The Foolproof Way to Get Around Facebook’s Page Algorithm

The Foolproof Way to Get Around Facebook’s Page Algorithm

Local Marketing, Small Business, Social Media Marketing

In February of 2018, Facebook announced plans to prioritize personal content and de-prioritize content from pages. That means that if you’ve got a Facebook page for your local business, your content is only being seen by a very small percentage of your followers unless you pay to promote it.

Nothing to be done, right? It’s one of those things that you can’t control… or is it?

It turns out there’s a super-easy (and FREE) way to connect with both existing and potential customers on Facebook without paying to promote your content. It involves creating a Facebook group to promote your brand. Here’s what you need to know.

Group Content is Prioritized Ahead of Brand Content 

The first thing you need to know is that Facebook has downgraded content posted by company and brand pages. However, it still prioritizes content from groups.

Why? Well, the short answer is that people must voluntarily opt in to a group.

You might be thinking that users have voluntarily followed your page, too – and that’s true. But Facebook views groups differently than pages. It has to do with the purpose of a group:

A group’s purpose is to promote conversation and build a community.

You might want your page to do that, too, but Facebook assumes that the primary goal of a page is to sell a product or service. That’s an important distinction.

In other words, by creating a Facebook group, you can build your brand and engage with customers without worrying that members won’t see your content.

Not convinced? There’s actually research to support the idea that groups are a better way to reach your audience than pages. A study by Digiterati revealed that groups get approximately 50% more reach than pages.

Creating a Group is Easy

You can create a Facebook group from your personal Facebook page. In fact, the process is very similar to the one for creating a Facebook page like the one you have for your business.

Simply go to the upper, right-hand corner of your Facebook page and click the little down arrow there. You’ll see an option to Create Group. Click it and follow the steps.

It’s important to choose a memorable, brand-specific name for your group. You don’t want to give it the same name as your page, but you do want it to appear in the search results when people search for your business.

The title should be inspired by the content you’ll be posting. So, if you run a dog grooming business, you might offer dog care tips and incorporate that into your group name, like this:

Fancy Dog Groomer’s Dog Care Advice

In other words, combine your business with name with some compelling, buzzy words to make people want to join your group.

Invite People to Join 

You’ve created a group… but what’s next?

That’s easy. It’s time to invite some people to join. Here are some easy ways to jump-start your group and get new members:

  1. Send group invitations to everyone who follows your business page.
  2. Send invitations to your personal connections on Facebook.
  3. Send an email to your list with a link to your group and an invitation to join.
  4. If you have a Twitter account for your business, Tweet an invitation to your followers.

It’s likely that a significant percentage of your followers will join the group. Once they’ve done that, you can also post content in the group encouraging members to send out invitations.

Create Compelling Content

Once you’ve created your group and invited some members, it’s time to create content. Remember, the primary goal of group content is to drive engagement. You want members to be talking to you and to one another.

Facebook has a tool to create Welcome posts. Underneath Members on the toolbar, click Write Post. Facebook will automatically tag up to 100 new members (in this context, new means that they have joined in the past seven days) in the post. If you prefer, you can write a general welcome post and ask new members to introduce themselves in the comments.

Here are some other suggestions for engaging group content:

  1. Inspirational posts can be a good way to engage your members. For example, if you’re a life coach, you might post something inspirational on a Monday morning and then ask group members what they do to keep themselves motivated.
  2. Tips and advice can also make great content. You can share things that you’ve picked up while running your business and then ask members if they have anything to add – or if they’ve tried any of the things you’ve suggested.
  3. Community discussions can drive engagement and make your group page a lively place to be. You might post a question or conversational topic and then ask members to chime in with their answers or opinions.
  4. Q & A posts are great for getting people involved. Creating a post can be a simple as saying “I know people have questions about ______. Post them in the comments and I’ll answer them!” Only do a post like this on a day when you have the time to respond promptly.
  5. Depending on the kind of business you run, you may want to share success stories from members. For example, if you do local marketing, you could share a story from a member who killed it with a marketing campaign. And if you sell a product, you could share photos of members using what they bought.

