Richmond has some of Melbourne’s liveliest strips. Swan Street fills up on game days, Bridge Road mixes fashion, homewares and food, and Church Street links the two with cafes, restaurants and studios. It’s a suburb where people go out, try new places and share what they find on Instagram.
That makes Richmond ideal for Facebook and Instagram advertising. Unlike Google Ads, which reach people searching for something specific, Meta ads put your business in front of locals while they scroll, often before they even know they want you. Done well, they fill tables, classes and appointment books. Done badly, they burn money on likes that never turn into customers.
When Meta ads work best
Meta ads suit businesses where seeing is what sells:
Great fit
Harder fit
Cafes, restaurants and bars
Emergency services people search for in a hurry
Gyms, yoga and pilates studios
Very niche B2B services
Beauty, hair and nail salons
Businesses with nothing visual to show
Boutiques and homewares
Services people only need once in a decade
Events, classes and workshops
If customers usually find you by searching (“plumber Richmond”), start with Google Ads. If they find you by seeing you, Meta is where to begin.
1. Choose the right goal
When you create a campaign, Meta asks for an objective. The one you pick decides who sees your ad.
- Want bookings, enquiries or sign-ups? Choose a leads or sales objective. Meta will show your ad to people more likely to take action.
- Want people to visit your website? Choose traffic, but be aware it optimises for clicks, not customers.
- Want more people to know you exist? Choose awareness, best for new businesses or launches.
The most common mistake we see is choosing engagement. It gets likes and comments, but likes don’t pay the rent.
2. Target the people who can actually visit you
Your customers are probably within a short trip of your shop. Set your location to a tight radius around your business or to the suburbs nearby: Richmond, Cremorne, Abbotsford, Collingwood, Hawthorn and the edge of the CBD.
Within that area, keep audience settings broad to begin with. Meta’s targeting is now largely automated, and over-narrow interests often make results worse, not better. Let your creative and offer do the targeting: an ad for a post-work pilates class will attract the right people on its own.
Real estate, employment and finance businesses: Meta classes these as special ad categories, which limit targeting options by law and policy. Check the rules before you launch.
3. Make the creative feel local
On Instagram, ads that look like ads get scrolled past. Ads that look like real posts from a local business get watched.
What works in Richmond:
- Short vertical videos filmed on a phone: your barista pouring, your chef plating, your class in full flight
- Real people, your team and your regulars (with permission), not stock photos
- Recognisable places: your shopfront, the strip outside, the vibe inside
- The first two seconds should show the best moment, not a logo
- Captions on screen, because many people watch with the sound off
If you already post reels, your best-performing organic reels are often your best ads. Test them first. Short of ideas? Our 30 reels ideas for small businesses work just as well on Swan Street.
4. Give people a reason to act now
A great ad without a reason to act is just a nice video. Pair your creative with a clear, honest offer:
- A first-class-free trial for a gym or studio
- A weekday lunch special or happy hour for a cafe or bar
- A booking slot this week for a salon
- A launch event for a new shop
Keep the offer simple, make it true, and tell people exactly what to do: “Book on our website”, “Message us on WhatsApp”, “Show this ad at the counter”.
Our free ads review looks at your goal, targeting, creative and tracking, and shows where your budget is leaking.
5. Time your ads to Richmond’s rhythm
Richmond’s busy times change with the week and the season. Game days around Swan Street, Friday nights, weekend brunch: think about when your customers are making plans, and make sure your ads (and your budget) are running then. Promote Saturday brunch on Thursday and Friday, not Saturday afternoon.
6. Track what matters
Likes and views are easy to measure and easy to be fooled by. What matters is what happens next: bookings, enquiries, sign-ups and visits.
- Install the Meta Pixel (and, ideally, the Conversions API) on your website so Meta can see bookings and enquiries
- Use lead forms inside Facebook and Instagram for simple enquiries, so people don’t have to leave the app
- Use unique offer codes or “mention this ad” for in-store offers, so you can count redemptions
Then judge each campaign on cost per booking or cost per lead, not cost per like.
A simple monthly plan
Week
What to do
1
Film 6–8 short clips; pick your offer for the month
2
Launch 2–3 ad versions with the same offer and different videos
3
Turn off the weakest version; move budget to the best one
4
Review cost per booking; plan next month’s offer
Frequently asked questions
How much should a Richmond business spend on Meta ads?
Start with a budget you’re comfortable testing for a month, track cost per booking or lead, then scale up what works.
Should I boost posts or use Ads Manager?
Boosting is quick but limited. Ads Manager gives you proper objectives, targeting and tracking, and usually better results for the same spend.
Facebook or Instagram?
Most campaigns run on both automatically. Meta decides where your ads perform best.
