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Facebook: Does it Really Help a Local Business?

Feb 13 2012

People see or hear advertisements for deals and sales on television, billboards, posters, radio, among so many other advertising techniques. This is typical. But now, many are turning to Facebook and social media for advertising their local business, as well.

Why is it that using social media is suppose to be valuable to a local business marketing campaign? Some people say these networking sites won’t help gain leads or customers, so why bother?

Whether going along with the beliefs of others, or just not interested in using social media for your local business, one should consider otherwise. Even if you feel like it’s a waste of time, it’s not. Consider this:

A friend of mine opened a local business a few years back. With the economy being the way it’s been, my friend was struggling at times. Even advertising costs had to be cut some so the business wouldn’t go under. My friend’s been an avid Facebook user pretty much ever since it was released. He was still in college, so he was able to connect with all his other friends who went to different colleges and universities than him. He loved it.

He never considered, nor did he really realize, that Facebook had its own pages for businesses such as his. When he found out, he created a business page on Facebook, and began his advertising. He didn’t think it would work, but since it’s free, why not give it a shot. Slowly, he began to see a bit of a change in revenue. Money started to slowly come in. He didn’t recognize many of the people who visited his local business, and he didn’t consider Facebook as being the result. He thought they were random passer-byes. One day he heard a couple talking and heard “Facebook” in the conversation. He became curious and asked how they found out about his local business.  Sure enough, they said they saw an advertisement on a friend’s wall for the place, and decided to get a meal there instead of elsewhere. He was taken aback. This happens over and over with the clients we work with as well.

Point being, people don’t realize how helpful social media networks, such as Facebook, can be for a local business. Okay, so your content isn’t being liked and you haven’t had many subscribers; it doesn’t matter! As you get more and more fans and followers, that’s what’s important. You’re still being seen, and posts spread like fire. People are able to view content on other’s profiles which means they are able to view your info on other people’s profiles if they are friends or fans of those individual’s pages. And the viral effect can begin to take effect. Instead of hearing about something via word-of-mouth, it’s more like word-by-posts. Hence, if they like what they see, and the advertisement offers something new or something better or cheaper, people may make a change of plans on where they’re going and end up where your local business is located.

All-in-all, it doesn’t matter what you’ve heard about Facebook. It works on several levels, whether it’s by creating brand exposure, building your expert status and credibility, getting new subscribers or just by people learning about your local business and promotions via word-of-posts. It works.

If you would like to learn more on how to use Facebook to benefit your business, attend our webinar  "7 Facebook Strategies to Accelerate Sales in 2012" this Wednesday at 5:00pm EST.

Chris Marentis is the Founder and CEO of Surefire Social. Chris has over 30 years of experience working in internet marketing for local business and successfully leverages website development, social media marketing, and search engine optimization to build local businesses and bring in quality leads.

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