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What Are the Best Tools for Creating Targeted Ad Campaigns on Social Platforms?
If you’re a local service business running ads on social media, you’ve probably asked:
“What’s the best way to target the right people?”
And the truth is… most people are asking the wrong question.
Because in 2026, the best targeting tool is your creative.
Interest targeting is not the cheat code it used to be. Meta has evolved, privacy changes have reshaped tracking, and audiences are broader than ever. The brands and businesses winning right now aren’t winning because they found some secret targeting hack…
They’re winning because their ads feel like they were made for the exact person watching.
So in this post, I’ll break down the best tools for creating truly targeted ad campaigns on social platforms — specifically for local service businesses — and how to use them in a way that actually drives leads and sales.
If you’re running ads for a local service business, I almost always recommend starting with Facebook + Instagram (Meta).
Not because it’s trendy — because it’s reliable.
Meta is the oldest of the major platforms, it has the most data, and the reach is insane. Everyone uses Facebook and Instagram, even the people who think they don’t.
And in most cases, the cost to advertise is still cheaper compared to other platforms.
Google is a close second — but it’s situational.
Some businesses crush it on Google because the buying intent is immediate. Example:
When someone’s furnace dies at 11PM, they aren’t scrolling Instagram hoping to find a contractor.
They’re Googling.
So yes, Google can be incredible — but for most local services, Meta is still the best starting point if you want consistent lead flow.
Most people think targeting means:
But here’s the reality:
If you make ads that speak directly to your audience’s pain, objections, and desires, Meta will find the right people.
That’s why I tell clients:
Stop obsessing over interests and start obsessing over angles.
Because if your ad says the right thing in the right way, it becomes the filter.
Before we get into tools, let’s cover the common mistakes I see constantly.
This is a big one.
If your goal is leads and sales, you should not be running:
Those campaigns might get you clicks, views, or engagement… but they usually won’t get you paying customers.
If your goal is leads, run a Leads campaign.
A lot of business owners overcomplicate targeting because they want control.
But the narrower you go, the harder you make Meta’s job.
Broad targeting + strong creative is the winning combination for most local service businesses today.
This is the real reason most campaigns “stop working.”
People run 1–2 ads, don’t see instant results, and decide Meta ads don’t work.
The truth is:
Your first ad is rarely your best ad.
You need volume and variety.
This is where you build, launch, and optimize your campaigns.
Meta Ads Manager gives you control over:
If you’re serious about ads, this is where you live.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink the setup. Most businesses do better when they keep it simple.
If you’re trying to micromanage every detail of your targeting, you’re playing the old game.
Advantage+ is great because it automates a lot of the heavy lifting.
It helps Meta optimize delivery based on who’s most likely to convert — not just who matches a random interest.
For most local service businesses, Advantage+ is a win because it lets you focus on what matters:
making better ads.
If you don’t use the Ads Library, you’re guessing.
This tool lets you see what other businesses are running — which means you can:
The best part is it’s free.
You can literally search your competitors and see:
Canva is one of the best creative tools for local service ads because it makes execution easy.
You can build:
And you don’t need a designer.
The goal isn’t to make the prettiest ad on the internet — it’s to make an ad that communicates clearly in 1–2 seconds.
This is where most businesses lose.
They’ll spend money generating leads… and then take 2 days to respond.
Or they won’t track anything.
Or the leads fall through the cracks.
If you want ads to actually work long-term, you need a CRM.
We recommend GoHighLevel because it gives full CRM functionality at a much cheaper cost compared to alternatives like HubSpot.
With GHL, you can:
Your ads don’t just need clicks.
They need systems behind them.
Most accounts don’t need 12 campaigns and 47 ad sets.
Here’s the structure I like:
That’s it.
You don’t need to complicate it.
You need to test more creatives and improve what you’re saying.
I recommend launching 10 creatives at once, then adding:
3–5 new creatives every 2–4 weeks.
This keeps performance stable because you’re always feeding the algorithm new options.
These are formats that consistently work for local service businesses:
This mix works because it hits different buyer types:
Your creative is doing the segmentation for you.
Most local service businesses should use Instant Forms.
Landing pages often overcomplicate the process and reduce conversion rate.
Unless you have a bigger, higher-ticket offer (example: $5K/month+), a landing page can feel like overkill and even turn people away.
Instant forms win because:
If you want more leads, make it easier to become a lead.
Leads fluctuate. That’s normal.
Week to week, your CPL can swing just because of:
So instead of panicking every time leads dip, I look at leading indicators:
If those look healthy, your campaign is usually fine — and results will stabilize over time.
After about 12 weeks of running ads consistently, you’ll have enough data to establish your benchmarks and know what “normal” looks like for your business.
If you’re using a landing page, you need to use CAPI.
If you’re using instant forms, your tracking is simpler, and you can focus more on those weekly indicators.
I don’t care if your copy is short or long.
What matters is that it’s clear and it hits the right pain point.
The first line needs to be a hook.
Usually, the best hooks are pain-based because they stop the scroll instantly.
Then after the hook, your job is simple:
Discounts and the word “free” often bring lower-quality leads.
The strongest “offer” isn’t “10% off.”
The strongest offer is:
why you’re different than your competitors.
That’s what attracts the right clients.
If you want to run targeted ad campaigns on social platforms today, don’t look for some magic interest stack.
Use tools that help you:
✅ Meta Ads Manager
✅ Advantage+
✅ Facebook Ads Library
✅ Canva
✅ CRM (GoHighLevel recommended)
That stack + consistent creative testing beats “perfect targeting” every time.
If you’re a local service business owner, here’s what I’d do this week:
That’s how you build predictable results without overcomplicating everything.
Prefer to have a team manage it for you? Take a look at how we use Facebook ad lead generation to drive predictable revenue
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