Using Facebook’s Tools #2

for Small Business to reach Customers

from USA Today 5/30/13 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz

• Check-in. This feature has been around for quite some time, but with the popularity of mobile devices, it’s starting to see more usage. Customers click a tab to let friends know they’re visiting a business or other spot, and that shows up in their news feeds. “Every time a customer checks in, that’s like a ‘like’ — another connection,” says the Facebook executive. He recently checked Graph Search for Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles, and noticed that a bunch of his friends liked Pink Taco in Century City. That was good enough for him — he visited. “This is just what humans have always been doing, asking their friends for recommendations,” he says. “Instead of calling 20 friends, the information is out there on Facebook.”

Nearby is a mobile-only offshoot of Check-in. It lets Smart-phone users discover local businesses their friends have been talking about or checking into. Again, to participate — it’s free — businesses need to update their listings and make sure operating hours, addresses and business categories are current.

A Typical Business. When Shop Owner isn’t helping customers, working round the business, ordering products or supplies, they should come up with several new Facebook posts daily — showing off items for sale, talking about issues that their Customers would be interested in. So, besides a places to purchase product, your business becomes the source for relevant information. These posts are vital to keeping your business alive in the minds of your fan base, your customers, so when it comes time to buy new product, they think of you first.

• Promoted Posts. A typical business spends $100-120 a month on Promoted Posts to build their network. Most say the advertising is working for them. Businesses who started focusing more on Facebook and paying for posts, notice their fan base has gone from a few hundred to few thousand fans, and business is up significantly from previous years. Some customers may get a little tired of the constant flow of Posts, but in most cases, people tolerate ads in exchange for “free” relevant information because they appreciate the value. They become a more loyal customer, because you’re the source for good info & good products.

Google “pay-per-click” has lost advertising users in favor of Facebook, mostly because Facebook is much more affordable. A typical business was spending as much as $1,000 a month with Google’s AdWords, which auctions key words for ads that appear near search results. Google is more targeted to get people to buy “specific” products then promoting our entire business. Facebook is all about awareness, to remind customers and friends, that we’re here and the best source for the products they want.

Facebook is the 2nd-most-used source of local information for businesses, (after Google Maps) and that it’s vital for businesses to be on it. Google AdWords is a much more expensive marketing expense, and it’s a more targeted system for new shoppers rather than old customers.

Comments: What has been your experience using these Tool? Please share it with us.