Facebook is great. Not because there are more than 840 million active users on the site or that 50% of those users logon every single day. These stats are difficult to ignore and easy to get excited about. But I’m talking about the fact that you can engage with your customer base through a Facebook Page at no cost and you can easily target potential new customers through Facebook advertising. There is no other platform where you can target your potential audience with such specificity.
Did you know there are 63,920 people;
- who live in the United States,
- who live within 50 miles of San Diego, CA,
- age 18 and older, and
- who are in the category Small Business Owners.
If you’re in the accounting industry you’re probably already targeting local businesses for tax season. Are you advertising on Facebook?
Certain types of attorney’s might be interested in knowing that there are 442,620 people;
- who live in the United States,
- who live within 50 miles of San Diego, CA,
- age 18 and older, and
- who are married?
These couples might be interested in living wills, trusts, or in the unfortunate need of a family attorney for issues around divorce.
On Facebook, these individuals have already defined their interests. If they match your criteria, then they are more likely to click your ads. I know businesses that have spent $25,000 a year on Yellow Page ads and were not afforded the luxury of knowing who was going to see their ad.
You can literally target anyone on Facebook.
Page Basics – Setup, Branding, and Content
This is essential-and free! Your Facebook Page can host a variety of content (video, download links, promotions coupons) and your customers can Like your page or “check-in” (if you have walk-in customers) to let all of their friends know they are at your place of business (great viral marketing).
__Yes __ No — Do you have a Facebook account?
__Yes __ No — Have you secured your Facebook Page yet?
__Yes __ No — Are your competitors on Facebook?
Suggestion: Make a list of your top 5 most successful competitors and map out their social profiles. Are they on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Google+? Are they engaging with their customers on a regular basis?)
__Yes __ No — Are you able to customize your Facebook content so it presents an accurate picture of your brand to your customers? (customize your logo, add photos, set up your content to auto post)
__Yes __ No — If NO to the above — do you have the resources to pay someone else to customize your Facebook Page?
__Yes __ No — Have you identified what challenges your customers are facing and how you can help them?
Suggestion: Create and send a survey to your customers to discover more detail about their situation, industry, and needs.
__Yes __ No Do you have a plan to create content or identify the types of content you’d like to share with your fans?
Suggestion: Your plan doesn’t have to be extensive, even some quick notes about websites that might have some great content or other items you want to share with your customers (quotes, pictures, new products/services..etc). You can’t always post “selling” type of links.
Goals – Why Are You Using Facebook?
__Yes __ No — Drive more traffic to your website
__Yes __ No — Build your email list
__Yes __ No — Sell more products/services
__Yes __ No — Announce special offers and promotions
__Yes __ No — Announce events
__Yes __ No — Share news
__Yes __ No — Provide value to your prospects and customers
__Yes __ No — Share photos and videos
__Yes __ No — Get feedback from clients and prospects
__Yes __ No — Improve your relationships with your prospects and customers
__Yes __ No — Improve Search Engine Optimization
It’s useful to have some clear expectations about your Facebook page and/or advertising. Because of the popularity of Facebook Advertising it’s difficult to produce results on $1 a day (we recommend at least $100/month for ultra-low budgets) and you can’t expect to get 5,000 fans if you’re operating in a small market. Set realistic expectations and understand the tool and how it will be used in your overall marketing.
The bottom line is that you need to be on Facebook.
Whether you post a few times a week or use their advertising platform you need to have a presence on Facebook and start thinking about how you’re going to utilize the social platform to start driving business and giving your customers something to “Like.”
We’re preparing a new NetOneClick special report on Facebook.
Please comment below and let us know…
What questions do you have about Facebook Pages and the opportunities available to you with the Facebook advertising platform?