The content you create will have a direct impact on the success of your group.

Social Learning Groups

Do you have the kind of business that lends itself to the creation of video courses? If you do, you might want to check out Facebook’s new Social Learning Groups feature, which enables groups to add video courses to their group pages.

To add courses, go to the Edit Group Settings tab and choose Group Type. Then, select Social Learning Group from the menu.

From there, you can create new Units for your courses. They can be optional or mandatory, and if they’re mandatory, users will see a progress bar to track their accomplishments.

The great thing about this feature is that you can upload courses or webinars you have already created or create new content. You can find a full guide on how to use this feature here.

Groups Are the New Pages

The bottom line is that Facebook Groups are to businesses today what Facebook Pages were five years ago. They offer an inexpensive but effective way to connect with current and prospective clients, build your brand, and grow your business.

How to Target Local Customers Using Geolocation Marketing

How to Target Local Customers Using Geolocation Marketing

Local Marketing, Social Media Marketing

Local businesses have special marketing challenges. Namely, it’s your job as a business owner to make sure that the people who are most likely to patronize your business – the people who live in your service area – know what you have to offer and where to find you.

One way to accomplish that goal is to use geolocation marketing. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Geolocation Marketing?

Let’s start with the basics. Geolocation marketing is a type of marketing that’s location specific. By that, I mean that you can connect with potential customers who are near your business and target them directly with offers and ads.

The benefits of geolocation marketing are clear:

  1. You’ll have access to a highly targeted audience of people who are likely to frequent your business
  2. You can attract new customers by reaching out to them with offers that appeal directly to them
  3. You can learn about the shopping habits and preferences of your existing customers and use what you learn to grow your business
  4. You can reward your most loyal customers with special content and offers designed to turn them into brand ambassadors

In other words, geolocation marketing can help you to tap into a resource base of your existing customers and potential customers in your area, allowing you to connect with them and market your business in a way that’s likely to yield a high return on your investment.

Tools to Use for Geolocation Marketing for Your Business

There are three kinds of geolocation marketing that you can use depending upon your needs. They are:

  1. Geotargeting is the broadest form of geolocation marketing. It uses the IP addresses of your customers’ web browsers. In practical terms, you can’t use geotargeting for precise target audiences because it can’t pinpoint your audience’s location exactly. It’s best suited for marketing to general regions, cities, or states.
  2. Geofencing is more precise than geotargeting, allowing you to target specific neighborhoods and even streets. Don’t think that limits you, though – it can also be used for entire towns or cities. Geofencing uses mobile devices’ GPS locations instead of IP addresses. That means you can track your customers’ locations even if they move. It’s ideal for attracting foot traffic but not as effective for tailoring specific marketing campaigns to your target audience.
  3. Beacons are by far the most specific option for geolocation marketing. A beacon is a small device that you’ll put inside or near your business. It collects data from Bluetooth signals in smartphones. They’re ideal for use in places with poor Wi-Fi reception because they’re used for close communication. The Bluetooth technology allows you to send messages and offers directly to customers who are in range.

The type of geolocation marketing you choose depends on what you hope to accomplish with it. If your business is highly dependent upon foot traffic, you may decide that geofencing is the most cost-effective and useful form of geolocation marketing.

Tips for Using Geolocation Marketing

Now, let’s talk about some specific tips to help you make the most of geolocation marketing and grow your business. There are lots of ways you can use this technology. Here are some suggestions.

