Whenever there is any talk of social media, the first word that comes to mind is ‘Facebook’. This social media network does not need any introduction. The statistics are there for all to see.
- There are 2.07 billion monthly active Facebook users, an increase of 16% over the previous year.
- You have 1.15 billion mobile daily users, a significant increase of 23% over the year.
What do the above two figures indicate?
- Local businesses should ignore Facebook at their own peril.
- Facebook does not have any competition on the social media network.
- Mobiles have replaced computers as the major internet accessing device today.
It does make great local SEO strategy for business to intensify their social media presence. The above statistics should inspire local businesses to take the Facebook route to success. However, you should get your basics right. Let us look at the 5 most important Facebook tips for local businesses.
1. Maintain accuracy and consistency in your basic information
Many businesses make the mistake of messing up their NAP information (Name, address, and phone number). This can confuse the Google bots into indexing conflicting information thereby affecting your local SEO rating. Google procures information from various sources including your Facebook profile. Any inconsistency in the form of spelling mistakes or formatting has a negative effect on your rating.
Tip: Be accurate in providing information about your business. When you open your Facebook account, your information should tally with that on your website. Update these details at all locations whenever there is a change. The main idea is to maintain and increase your visibility.
2. Nurture your following
The thumb rule is that the larger and more active your following is, the higher is your rank on the local SERP. Google gives importance to the social following of any business brand. The point to note here is that your following should not only be big but also active on the social media.
How do you achieve your objective of building a large following? One of the ways to do it is to post quality and entertaining content. Updating the content on a regular basis is necessary. Encourage people to comment on your blogs. Now, when they do so, remember to respond positively. You are on the local SEO. You can very well contact the customers directly and improve your connections.
Tip: Having local fans comment on your blog posts is a great idea. This ensures that you have a good following, and more importantly an active one at that. Build up a following and nurture it.
3. Include the local flavor in your content
Your aim is to use Facebook to improve your local SEO ranking. Naturally, you should be posting local-specific articles instead of global ones. Your posts should concentrate on your industry and on issues that make your city unique in your industry. Including geographic indicators in the title and body of your posts is a good idea.
Tip: On posting your blog on your website, include a link to your Facebook profile. This increases the visibility of your local posts. Every comment or share you get will increase your local relevance.
Participate in local events and upload your pictures taken at these events on your website as well as your Facebook pages. This guarantees you good visibility. People relate to local events and will appreciate your contribution to the event as well. The same logic of higher the shares, higher is the following. Google rewards higher following with a higher rank on the local SERP.
4. Connecting with other local brands is important
Engage with your local competitors on a healthy level. Connect with them on a frequent basis. This plays a great role in deepening your ties with your city or locality. Another advantage of engaging with local brands is that you can have a new set of followers to your account.
The easiest way to connect to a local brand is to post a comment on their post or sharing their posts on your timeline. Over a period, most of them will reciprocate. This can be the start of a great relationship both on a personal as well as professional level.
Tip: A bit of local liaising with a local competitor brand can be of mutual advantage. You get a new set of followers. This is a go way of making your presence felt on Facebook.
5. Customer reviews do help
One of the tricks local businesses follows to get a higher SERP is to solicit positive review. You have platforms like Yelp to generate off-site reviews for your website. The higher the number of positive reviews on Yelp, the higher is your rank on local SEO. Google does not encourage you to directly influence people to post positive reviews. You can do so through Facebook.
Tip: Post links to local directory profiles where you can remind people to drop in a positive review or two. Make it a point to thank them for your positive review. You might just get the odd negative review as well. Respond to that and seek suggestions to improve your services. You can increase your local reviews and thus help earn a higher rank in your local SEO.
We shall include a bonus tip for you to improve your local SEO.
6. Paid Ads can do the trick
Facebook has a paid advertising platform that can prove handy for local businesses. Starting with a budget as low as $5 a day, you can connect to your local audience in a better manner. If you have the budget, you take the plunge. These paid ads always work.
Final thoughts
Social media marketing is one of the best ways to make a mark. This campaign can work with your local SEO strategy in a beautiful manner. Facebook has a tremendous subscriber base. A good entertaining post can get you innumerable likes from the most unlikely of quarters. This is the power of social media. If you have the compelling content, go ahead and share the same on Facebook. This can play a great role in improving your local SERPs.
