Facebook is rolling out its 'Local Awareness' ad formats to eight new markets including the UK, enabling small businesses to drive awareness and interest in shopping at their physical businesses.

The Local Awareness ads, which have been introduced to Canada, Brazil, Italy, Spain, France, Australia and Germany in addition to the UK, enable advertisers to target customers close to their branches, resulting in increased footfall for bricks-and-mortar businesses.

The ad format is designed to be more cost-effective than traditional advertising channels like print while offering more precise targeting and greater reach, and has been very popular in the US with small and mid-sized businesses.

Facebook is also introducing a new 'Call Now' button for the ad format, enabling users who are served the ad via the Facebook app or in a mobile browser to click to immedately place a call to the business.

The 'Call Now' feature is in addition to the 'Get Directions' call-to-action button that has previously been available for Local Awareness ads, and has been launched in the US and new markets simultaneously.

"After we ran the local awareness campaign, we saw a lot more first-timers coming in," said Chris Dahlander, founder and CEO of Snappy Salads. "We still have our regulars, but they're interspersed with an entirely new crowed now."