Locals Ads Guide

I’m Daniel Dimsey. In this step‑by‑step guide I’ll walk you through the exact Facebook Ads setup I use in 2025 to generate consistent, high‑quality moving and removalist leads — the campaign objective, audience targeting, ad creative, and the instant form configuration that turns clicks into paying clients.

Quick overview — what this guide covers

• Campaign objective & recommended budgets
• Ad set settings: conversion tracking and precise location targeting (with exclusions)
• Ad creative: the exact image size, style and copy that converts
• How to build an instant form that qualifies leads so you don’t waste ad spend
• Testing, enhancements and final checklist before publishing

Campaign objective & budgets

Choose the Leads objective. For removalists and moving companies you want people to complete your instant form or your website quote form — that’s the simplest path to a qualified lead.

Budget recommendations (start here, then scale once you have data):

• Australia: A$50–A$100/day
• United States: US$35–US$70/day
• United Kingdom: £25–£50/day

Set the campaign budget and move on to the ad set to configure tracking and audience targeting.

Ad set: conversion tracking and audience targeting

1. Conversion location: I personally prefer Facebook Instant Forms — they’re fast to set up, look good and let you qualify people before you give a quote. If you have a high‑quality website with a quote flow, you can use website leads instead.

2. Performance goal: select “Maximize number of leads” rather than “Maximize number of conversion leads.” Why? If your instant form asks qualifying questions, only motivated prospects will complete it, so you’ll get quality leads without paying the premium conversion price.

3. Location targeting: narrow the audience to your actual service area — e.g. type your city (I use Melbourne as an example). Then create exclusion zones around the map using drop pins and increase the radius slightly. Facebook will otherwise spend on nearby areas you don’t service, wasting budget.

Ad creative — single image/video and the exact specs

I recommend running single image or single video ads for fast, scalable testing. Keep creatives simple and authentic so they build immediate trust.

Image specs

• Size: 1080 x 1080 px (square)
• Use a genuine photo of one of your team members or a real job — authenticity converts better than stock imagery.

Creative choices & enhancements

• Use visual touch‑ups and overlays (if they suit the image)
• Remove automatic text improvements if they ruin the look
• Consider adding subtle animation and music for placements that support video
• Disable any enhanced CTA features that don’t match your flow

Ad copy that works

Your ad copy should be genuine, local and action‑focused. Social proof up front helps. Keep the headline simple and aligned with the CTA button.

• Headline (call to action): “Get a fast quote” or “Get your free quote” — tell them exactly what to do.
• Description: lead with credibility — e.g. “Trusted by hundreds of local families” or “Over 1,000 happy moves.”
• CTA: “Get Quote” or for urgent work use “Call Now” if you want immediate calls.

Example ad voice: a friendly, local line like “We’re your local movers — reliable, insured, and ready to move you. Get a fast quote today.” Combine that with a photo of a real crew member for instant trust.

Build the instant form that filters out tire‑kickers

The instant form is where you qualify leads so your ad spend buys clients, not time‑wasters. Set this up deliberately:

1. Form type: Choose “More volume” and set sharing settings to open.

2. Remove the intro — it’s usually wasted attention. Go straight to questions.

3. Ask 3–4 qualifying multiple‑choice questions (this is the golden spot). If someone won’t answer, they’re unlikely to book anyway. Suggested questions:

   • Where are you located? (list suburbs / areas)
   • How urgently do you need the move done? (ASAP / 1–2 weeks / flexible)
   • Size of job? (1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, 3+ bedroom, office)
   • Any access issues? (stairs, narrow drive, lift needed)

4. Collect full name, phone number, email and street address. Phone number is crucial for follow up; address helps you price accurately and filter out out‑of‑area leads.

5. Privacy policy: add a link (website privacy or a Google Doc works). The form typically only checks for a link, but include a real policy if possible.

6. Form headline & thank‑you text: keep the headline aligned (e.g. “Get a fast quote”). For the follow‑up description tell them when they’ll hear back — “You’ll receive your quote within 24–48 hours” or “Instant quote in 5 minutes” if you truly deliver instantly.

7. Button: set to “Call Business” if you want urgent leads to call immediately, and add your phone number so the call button appears.

Testing, measurement and optimisation

• Start with single‑image ads to test many variations quickly. Swap images and copy sequentially to find winners.
• Use the instant form questions to reduce unqualified leads so you can optimise for volume instead of expensive conversions.
• Once you have a winning creative, scale budget gradually rather than doubling overnight.
• Monitor cost per lead, lead quality (bookings per lead) and tweak form questions or ad creative if quality drops.

Final checklist before publishing

1. Campaign objective set to Leads and daily budget in place.
2. Facebook Page selected on the ad and performance goal set to “Maximize number of leads.”
3. Ad set locations narrowed to your service area with exclusions configured via drop pins.
4. Creative uploaded: 1080×1080 image (real team photo), clear headline and social proof in the description.
5. Instant form created with 3–4 qualifying multiple choice questions and required contact fields.
6. Privacy policy link added and form CTA set to the appropriate action (Get Quote / Call Now).
7. Enhancements toggled (visual touch‑ups, overlays, animation as needed) and the campaign published.

Wrap up — why this approach works

This system focuses on two things: real human trust and tight qualification. A genuine image of your team builds trust instantly. The instant form filters for motivated buyers so you don’t pay for tire‑kickers. Because the form does the pre‑qualification, you can optimise for volume (lower CPC/lead) and still get high‑quality, bookable enquiries.

If you implement these steps — precise location targeting with exclusions, single‑image creative that shows the real team, simple social‑proof copy, and a 3–4 question qualifying instant form — you’ll dramatically improve lead quality and reduce wasted ad spend.

Now go set up your first campaign, run a few tests, and iterate. If you want to dig deeper into automating follow ups, Google Ads complements and scaling strategies, I’ve covered those topics in more detail elsewhere.

Need a checklist to copy

• Objective: Leads
• Budget: start A$50 / US$35 / £25 per day
• Ad creative: 1080×1080 image — real team photo
• Headline: “Get a fast quote”
• Description: short social proof line + delivery timeframe
• Form: 3–4 multiple choice qualifying questions + contact fields
• CTA: Get Quote or Call Now (add phone number)
• Exclude nearby areas you don’t service
• Publish and test

Final note

Run the process, collect data, and optimise. Small changes to wording, one extra qualifying question, or swapping an image can make a big difference in lead quality. Keep it local, genuine and focused on getting the prospect to request a quote.