  1. Target people in a venue or at an event. If yours is the type of business that relies on foot traffic and you’re near a popular event venue, such as a stadium or theater, you can set up a geofence to target people who are at the place you specify. For example, a bar could target concertgoers at a nearby theater. You can also use this option to target office complexes and neighborhoods.
  2. Set up a geofence in your delivery area. If you own a business that delivers – whether you’re delivering Thai food or furniture – you can easily use geofencing to target the people who live in the area you service. Those people are the most likely to buy from you and they may not know about your business – until you use geolocation marketing to tell them what you have to offer.
  3. Use geotargeting to map out your audience based on where they are. While geotargeting is a more “big picture” type of geolocation marketing, it can be extremely useful to help you find people who are nearby. For example, if you sell a luxury product, you can use geotargeting to get your message to people who live in upscale neighborhoods.
  4. Use a beacon to attract foot traffic to your store. What if you own a retail store or restaurant that relies heavily on foot traffic? You can set up a beacon to ping your customers when they’re in range and then target them with specific offers. For example, if you own a restaurant near a busy downtown area or office park, you can send out an offer about your happy hour, including information about special deals on appetizers and drinks.
  5. Speaking of beacons, you can also use them to send you an alert when a repeat or loyal customer is in your store. Imagine how flattered and grateful your customers will be when you show up at the door to greet them by name and show them what you’ve got to offer! This is a terrific tool for personalized marketing that can turn loyal customers into brand ambassadors.
  6. Use geolocation marketing to learn about your target audience’s buying habits. For example, you might have a nearby competitor and use geotargeting to provide potential customers with an incentive to visit your business.

The bottom line here is that geolocation marketing allows local businesses to use GPS technology to connect directly with the customers – and potential customers – who are most likely to frequent their stores.

The key with geolocation marketing is to determine which method will deliver the returns you want. That means defining your marketing goals and choosing the tech that’ll allow you to achieve them, whether it’s a beacon or a geofence.

Why Your Free Consultation Offer Sucks (And How To Fix It!)

Why Your Free Consultation Offer Sucks (And How To Fix It!)

Local Marketing

When deciding what type of lead magnet will attract the most signups (leads) for your business it’s natural to want to go right to your best offer – the thing that’ll convince first-time visitors to your site to dive right in and hire you, retain your services you or purchase your product.

There’s just one problem with that – it’s not enough. And if your primary (or only) lead magnet is a free consultation, there are some things I’m willing to bet you’re doing wrong.

If your free consultation offer isn’t blowing up your calendar, there are things you can do to get it on track.

Why Offer a Free Consultation? 

Why offer a free consultation at all? The short answer is that if you are someone who’s an expert in your field, time spent talking to you is valuable. People will want to take you up on your offer.

Some business are naturals for the free consultation offer. I’m talking about:

  1. Marketing firms
  2. Life coaches
  3. Plastic surgeons
  4. Dentists
  5. Wedding planners
If your business is based on your deep knowledge of a topic or a long career, then you probably have something to offer as a free consultation.

The main reason to offer a free consultation is that it gives you an opportunity to connect one-on-one with your prospects. You’ll have the chance to build a personal connection and demonstrate what you can do to help them.

What Should Your Offer Look Like? 

Let’s start with what your free consultation offer should look like. One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make is not defining what their free consultation is. Here are some examples:

  1. Your call to action is too simple: “Click here for your free consultation”
  2. Your call to action is too vague: “Click here to schedule a time to talk to me about your business”

What I’m getting at is this: your offer must be specific and offer clear value. In other words, instead of the two examples above, you might try:

  1. Click here for a free, 30-minute consultation where we’ll discuss the best marketing strategies for your particular business.
  2. Click here for a consultation with me. We’ll talk about your challenges and map out a treatment plan
  3. Click here for your free consultation, where I’ll show you the three best ways to grow your business

You get the idea, I hope. Each of these calls to action has a clear value proposition where the person clicking  understands exactly what they’ll get if they make room in their calendar for a consultation with you.

Should the Consultation Be Your Only Lead Magnet?

The next thing to consider is if your free consultation should be your only lead magnet. You might be thinking that since it’s the most valuable thing you have to offer, it should be enough to capture every lead. But think again.

A consultation requires personal contact and a big mental commitment to you and your business. Some of the prospects who visit your site may not be ready for that kind of commitment. They may need to be romanced a little bit, first.

I suggest offering tiers of lead magnets. For example, you might offer:

  1. A tips or resource sheet
  2. An eBook or case study
  3. A consultation
Someone who’s only casually interested in your business may be willing to give up their email address in return for a tip sheet or eBook. Then, you can use a lead nurturing sequence to convince them to schedule a free consultation with you.

