[Updated 4/17/13]
Want to grow your business? Embrace mobile marketing and tap in to the legions of smartphone-wielding Facebook fans.
As important as it is to growing your business, an entrepreneur can allocate only so many hours a week to marketing. You need to be strategic about how – and where – you spend that time. And unless you’re simply not paying attention, you know that Facebook is one of the most effective platforms a small business can use to reach a wider audience.
Still, unless you’ve tapped into mobile marketing, you’re missing out on the most active pool of Facebook fans. A study by the Web.com Group shows that of the small businesses who embrace mobile marketing, more than 80 percent have seen an increase in new business as a result.
Pedro Hernandez at Small Business Computing reports on an IDC study of smartphone owners that shows just how popular Facebook is with the mobile crowd. According to the study, Facebook ranks as one of the top-three things people do on a smartphone. Seventy percent of those people surveyed use Facebook, with the average person checking the service 14 times a day.
These results are both surprising and an indication that this group of Facebook aficionados provides a huge growth opportunity for small business owners who are savvy enough to focus their marketing efforts on this demographic.
How can you take advantage of the opportunity? The social media platform offers several mobile marketing tools to help small businesses expand their Facebook reach.
- A feature called Nearby offers recommendations based on a person’s Facebook likes, check-ins and tags. Hernandez rightly notes that people tend to rely on recommendations from their friends. Simply keep the information on your Facebook page up-to-date – your business address and hours of operation – to take advantage of this mobile-friendly feature.
- Another option to consider, especially if you want to increase foot traffic: Facebook Offers. Three types of virtual coupons – in-store only, in-store and online, and online only. Who doesn’t enjoy a deal, especially when you can redeem the coupon by simply flashing your smartphone?
- Facebook’s Promoted Posts turn your posts into ads that then appear in other people’s Facebook news streams. This can help you get your message out in front of more people faster – a handy tactic especially if your Facebook page is new and hasn’t developed any traction yet. Just be sure to follow Facebook’s advertising guidelines.
Adapted from 3 Facebook Mobile Marketing Tips by Pedro Hernandez at Small Business Computing. Follow Small Business Computing on Twitter.