Facebook 101 for Local Businesses

By: Your Name

Your Email Address

Your Phone Number

1
 Facebook 101 for Local Businesses

The Social Media Factor: What is Social Media?

“Social Media” is a red-hot buzz phrase in case you haven’t heard. Everyone
is using it including women, men, and children of all ages. Most importantly,
your customers are using Social media as well and they expect that your
business is in the social loop too.

Social media can be described as information content that is created using

new technologies with an aim to facilitate influence, communication, and
interaction with the world; including friends, family, peers and customers.

In other words, social media is an advanced way that people can interact
using the latest digital technology. Social media networking usually happens
through mobile communications networks and the internet, which allow
instant access to these platforms.

Social media does not stop at simply publishing information; the real goal is
to get people involved. As a local business owner, you want to get reactions
and comments from your audience on the information you publish – this is
powerful for many reasons. You can look at it as “starting a conversation” on
the internet as opposed to “delivering a speech” on the internet.

Social media is perceived as the glue that holds people together in an online
community; not only with text, but also images, videos, and other types of
online media.

Most people hear “Social Media” and immediately think of Facebook, Google
Plus, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks of this caliber. These social
platforms are the most popular, but this is not the final list by far.

There are a lot of different social media platforms online. Depending on your
type of business, you should do some research to see which ones fits your
type of business best.

However, using the top four social media sites would be a good start.
Chances are, most of your target audience is already logging into these sites
every single day.

2
 Facebook 101 for Local Businesses

Social Media Statistics

There are incredible opportunities for small businesses who utilize the power
of social media. We will look at actual numbers just to show you how
powerful it has become.

As you’ve probably noticed, social media constantly changes year after year.
The good news is that people are embracing it and moving right along with it
every time it changes. Even people who are 50+ in age are jumping into
social media at staggering rates.

Therefore, as a small business owner, most of your customers and prospects

are using it, so it’s time to reach them through this amazing marketing
channel that is already made for you.

The following statistics will assist you in understanding why social media is
important and how you can use it to the advantage of your business’
performance.

The Numbers

The most popular social media sites that you can take advantage of include
but not limited to:

 Facebook
 Twitter
 LinkedIn
 Google Plus

2011 was a good year for social media networks; Facebook hit the 800
million users mark with 200 million fans joining in a one-year period. Twitter
and LinkedIn both are enjoying over 100 million users.

There are approximately 2 billion internet users in the world and at least
50% of them use social networks.

This shows you just how much social media has taken the internet world by
storm. Below are a few quick, but interesting take outs covering social media
statistics for the year 2012:

3
 Facebook 101 for Local Businesses

2012 Statistics: Facebook & Twitter Alone

 Facebook, the most popular social media network, has approximately

800+ million users
 The average Facebook user will have a minimum of 130 friends and
will like about 80 pages
 On average, 3.5 billion content pieces are shared via Facebook
 Approximately 56% of consumers have reported that they will
recommend a certain brand after becoming a fan of the related page.
 Approximately 77% of consumers have admitted that they interact
with businesses on Facebook before purchasing their products
 Approximately 50% of Facebook users will log on every single day
 Approximately 55% of users use their mobile phone to access the
Twitter platform
 Approximately 34% of business marketers have managed to generate
leads using Twitter

General Social Media Statistics

A study by Nielsen shows the following:

 Approximately 80% of Americans use social media networks

 Internet surfers will spend a considerable amount on social networks
as compared to other websites
 About 40% of the people will use their mobile phone devices to access
social media networks
 Social media fans are more influential and active offline

Experian released a report on the use of social media and these are some of
the highlights:

 About 129 million, or 91% of American adult internet surfers, use

social media networks every month
 An average Facebook user will spend at least 20 minutes every time
they log into their accounts
 Approximately 20% of social media users are more likely to visit other
social media sites after they exit from one

4
 Facebook 101 for Local Businesses

The above statistics are more than just mere numbers. They are an actual
representation of just how much social media has impacted our daily lives.
From these numbers, you can see that one of the best ways to reach out to
your prospects and customers, without spending hundreds of thousands of
dollars in advertising, is via social media.

Your business can easily communicate with your prospects through social
networks and convert them into long-term customers. Your audience can get
information on your new products, as well as give feedback on products and
services they’ve purchased for you.

It is also a great way to build customer reviews. You should encourage your
satisfied customers to go online to social media sites and give a review.
Online reviews are instrumental in influencing consumer buying decisions
these days. Most people go online to do a little research before they
purchase anything.

So it would benefit your business to have a lot of glowing reviews online for
everyone to see.

And let’s not forget about Online Reputation Management. Social media
allows business owners a way to monitor and respond to what is being said
about them online. With a strong social media presence, you will be given a
chance to catch and correct any customer service issues that may be made
public by an unhappy customer.

With the right approach, local businesses can build a healthy relationship
with their customers, as well as with other like-minded companies through
the use of social media. In a nutshell, it could be the key to creating more
sales and profits funnels into your business.

The number of social media users is projected to increase substantially in

2012 with more than 100 million additional people joining the various
networks.

