It’s fair to say that most people are on Facebook and many, who also own small businesses, probably also run a Facebook Page for that business.
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But, do you really know how Facebook can help you connect locally with customers? And by that I mean above and beyond the old share-this-to-win-a-prize strategy.
Well today, we’re going to break that down for you.
Why is this important may you ask? Well it’s a fact that these days, people are turning to social media to help with purchasing decisions and you can bet your life that they’ll listen to whoever is doing the talking.
Meaning, if you’re not talking, you can guarantee a competitor of yours is – and we all know how much it hurts when that happens.
So sit back, grab a coffee and read up on how you can connect with local customers…
First up though, forget the headline ‘billions’ of users you’re always told use Facebook.
Why?
Well unless you sell online and can despatch to Outer Mongolia, if someone in Katmandu likes your special sauce they are, at least in terms of revenue – irrelevant, in the nicest possible way.
So, although, yes, billions of people are on Facebook, a hefty number also live near you and that’s who we’re after. Here are three ways you can try today…
[A quick note on complexity. These suggestions aren’t very. They are designed to take away and implement immediately so all those Facebook guru’s out there, you may want to skip to our blog for another post.]
1. Check-ins
Encouraging people to check-in at your place of business is a great idea as it shows up in their newsfeed and that’s effectively free promotion for you.
To help, give them an inexpensive freebie – of value to them – to make it more attractive. You should also prompt this action with point of sale material.
As an added bonus, consider prompting them where they are standing killing time, like in the queue to pay. Depending on your internet connection and speed of service, they could check in and receive the confirmation before reaching the till.
2. Targeting
Thanks to some nifty third party deals on data acquisition Facebook has done with people like Experian, they have some suprisingly good targeting options in their advertising platform which you should utilise to boost your posts.
So, don’t rely on the quick promotion to ‘people who liked my page’ – instead delve into the life of your target customer by thinking about their demographics and put that intelligence to use.
For example, want to know how many single-female-homeowners-earning-over-£35k-who-like-Game-of-Thrones are living in SE10? Well now, you can my friend 😉 and that part, costs you nothing.
You can even upload your email marketing list and Facebook will match the user accounts allowing you to target them directly.
3. Events
Much like our own calendar, adding events to Facebook is free and using the service raises awareness of your business. Handily, your event will show in people’s newsfeed and unless they decline the invitation, Facebook will continue to send them reminders right up till the day it happens.
Don’t run events? Be creative, I’m sure you can! 😉
For example, own a bicycle shop? How about having a Saturday morning ride in where customers spending over £5 can get their bike security tagged for free? If you own a deli, a tasting event to launch your new menu is making me feel hungry already!
Just like regular posts, events can be promoted using Facebook’s ad platform and employ the same targeting methods described above and yes there are options for food interests in the data available.
So, there’s three straightforward ways you can use Facebook to market to local people that do not simply involve the usual please-share-this-to-win-a-prize strategy.
What do you think? Please use the comments below to let me know. If you have another idea that’s worked I’d especially love to hear about it.
Until next time!
J.
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