As a local business, engaging with your community is a valuable means of both bringing in new customers and retaining the customers you already have. One of the best ways to do this is through social media, using Facebook and or Instagram. In our downloadable guide, we cover the different ways you can engage with your local audience using these platforms and our top tips and tricks for success.
The guide walks you through the key stages and things to consider when looking to leverage these platforms to connect with your target audiences and drive results from your social efforts. Here are just a few of the topics included:
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- Understanding your audience
- Optimising Your Facebook page
- Creating a Facebook shop
- Using Messenger and chat bots
- Creating Facebook ad campaigns
- Making the most of Instagram
Understanding Your Audience
The key to delivering the content your audience is looking for is in understanding their needs, interests and pain points. Spending time researching and understanding your target audience demographics is never wasted and will help you connect with them more effectively by informing the way you communicate and the information you offer and even the targeting for your Facebook ad campaigns. Be aware though, don’t assume your Facebook or Instagram audiences are the same, or even the same as your audiences on other channels. Developing content specifically for each channel and the audience you reach there is critical to engaging them and making a success of your social marketing strategy.
Optimising Your Facebook Page
As basic and obvious as that may seem, it is easy to overlook when steaming ahead with the implementation of an exciting new social strategy. Take the time to check the information you offer. Is it up to date, complete and useful? What else could you include to add value? Our guide offers a handy optimisation checklist so that you can ensure you have everything covered.
Creating a Facebook Shop
Creating a Facebook shop is free and can be a brilliant way to display products and make it easier for potential customers to buy from you. This underutilised feature is fantastic for ecommerce stores, and it even integrates with a number of ecommerce platforms like Shopify.
Using Messenger and Chat Bots
Talk to your potential customers where and when they are using Messenger and chatbots that can be easily integrated with Messenger. What better way to engage with your customers at a time and place that suits them best? The most exciting thing is that you don’t even have to be there. By developing chatbots optimised in line with your Facebook customer personas the AI can manage customer queries and direct them to the information they need no matter when they are online or how busy you are.
Creating Facebook Ad Campaigns
The powerful location and audience targeting features offered by the Facebook advertising platform make it a useful tool to include in your local marketing strategy. We’ve created a list of ideas in our guide for you to consider when using Facebook advertising to target a local market.
Facebook Ads are also very powerful in helping you build visibility and awareness as a local business.
Making the Most of Instagram
Even though Facebook and Instagram are closely related, there are a lot of features that are unique, or simply better utilised, on Instagram. We’ve created an Instagram profile optimisation checklist as part of our guide to help you make sure you are making the most of Instagram as well as Facebook.
This whistle-stop tour of using Facebook and Instagram for local marketing offers a taste of what is included in our guide. Download the full guide here and get started with leveraging Facebook and Instagram to enhance your local marketing strategy.
Get More Help with your Local Marketing Strategy
Our team has years of experiencing in developing and implementing successful local marketing strategies and can help and advise you on the best ways to use social media to maximise your local marketing efforts.