As you can see, when it comes to attracting new customers and prospects,
social media must be a part of the plan if you want to grow and expand your
local customer reach.

5
 Facebook 101 for Local Businesses

We can no longer look at social media networks only as a thing for the
“young generation” to express themselves. We have to look at it as a
powerful marketing and advertising vehicle that can take your business to
the next level without damaging your wallet.

Let’s take a closer look at the most popular Social Media Networking site
today: Facebook.

What is Facebook?
Before you explore this phenomenon that has stirred up the internet and the
social media world, it is important to understand what Facebook really is and
its relevance to the marketing industry.

Facebook is a social media network that is causing ripples on the web. This
website was created with the intention of helping people connect with family
and friends. Starting out as a college network site, Facebook has come a
long way. In fact, it is now at the top of the list when it comes to influential
social media networks.

In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook, which was known as

“thefacebook” back then. The site was an instant hit on campus (Harvard)
and slowly expanded to other colleges. With the rapid success, Zuckerberg
included two other students to assist him with his new found business.
Together, they churned out this nationwide networking website geared
mostly towards college students.

However, today, Facebook is used by most people around the world.

Facebook gives its users the ability to create profiles so that they can share
information about themselves. This includes Fan Pages, which are mostly
used by businesses who want to market their companies.

One of the most powerful features of Facebook is the ability for fans and
friends to comment on profiles and Fan Pages. This feature has played a

6
 Facebook 101 for Local Businesses

huge role in turning Facebook into the ultimate place for businesses to
engage with their customers and prospects.

While consumers can easily get the information they need on products and
services, businesses enjoy the cheap advertising and exposure.

Why Use Facebook in Marketing?

Facebook is the number one social networking site with a massive number of
daily users. The website allows businesses to create Fan Pages and use
banners to set up advertisements in order to market their businesses and
interact with consumers.

Facebook Trends and Statistics

The Following statistics (by Vabsite) show the numbers behind the success
of Facebook in the Social media world:

 Facebook has over 800 million active profiles with 25% of these joining
in a single year (2011)
 50% of all Facebook users log into their accounts every day
 An average user has about 130 friends
 Facebook users spend 700+ billion minutes on this site every month
 Facebook has 900+ billion pieces of content that its users interact
with; this includes “groups,” “events and community,” and Fan Pages
 An average Facebook user “likes” about 80 pages
 An average Facebook user will create about 90 content pieces in a
month
 Ever since the launch of plugins, approximately 10,000 new sites
integrate with Facebook on a daily basis
 Facebook has more than 70 translations

Facebook Mobile Usage Statistics

7
 Facebook 101 for Local Businesses

 There are more than 25% Facebook users who access the platform
using mobile phones
 Facebook mobile users are two times more active as compared to non-
mobile phone users
 More than 200 mobile phone service providers in 60 different countries
are working towards promoting Facebook mobile products

Statistics Showing Why Facebook is Here to Stay

 With over 800 million active users, 1 out of every ten people on earth
is using Facebook
 Statistics based on “users” and “page views” puts Facebook in the
number 2 spot - second to Google, yet ahead of Yahoo and YouTube
 For every one minute on Facebook, users will share 50,000 links, tag
65,000 photos, post 80,000 wall posts, update 95,000 statuses, and
post 500,000 comments to either affirm or disparage them
 American Facebook users make up to ¼ of the total users in the world

Business Marketing through Facebook

Looking at the statistics above, you can see why both large and small
businesses are turning to Facebook as an effective and affordable
advertising method.

Facebook users have started using this network to check out local
businesses and what they have to offer. A user will browse through local
restaurants, salons, flower shop, fashion shop, etc. and you want to be
among the results they find.

Most of the people who use Facebook are quite active offline. This means
that they are potential customers who will buy anything they think is cool
once they see it on Facebook – especially from a “local” business. Therefore,
if you run a local business, it is important for you to be active on Facebook
now that you know the numbers involved.

8
 Facebook 101 for Local Businesses

Fan pages are easy to create and will not cost you a dime if you do it
yourself. However, to really get the best Fan page that will fully engage your
audience, it may be best to hire a professional who has extensive knowledge
about Facebook marketing.

While creating a Fan page is the first step, the hard part is connecting with
customers. You will need consistency and the ability to dedicate some time
to build a loyal following of fans. You will need to communicate often in
order to keep their attention and increase your sales.

Once you create a Facebook Fan page, you will need to let people know that
you have it. One easy and quick way to do it is to put a Facebook icon on
your website that is linked to your Fan Page. Another way is to include a
Facebook logo in your print advertisements and any other marketing
methods you use.

There are very successful companies using Facebook to increase sales and
build a following. While your business will not be an instant hit with millions
of fans overnight, you can eventually build a strong foundation and
Facebook presence that will pay off.

If you really want to build a relationship with your customers through

interaction and communication, Facebook is the way to go. Start by creating
a Fan page and load it up with valuable, relevant information that your
target audience will enjoy.

If you would like some professional help setting up your Facebook Fan Page
for ultimate performance, contact me at ______________ for a free
consultation.

Thank you,

(Your Name)
(Your Phone)
(Your Website)

9
Facebook 101 for Local Businesses

10