust with potential customers who see your business consistently online.

Step 9: Test and refine your campaigns

As with any digital marketing strategy, testing is crucial. Experiment with different ad creatives, audience segments, and offers to see which combinations yield the best results. Retargeting audiences are dynamic, so regularly updating them ensures your campaigns reach people who are still interested and engaged.

Why Meta Ads retargeting is powerful for local businesses

For small and local businesses, Meta Ads retargeting is an affordable and effective way to stay top of mind with potential customers. It focuses on warm audiences who already know your brand, increasing the likelihood of conversions compared to cold outreach.

Because Meta allows you to control your audience size, location, and budget, you can create efficient campaigns that deliver measurable results without overspending.

How I Would Use a £1,000 Budget for a Local Retargeting Campaign on Meta

When I think about how to get the best value from Meta ads for local retargeting I always go back to what I have seen work repeatedly. In my experience £1,000 is more than enough to create a strong, tightly controlled campaign that keeps your brand in front of people who have already shown interest in your services. The key is not to spread the budget too thin but to structure it in a way that follows people at the exact moment they begin comparing local providers.

If I had £1,000 to spend on local retargeting this is how I would run the campaign.

I would start by building the right audiences

In my opinion the strength of a retargeting campaign comes from the quality of the audiences you build. I would create at least three core custom audiences:

• people who visited key service pages on the website within the last 30 to 60 days

• people who engaged with your Instagram or Facebook content

• people who watched at least 50 per cent of previous videos

I have found that these groups convert well because they have already shown intent.

I would allocate the budget carefully

With £1,000 I would split the budget into two parts. Roughly £700 would be spent on pure retargeting aimed at driving conversions or enquiries. The remaining £300 would be used on warm awareness which keeps your brand visible to anyone who has interacted with you recently.

This structure works well because it pushes the most ready users towards action while still nurturing anyone sitting on the fence.

I would use simple but effective creative

In my experience retargeting works best with straightforward content. I would create:

• a short video explaining the service

• a clear graphic with a simple benefit

• a reminder style message such as “Still thinking about this?”

Retargeting does not need clever concepts. It needs clarity and a calm, confident tone.

I would tailor the message for people who are ready to act

I believe people in a retargeting audience already know who you are. They do not need an introduction. They need reassurance. Messaging like:

• “If you still need help we are open today”

• “Here is what our clients say locally”

• “Get fast support from specialists in your area”

works well because it reduces hesitation.

I would use frequency caps so the ads do not overwhelm people

In my opinion one of the biggest mistakes people make is hammering audiences with the same ad repeatedly. I would set a frequency cap to avoid fatigue, probably around three to five impressions per week. This keeps your brand present without becoming annoying.

I would run the ads for a full 30 days

Retargeting needs consistent pacing. Running the ads for a full month allows the budget to stabilise and gives Meta time to learn who is most likely to convert.

I would track key conversion events

In my experience retargeting works best when you optimise for a real action such as:

• form submissions

• calls

• WhatsApp messages

• booking requests

I would set up tracking correctly so Meta can push the budget to people most likely to complete those actions.

I would review performance weekly

With a £1,000 budget I would check performance every seven days. I have learned that weekly reviews give you enough data to make decisions without interrupting the learning phase too early.

If a certain creative is performing better I would shift more of the budget there. If people are clicking but not converting I would tweak the landing page or change the call to action.

How Lillian Purge helps businesses with Meta Ads retargeting

At Lillian Purge, we help local businesses design, run, and optimise Meta Ads campaigns that convert. Our team specialises in audience targeting, creative strategy, and performance tracking to ensure your ads reach the right people at the right time.

By combining local SEO expertise with paid advertising insights, we create unified marketing strategies that drive visibility, engagement, and growth for local businesses. Whether you want to retarget website visitors or reconnect with previous customers, we can help you turn interest into action.

We have also written in depth articles on How to track ROI from Meta Ads campaigns and How to Advertise on Facebook as well as our Facebook Advertising Hub to give you further guidance.