Build Your Authority

There’s a scene in The Princess Bride where Westley explains the theory behind taking the name of the Dread Pirate Roberts. As he puts it, “Nobody would surrender to the Dread Pirate Westley.”

My question for you is this: Are you as well-known as the Dread Pirate Roberts or are you more of a Westley?

If you’re a Westley, then you’ve got to work to increase your authority and name recognition to make your free consultation offer something that people will respond to. You can do that by:

  1. Guest blogging
  2. Maintaining an active presence on social media
  3. Attending events and networking
The more known you are, the more likely it is that people will be eager to grab a free consultation with you and learn about your business.

Structure Your Consultations 

Let’s say you’ve got people signing up for your free consultations. That’s great news – but it’ll only help you if you make the consultation worthwhile for them. Here are some pointers.

  1. Decide ahead of time how long the consultation will be and stick to it. Your time is valuable and so is your prospect’s time. You should have a clear roadmap of what you’ll cover and avoid getting derailed by distractions.
  2. Create a basic structure for what you want to accomplish during the consultation. That means knowing what you’ll say and how you’ll say it – and how to move seamlessly from one topic to the next.
  3. Deliver on your promises. If you promised to give the prospect three marketing strategies to try, make sure to announce them like this: “The first marketing strategy you should try is creating a soap opera sequence to promote your new product; second, you should start making marketing videos; and third, you should fine-tune your social media targeting.”
  4. Follow through on the consultation. When you wrap it up, make it clear what the next step is. Perhaps you’ll follow up with an email, or maybe it’s the prospect’s job to complete your application. Whatever it is, make sure they understand. And then, make sure to follow up regularly.
These four steps will ensure that your free consultation isn’t a waste of time. The time you spend speaking to prospects will be targeted, productive, and specifically designed to get them to take the next step and buy your product or sign up for your service.

I truly believe that offering a free consultation is one of the best ways to attract new clients – if you do it right. The information here will help you to avoid mistakes and convert like crazy!

How to Create Killer Local Content for Your Business

How to Create Killer Local Content for Your Business

Content Marketing, Local Marketing, Small Business

In the days before the internet, local marketing was simple. You paid for a listing in your local Yellow Pages, printed flyers, and maybe took out an ad in the local paper. People knew who you were and where you were.

Then web marketing came along and changed everything. At first, the recommendation was to focus on general keywords. But over the years, Google and other search engines have changed their algorithms. Now, they prioritize local search over everything else.

What does that mean? In short, it means that creating compelling local content isn’t optional. It’s as necessary as oxygen. You’ve got to show potential customers that you’re part of a community – and that means that you’ve got to think about more than giving out your address.

The Basics of Local Marketing

I’ve already written a lot about local marketing, but I think it’s important to include a summary of how to optimize your website and content for local search. Keep these pointers in mind:

  1. Choose local keywords that are highly relevant to your business and have a high search volume. The best local search words include the name of your city, state or neighborhood as well as keywords that are relevant to your business.
  2. Optimize for local voice search and “near me” searches.
  3. Optimize for mobile search and make sure your site looks great on mobile devices.
  4. Use your local keywords in important places on your website, including in title tags, image tags, meta descriptions, anchor text for links, H1 tags, and in your content.
  5. Use rich snippets to add essential geographical information to your Google search results.
  6. Get important local sites to link back to your site. Remember, when it comes to building links, quality is more important than quantity. Focus on local business guides, the Chamber of Commerce, and related local businesses to build your local SEO “cred.”
  7. Encourage your customers to leave reviews and link your site to your review pages. Customer testimonials, which go into a bit more depth than reviews, are also essential.

Following these tips will set you up for success – but you’ve still got to create the kind of compelling local content that will attract customers.

Tips for Creating Local Content

Once your site is optimized for local searches, it’s time to focus on creating local content. That means more than simply putting your local keywords into general content. You’ll need to show casual visitors to your site that you’re a part of a local community.

