Here’s something Facebook doesn’t want you to know: Facebook Ads don’t work well for local businesses.
Surprising, but true: Facebook ads offer a lower return on investment than similar PPC networks, like Google AdWords. However, Facebook does have a truly stellar marketing opportunity and it’s 100% free. Around Yodle, it’s known as the “power of the like.”
Consider this: when a customer in your area likes (or better yet, shares!) one of the posts on your Facebook Business page, that post then becomes visible to all of their friends. That’s hundreds of new people who can now see and interact with your brand. Even more interesting when you consider that the majority of adult Facebook users have more than 200 friends in their network. This paradigm can be extremely effective in showcasing your business to a huge network of local people..for exactly zero dollars.
Typically, marketers pay thousands just to get in front of the eyeballs of their target demographic, but with good social content, you can do it for free. Even better? Not only are the friends of your customers likely to be local (and with similar interests), but they’re also much more likely to trust your business now that they’ve seen a friend give it a “like.” In just a push of the “thumbs-up” button, your services and brand are validated to a huge network of local shoppers. Pretty cool, right?
The reason that visibility on Facebook is so valuable to your business hinges around three proven statistics:
- 76% of consumers want communication from small businesses via email or social media. (Yodle Insights Consumer Survey)
- 93% of shoppers’ buying decisions are influenced by social media because 90% trust peer recommendations. However, only 14% of shoppers trust advertisements. (#socialnomics)
- 71% of adult internet users are on Facebook (pewinternet)
In other words, your presence on social media has the potential to reach farther and create more customers than your entire marketing budget. With Facebook, you can meet your customers before they’re even searching for your services and establish a friendly relationship with minimal effort.
So how do you roll social into your marketing strategy? On top of all your other activities as a local business owner, finding time to invest in marketing is a tall order.
Luckily, Yodle makes it easy to keep your Facebook presence as viral as possible.
With Yodle, your Facebook Business page is automatically created and updated with positive reviews. You’re also able to push out photos, updates, and special offers through your Yodle dashboard in a single click.
Facebook has the potential to be the most impactful marketing avenue for your business, but only if you take it seriously. Post regularly and follow the “80/20″ rule: 80% good content and 20% promotional content about your business. Try testing out your engagement on post types (text, photo, or video) and see what your fans interact with more. Over time, and with a bit of hustle, you can build a well-oiled social media machine that forwards you leads on a consistent basis – and makes you a popular presence in your community.
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