Meta ads are paid ads you run on Facebook and Instagram through Meta’s ad platform, and they work by showing your message to specific people based on targeting signals and an auction that decides which ad gets shown.
Everything starts in Meta Ads Manager: you choose a goal (like lead form submissions, calls, website purchases, or appointment requests), then build an “ad set” that defines who you want, where you want them, and how much you want to spend. Audiences can be built from location (for example, a radius around Orlando or specific ZIP codes), age ranges, interests, behaviors, and your own data like a customer list. You can also create retargeting audiences from people who visited your site, engaged with your posts, or watched your videos.
Once your ad is eligible to show, Meta runs an auction every time an ad spot becomes available. It is not simply “highest bidder wins.” Meta weighs your bid, how likely someone is to take the action you want, and the overall quality and relevance of the ad experience. That is why two businesses can spend the same budget and get very different results: the offer, the creative, the landing page, and the audience match matter as much as the daily spend.
Ads can appear in multiple placements: Facebook Feed, Instagram Feed, Stories, Reels, Messenger, and more. You can let Meta pick placements automatically or limit them based on what you sell (for example, vertical video for Reels and Stories). Budgets can be daily or lifetime, and billing is commonly based on impressions, link clicks, or optimized actions, depending on the goal you choose.
For tracking, most businesses use the Meta Pixel on the website plus Conversions API (server-side tracking) so leads and purchases get attributed even when browser tracking is limited. Inside reporting, you watch cost per lead, cost per call, landing page conversion rate, and lead quality, not just clicks. If you want a team to handle setup, tracking, creative testing, and ongoing optimization, our PPC management work covers Meta as well as other paid channels.
For Orlando and Central Florida businesses, Meta ads are especially useful when demand is local and time-sensitive: dentists filling hygiene schedules, law firms generating consultation requests, pest control booking same-week service, or real estate agents promoting listings and lead magnets. The fastest wins usually come from simple offers (new patient special, free estimate, same-day availability) paired with click-to-call, lead forms, or a dedicated landing page that matches the ad.
Two practical guardrails: First, follow Meta’s rules on restricted content and “special ad categories” (housing, employment, credit) that limit targeting options. Second, if you are in healthcare, treat patient information carefully and keep ad messaging general so you are not implying sensitive conditions. If you are building your funnel and want the targeting and message to match what people actually want right now, our search intent FAQ helps you map the offer to the right audience.
Meta ads work best when paid traffic and your owned channels support each other, so your ads, posts, and follow-up all tell the same story. If you want help with the organic side alongside paid campaigns, our social media marketing service pairs well with Meta ads for consistent content and faster creative testing.
If your goal is steady local demand, combine Meta ads with the kind of local visibility that catches people when they are ready to book. Our local SEO FAQ explains how that “ready-to-buy” traffic shows up in Maps and search results, which often lowers your cost per lead over time.