Here are some pointers to get you started.

  1. Blog about local events. Every community, from small rural towns to huge cities, has local events that are a big deal. As a business owner, you should be aware of these events and find a way to write about them that ties back to your business. It’ll be easy if you’re planning to sponsor a booth at your local street fair. But local charity events and holiday celebrations offer the opportunity for you to talk about your community and why you love it.
  2. Talk about local news. Did your local Little League team make the playoffs? Did a high school student win a contest? Is there a new business coming to town? Any of these things could be turned into blog posts and they’re especially effective if you can find an organic way to relate the story to your business.
  3. Develop case studies that are relevant to local prospects. You might serve a variety of neighborhoods or more than one town in your area. If that’s the case, it’s your job to show that you care about all the places in your service area. One way to do it is to develop case studies that demonstrate your knowledge of the area and of any special circumstances that might be unique to where you are. For example, a landscaper in Southern California might talk about the risk of wildfires or offer tips on how to get rid of black widow spiders.
  4. Find out what your audience is interested in and then write about it. Of course, you don’t want to stray too far from your business, but there’s nothing wrong with getting excited about the things your audience cares about. For example, you might write about an upcoming holiday or the year’s first big storm.

A good way to get ideas for your local content is to stay plugged in to your community online. You might follow you local Chamber of Commerce on Facebook, subscribe to your local paper, and stop into the library to see what new flyers have been added to the bulletin board.

What is the Intent of Your Content?

One of the most important things to remember when you’re creating local content is that every blog post or social media update you write should have a clear intention that’s related to your business.

What do I mean by that? Simply that you can’t waste time blogging about things if you don’t understand why you’re writing about them. Sometimes the intent will be clear. You own a hardware store and blogging about predicted winter snowfall might help you sell some shovels and snowblowers, or at least some Ice Melt.

At other times, though, the intention may be a bit harder to pin down. There’s nothing wrong with that but make sure you don’t skip this step. If you’re creative enough, you should be able to find a way to tie any piece of content you create back to your business.

For example, say you want to blog about a local charity event, but you can’t figure out a way to connect it to your business organically. Instead of giving up, you might consider donating a portion of your sales to the charity or collaborating with other local business owners on a fundraising effort.

The key here is to make your local content relevant to your business and to your target audience. You can still share general content, too, but local content is a must if you want your business to grow.

8 Content Marketing Types for Local Businesses

8 Content Marketing Types for Local Businesses

Local Marketing

You know that content marketing is still king. That’s unlikely to change and that means that it’s your job to create and share the kind of content that’ll bring customers to your business and help you improve your bottom line.

The numbers back up content marketing’s importance. Research shows that 91% of all B2B companies use content marketing, and the same is true of 86% of B2C businesses. However, only 63% of companies have a dedicated content strategy.

You can see the issue at hand. Content marketing is a must and yet doing it improperly – without a clear focus and strategy – can be a huge waste of time and money.

With that in mind, here are 8 content marketing types to help you build your strategy and grow your business.

#1: Blog Posts

blog post

Blog posts are hardly revolutionary in the world of content marketing, yet a lot of local businesses still aren’t blogging regularly. Those who do reap rewards:

  1. Companies that blog get 97% more links to their websites than companies that don’t
  2. Companies with blogs have a 434% higher chance of receiving a high Google rank compared to companies without blogs
  3. 10% of blog posts are compounding, which means that they attract more organic traffic over time

For the best results, keep your blog posts tightly focused. Optimize them for local and voice search and make sure to use a clear, easy-to-follow structure in each post.

#2: Infographics

A lot of local businesses don’t bother with infographics and that’s a shame. They’re increasingly popular and perfect if you need to present a lot of data in a way that’s easy to understand.

While you might think you need to hire a professional graphic designer to make infographics for you, that’s not true. Online tools such as Canva and Venngage make it simple to create beautiful, shareable infographics.

Infographics can help you build authority and gravitas. They’re ideal for sharing on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. If you’ve posted a data-heavy blog recently, consider transforming it into an infographic to share on social media.

