NEW ORLEANS - Meta has released findings from a new study it conducted showing that its personalized advertising technologies were associated with nearly $550 billion in economic activity and 3.4 million jobs nationwide in 2024.
Meta estimates that 320,000 businesses in Louisiana maintain an active presence on Facebook, with 97.8% classified as small to medium-sized enterprises and 28% located in rural areas. By comparison, Arkansas has 240,000 active business accounts on the platform, while Mississippi has 210,000. In the New Orleans region, small businesses in particular rely on Meta platforms to advertise, engage with customers, and build brand visibility.
One example is Fringe + Co, a fashion company founded in New Orleans in 2017, which produces all of its products locally through small-batch, curated collections that prioritize sustainability by incorporating leftover fabric and scrap materials. Fringe + Co relies heavily on Meta platforms, using Facebook and Instagram to run targeted advertisements and engage with followers through posts, videos, and stories.
"It is a way for us to connect with new customers and foster relationships with returning customers,” said Kelsey Campion, Founder and Chief Sequin Officer. “By using Instagram and other social media channels, we can communicate directly with our customers and share our love and passion digitally with the world.”
Small Louisiana Businesses Using AI
Meta has launched several initiatives to support small businesses, including the new Meta AI app along with a series of in-person and virtual AI training events to help owners navigate the digital landscape.
“Business owners, particularly small business owners, are among the most creative, and scrappy individuals - willing to try new things in order to make their business run more efficiently, produce more, and to find new, and create meaningful relationships with their customers,” said Diana Doukas, Head of Economic Opportunity at Meta. “But this is also more than a 24/7 job, and so AI is helping them achieve these goals a little more easily. With AI, businesses can manage operational tasks more efficiently - freeing up employees to do higher value work. It can help drive marketing and sales and can result in higher ROI which allows businesses to invest their time and resources into finding new ways to build their business. It allows for someone to work ON their business, not in their business.”
The Meta study assessed the impact of its new AI-driven advertising tools and found that they drive a 22% improvement in return on ad spend for advertisers nationwide. This means that for every dollar U.S. advertisers spend with Meta, they see a $4.52 return when they use Meta AI-driven advertising tools.
According to the Meta report, an estimated 35,000 small businesses in Louisiana are leveraging AI products to streamline their business operations:
- 40% to advertise their products and services
- 25% to communicate with customers
- 9% to boost employee productivity.
Fringe + Co also integrates AI tools into its operations for tasks such as caption writing, email content generation, product descriptions, and elements of marketing strategy. According to the company, these tools have helped streamline workflows, reduce costs, and support creative development. With more than 90% of its sales originating from social media, the company attributes much of its growth to maintaining a consistent and compelling digital presence.
“Whether it’s local business owners using the real-time translation feature in our Ray-Ban Meta glasses to engage with the millions of international visitors to New Orleans, or one of the city’s world-class hospitals developing new AI solutions on Llama, New Orleans is embracing innovation across sectors,” said Doukas.
Ray-Ban Meta Glasses provide hands-free photo and video capture, voice control, and real-time AI tools such as translation and navigation.
Richland Parish Meta Data Center
The Richland Parish Meta AI Data Center in Louisiana is a $10 billion state-of-the-art facility supporting Meta’s advanced computing and AI infrastructure, with construction that began in Dec. 2024 and completion expected in 2030.
“Meta is proud to be building our largest data center to date in Richland Parish here in Louisiana,” said Doukas. “Not only will the project bring jobs and economic opportunity to Richland Parish, our data center will enable New Orleans businesses, academic institutions, health facilities and other organizations to build solutions on our open source large language model, Llama, and Meta AI.”
It is projected to support over 6,500 jobs, including more than 500 direct positions, over 1,000 indirect roles, and approximately 5,000 construction jobs at peak activity.
