Social media is huge.
Statista reports that the number of Facebook users in the
U.S. (as of October 2018) had reached a whopping 204 million users.
However, many local business owners are still on the fence
on joining Facebook (and other relevant social media platforms). Some think
that these platforms are just for peer-to-peer socializing; and while that does
occur the majority of the time, there and some very good reasons to engage with
social media as a business.
There are many ways that your business can benefit from
being present on social media. If you do it right.
Here are a few examples of exactly how your local business
can take advantage of social media marketing…
1. Advanced Word of
Mouth
Social media marketing lends itself perfectly for building a
passionate community around your brand. Happy customers will take care of
word-of-mouth marketing for you – and even part of your customer service.
For example, Facebook offers a unique feature that allows
for people to ask for recommendations in the area they live or are looking to
travel to.
Based on the answers that their Facebook friends leave in
the comments, the feature then pulls up the exact locations of businesses
mentioned. This means the local business will be tagged automatically, visible
for the user who asked the question, and anyone else who sees the post.
However, if your business isn’t on Facebook… then there is
no information to pull and therefore, your business will likely lose out to a
business that has all of their information and other reviews listed right
there.
2. Brand Management
Customers share their feedback about your business, whether
you’re aware of it or not. Whether it’s good or bad feedback, your company
should be there to respond.
- If it’s good, that’s awesome! You can capitalize on that
satisfied customer, by promoting their praise to get even more
customers or remind your other happy customers to come back.
- If it’s bad, that’s ok. Responding to negative reviews is an
opportunity to control the conversation and show your excellent customer
service. Turn that grumpy complainer into a true fan by really listening to
their issue and solving it.
Even if you can’t necessarily solve the problem, showing
that you care and are willing to correct a mistake shows the next person that
they’re in good hands.
3. Cut Ad Costs by
Advertising Locally
On Facebook, location is one of the many specific
demographics you can target your ads based on.
By targeting your ads on the people who are based in your
area, their interests, and some other demographic details, you can achieve the
highest customer potential with the lowest costs.
We’re not saying that direct mail can’t be useful, but
people are spending so much time on social media now that it can very a very
effective addition to your advertising plan.
Takeaway
Believe it or not, being on a platform with millions of
people, can be extremely beneficial for a local business.
Social media marketing is great for brand awareness,
reputation management, and for targeting new customers at a fairly low price
point.
Become the talk of the town. Build a community around your
business.
Let’s strategize what your social media marketing plan
should be. Call us today at (407)
682-2222 for a free strategy session.