#3: Customer Testimonials

customer review
You already know that customer reviews and testimonials are essential forms of social proof to use in your online marketing. However, if you handle them properly, they can also be part of your content marketing strategy.

Consider shooting video testimonials that tell a compelling story and give people a reason to buy your product or use your service. Video testimonials can be posted on your website, emailed to your list, or shared on social media.

#4: Case Studies

The term “case study” can be an intimidating one but think of them as in-depth customer testimonials. A testimonial will usually focus on how the customer feels about your business. A case study shows how you or your product helped a customer.

If you decide to use case studies in your content marketing, make sure to:

  1. Tell a compelling story in an engaging way. Incorporating some suspense and emotion into the story will keep people interested and ensure they stick around until the end.
  2. Be as specific as possible. Don’t just say that you helped your client grow their business – provide metrics and numbers wherever it’s possible.
  3. Show your customer’s journey from start to finish. Make sure to explain where they started, why they came searching for you, and what happened after they found you.
Case studies should be featured on your website. They can also be shared on social media.

#5: Memes

Memes are perennially popular and can be useful as a form of content marketing – but there are a few pitfalls you should be aware of.

It’s not a great idea to share random memes that have nothing to do with your business. Instead, it’s your job to find a way to take a popular meme and make it relevant to what you’re selling.

If you’re not sure how to use memes, check out Hulu’s social media pages. They use memes all the time, and very effectively. You can also check out what your competitors are doing.

#6: Videos

video marketing
Video marketing is still very popular. You can produce videos cheaply using your cell phone and a host of free online tools.

However, you don’t need to stop with traditional marketing videos. Here are some ideas:

  1. Create short videos (3 to 60 seconds) to share on Instagram
  2. Use the Boomerang app to string together a series of images into a short video
  3. Create GIFs using free tools such as Giphy or EZGif
  4. Try an animated or white board video
There are many video formats, so feel free to experiment and find out what resonates with your target audience.

#7: Checklists and Cheat Sheets

Some of the best content marketing provides actionable solutions to common problems. People don’t follow their favorite brands on social media for fun. They do it because they’re expecting to get something in return.

One easy way to provide it is by creating checklists or cheat sheets for your followers to use. For example, if you own a coffee shop, you could create a checklist to brew the perfect French Press coffee.

You can keep the checklists you create simple or design them to be downloaded and printed. Either way, you’ll be giving your followers something valuable.

#8: eBooks

Writing an eBook can seem like a daunting task and for that reason, a lot of local businesses stay away from them. However, a well-written short eBook can help you attract new subscribers for your list and build authority
at the same time.

Keep in mind that a lot of the eBooks sold on Amazon have 10,000 words or less. That works out to about 40 pages of content at 250 words per page. You have the option of writing the book yourself or of hiring a professional writer to do it for you.

Keep in mind that your eBook should be relevant to your business and valuable to the target audience you want to attract. eBooks are best used as lead magnets. You can advertise them on social media to get people to download them and subscribe to your list.

Content marketing is here to stay – and the 8 types of content marketing we’ve listed here can help you build your following and increase your profits at the same time.

Local Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore

Local Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore

Local Marketing

Marketing trends change all the time. And, if you’re a local business owner, it can be hard to keep up. Which trends should you follow? Are there any that aren’t worthwhile?

In marketing, you’ve got to pick and choose. Very few people have an unlimited budget that allows them to jump on every trend.

But that doesn’t mean you can ignore trends completely. The trick is to pursue the ones that have the greatest chance of earning money and attracting new customers – and disregarding the rest.

So, let’s cut through the non-essentials and get to the important stuff. Here are the trends you simply can’t afford to ignore.

online review

You can’t go anywhere without reading about why online reviews are important – but a surprising number of businesses still aren’t prioritizing them. In other words, this isn’t a new trend, but it’s an essential one.

The numbers don’t lie. A recent survey showed that 86% of all consumers read online reviews before making a purchase, and fully half of consumers in the coveted 18-34 group say they always read reviews.

