We’ve all had that conversation with the last holdout for Facebook. You know, that person that insists he/she doesn’t have time for it and that there’s no good reason to be on it. I will go ahead and confess, I was that person. One day it hit me – I realized I was always the last to know everything: happenings in my community, news about friends, updates on families.
And that can be okay, but I was literally missing out on things because I was not on there. Big businesses have already figured this out and created big budgets for Facebook marketing. However, if you are a small business owner still not utilizing Facebook you may be missing out on easy opportunities to connect with your clients.
3 Reasons Local Business Should be on Facebook
Connecting – Facebook is not just for people to people connections, but for business to people connections too. Create your Facebook page as a business and start letting your customers know what you are doing.
If you sponsor a local team, like volleyball or soccer, be sure to post about it- wish them Good Luck each week before games or congratulate them on a great season. If you are making changes to your menu, ask fans to come by in person and tell you what they think about the new recipes. Find community groups on Facebook like Hobbnob Franklin, who highlights Franklin businesses and residents and comment on what they post.
It doesn’t have to take a lot of your time, but it can make a big difference as it allows your customers to connect with you emotionally now. Forbes contributor Meghan Biro considers this humanizing your brand and points out the benefit that can have on your business in her recent article.
Interacting – Traditional marketing is losing its stranglehold on advertising, and that is okay. Wait, better than okay. Now, businesses have the ability to engage directly with their customers and this is a win-win for everyone. A couple weeks ago in my post on Our Thrift Store, I mentioned that they have had great success with Facebook.
They offer a 10% discount to customers when they “check in” on Facebook from the store. They post thank yous and before and after shots of items re-done by customers. All of this translates into direct interaction with customers who are happy to share their positive experiences.
And let’s not ignore the fact that you do not own your brand anymore. If people are posting about you, you want in on that conversation. If it’s good, you can personally thank that person and if it’s bad, you can personally address that situation. This is your chance to show that you are listening to your customers. For some great examples on just how to do that, go here.
Mobile – Another great benefit for Facebook? It allows you to find your audience where they already are. You don’t have to know when or what they watch on tv, or what radio station they are listening to in order to get in front of them.
By posting regularly with interesting, relevant content, you are reaching them wherever they might be. More and more frequently, people are using their mobile devices for everything from checking their stocks to finding restaurant reviews – and they are definitely checking their Facebook profiles.
With the new Facebook “Nearby” people can even see what places they are near and how those places rate according to their friends. For further information on how Nearby can benefit you, check out this article here.
There are a many other ways you can utilize Facebook to help grow your local business, and we will be sharing more in posts to come. So, tell me – are you on Facebook already? Share your success or not-so-successful stories with me at jenn@csocially.com
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