it's very simple:
1) Google AdWords
2) Facebook ads
3) Local search engine optimization
4) Referrals
5) Forums
On a local scale, those will be the primary customer acquisition channels.
The reason you have bad results with Facebook is because you haven't gone through the proper training.
There are a TOOOOONNN of blogs and courses out there that cover Facebook ads. Specifically the Power Editor (anything else will give you crap results).
Google AdWords is also a beast for customer acquisition.
But it does take a while to learn everything yourself- especially if you're brand spankin new to digital marketing.
Local competition in the digital marketing space is VERY low. Most people have no idea how to do things properly which is a huge advantage for people who take the time to learn.
For example, I live in Houston and we're going to start running our AdWords campaign tomorrow.
I know for a fact, without using any competitor keyword analysis tools that within a few weeks or months, my AdWords campaigns will be much more successful that many others who have been running them for over 6 months.
My cost will be lower than everyone else, I'll get more clicks and higher conversions.
And again, I'm no marketing guru, but the level local competition is at, you don't have to be to get great results.
I know a lot of people will say, "well I don't want to pay for anything" or "I don't want to waste my money"... and I understand.
But who wouldn't want to put $5 into a machine and get $10 in return each and every single time.