The solution? Claim your listings on Google My Business (more on that later) and crowd review sites such as Yelp and Angie’s List. Set up a system for responding to reviews, both positive and negative, and encourage your existing customers to review your business.

Mobile Payments

Mobile payments are convenient and – when used properly – they can protect consumers’ financial information. Research shows that the mobile payment trend has been steadily rising over the past 5 years and is expected to top one trillion dollars in 2019.

Some of the best and most reliable mobile payment apps include:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo
  3. Zelle
  4. Square Cash
  5. Google Wallet

If you’re not sure what your customers prefer, ask them! You can pose a question on social media or ask people when they come to your store. Offering mobile payments provides peace of mind to your customers and can help you attract new customers who like to support businesses that support mobile payments.

Chatbots

When you hear the word “chatbots” are you thinking science fiction or reality? If you chose the first option, it’s time to pull your head out of the sand and step into the 21st century – because chatbots are here to stay.

The truth is that 1.4 billion people interact with chatbots every day. Not only that, adding live chat to your website can increase conversions by 20% and send your ROI skyrocketing by as much as 305%.

Programming chatbots can be complicated but it’s a worthwhile investment. You can start small by programming a chatbot to handle customer payment inquiries and other routine tasks. The trend is toward full virtual assistants, so keep that in mind as you move forward.

Interactive Video Content

Interactive videos are another trend that might sound like sci fi. The trend toward interactive videos in marketing is a huge one, though. Let’s look at the numbers:
  1. The click-through rate for interactive video is 8 times higher than for regular video
  2. 360-degree video has a 48% higher completion rate than regular video
  3. Likewise, the ROI on interactive video is 14% higher than with regular video

Major brands such as Johnny Walker, Samsung, and Porsche are using interactive video to connect with their customers. 

video content

Google My Business

Google My Business is one of the best ways to increase the visibility of your local business online. If you haven’t already claimed and optimized your listing, then the chances are good that you’re losing business to your competitors as a result.

You can click here to claim your listing. Once you’ve done that, it’s a must to complete your listing and optimize it for local searches. Here are some pointers:

  1. Enter all information that Google requests, including your full business name, address, phone number, URL of your website, hours, prices, and so on.
  2. Upload pictures of the inside and outside of your business and any products that you sell.
  3. Include your company logo, slogan, and other marketing information.
  4. Include your most important local keywords in your business description and listing.
  5. Update your followers on important events and announcements by creating Google My Business posts.
  6. Encourage customers to leave reviews.
It’s also important to monitor your Google My Business listing since it’s possible for customers to change information on your listing. You’ll need to make sure that your hours and other information are correct.

Facebook Recommendations Insert:

Facebook is still the most widely-used social media site with more than 2 billion active monthly users. It’s also a place where your followers can recommend businesses (including yours!) to their friends and social media connections.

Facebook is continuously tweaking their options for local businesses. As of 2019, Facebook Recommendations show up at the top of your business page. You’ll see an average rating plus the number of people who recommend your business.

Anybody who clicks on your rating will have the opportunity to answer a simple question:

Do you recommend Business Name?

They’ll answer yes or no and then they can offer to share their specific thoughts with you.

You can use Facebook Recommendations to encourage your customers to leave reviews. The responses you receive can help you attract new customers or offer you opportunities to improve your products and services.

Location-Targeted Mobile Ads

It’s no secret that GPS technology has become commonplace. What you may not know is that you can use its sister, beacon technology, to engage with your customers and provide them with location-specific ads and offers.

To do it, you’ll need to:

  1. Create a mobile app and encourage your customers to download it
  2. Use the app to track their locations
  3. Use their locations to send push notifications with offers, coupons, and promotions
For example, you might set up multiple beacons in your store. Then, when a customer’s browsing, you can use the app to send them notifications offering special deals on the products they’re looking at.

Another option is to ping your customers when they’re near your business and entice them to come in instead of passing by.

Local marketing changes on a near-daily basis. The trends we’ve listed here are ones that are unlikely to go anywhere – and using them properly can help you to attract new customers without overspending on marketing.