A lot of Utah business owners have tried Facebook ads, spent a few hundred dollars, got some likes and decided "ads don't work for us." Usually the ads weren't the problem. The setup was.
I've managed six-figure yearly ad budgets and run ads for my own brands. Here's what actually makes Facebook and Instagram ads work for a local business.
Start with the goal, not the boost button
The "Boost post" button is the easiest way to spend money on Meta and the worst way to get customers. Boosted posts are built for likes and reach, not calls, bookings or sales.
Before you spend anything, decide what you want someone to do:
- Call you
- Fill out a quote form
- Book an appointment
- Buy something
- Come into the store
Then set up the campaign in Ads Manager around that action. It sounds obvious, but it changes everything about how the ads are delivered.
Set up tracking before you launch
If you can't see which ads turned into customers, you can't make good decisions. At a minimum:
- Install the Meta Pixel on your website
- Track your key actions: form submissions, bookings, purchases, calls from the site
- Use a separate landing page or form for ad traffic when possible
This part is boring, which is why most businesses skip it. It's also why most businesses think ads don't work.
Target the area you actually serve
For a local business, location targeting matters more than detailed interests. If you serve Salt Lake County, target the cities you actually drive to, not "Utah." A bakery in Sugar House and an HVAC company covering the whole valley need very different maps.
Meta's delivery system is good at finding the right people inside your area if your creative and tracking give it good signals. Overly narrow interest targeting often makes results worse, not better.
Creative is the targeting now
The single biggest factor in how your ads perform is the creative: the video or image, and the first line of text. Meta uses your creative to figure out who to show the ad to.
What tends to work for local businesses:
- Real video of your work. Short, vertical clips shot on location beat polished stock footage almost every time.
- Faces. Owners and staff talking to the camera build trust fast.
- Before and after. If your work has a visible result, show it.
- A hook in the first two seconds. People scroll fast. Lead with the most interesting moment.
- Plain language. Say what you do, where you do it and what to do next.
Plan to test several pieces of creative at once, then put more money behind the ones that win. Content you've made that has gone viral or done well organically is often a great place to start.
Give people a reason to act now
"We do great work" isn't an offer. Something specific and time-bound is:
- A free estimate this month
- A first-visit discount
- A seasonal package (spring cleanup, winter tune-up)
- An event or limited-time menu
Utah's seasons are strong, so tie your offers to them. Snow removal in October, yard work in March, patio season in May.
Budget: enough to learn, then scale what works
You don't need a huge budget, but you need enough for Meta to learn. Spreading $10 a day across five ad sets usually means none of them get enough data. Start with fewer campaigns, consolidate your budget, and let them run long enough to see results before you change things.
Once something works, scale gradually. Big sudden budget jumps can reset performance.
Follow up fast
The ad's job is to start the conversation. Your job is to finish it. If a lead fills out a form and doesn't hear back for a day, a competitor gets the job. Set up instant notifications, reply quickly, and track which leads turn into customers so you can feed that back into your ads.
A simple starting plan
- Pick one goal (calls, quotes or bookings)
- Install the pixel and track that action
- Target the cities you serve
- Shoot 5–10 short, real videos of your business
- Run one campaign with a clear, seasonal offer
- Check results weekly, keep the winners, cut the losers
That's the system we run for clients. If you'd like help setting it up, from shooting the video to managing the ads, take a look at how we work with Salt Lake County businesses.