As some of you may already know, Facebook has launched a new feature that is geared towards local businesses. It is called Facebook Local. The idea is that it will rival Yelp and other local social search engines with one very distinctive feature: it will incorporate personal recommendations from friends and family that many consumers rely upon. While Yelp also includes reviews, many are from random strangers, leaving the consumer to question the authenticity of each review. Facebook Local will show those reviews, but also show the reviews from your friends and family, as well as check-ins from people you know as soon as you login to your Facebook account. This will help boost visibility for local businesses and establish a trust factor through online social media marketing. With this new launch underway, here are some things you should know about local Internet marketing for 2018:
Events Make a Difference
Facebook Local has opened the world of local advertising to those who may not be as Internet-savvy on the whole. Therefore, you must compete against many more local businesses that may be only on Facebook, and nowhere else on social media. One way to target your consumers is to host events. Events do not have to be huge, painstaking undertakings. Instead, host a simple sale event or an online launch party. By creating an event through Facebook and linking it to your Facebook Local listing, you will create more visibility than your competitor who is simply using a one-dimensional approach on Facebook.
Ask Visitors to Check-In
It would make sense that the more people who are visiting a place means the more popular the place.  For example, a brick and mortar club with a line around the block is much more enticing than one that has just three people inside. The same holds true for a social media listing. Your local listing on Facebook is equipped with the Facebook check-in feature. Offer incentives such as special coupons or a freebie for people to check-in. The more people that check-in to your local business, the more visible your business will become through Facebook’s algorithms, and the more people will want in on the excitement!
Sponsored Posts
Facebook has made a push for sponsored posts. You may notice your Newsfeed is displaying sponsored posts more than ever before. This is to help local businesses find their target audience. And taking advantage of a Facebook Local listing is a great start to doing so. However, sponsored posts will outweigh organic posts from businesses, as Facebook Local and other marketing tools begin to expand on Facebook. As a whole, sponsored posts on Facebook are relatively affordable and offer an added benefit to local businesses that cannot be mirrored through organic posts or even other marketing tools.
2018 promises to be an interesting year on Facebook and other social media outlets for local businesses. Consumers are looking for businesses that their friends and families trust. They are turning to avenues such as Facebook to find these recommendations, and are trusting their family and friends for qualified business referrals. To learn more about how to utilize Facebook Local and all it can offer your business in the upcoming year, contact the experts at Skol Marketing at (612) 787-7565.
