Introduction to Facebook Marketing and Local SEO

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Facebook. The first thing that comes to our mind is Social Media. It took the communication market by storm in the early 2000s.
Our world has become a much smaller place. Everything and everyone can now connect with a few simple steps on Facebook. It’s a digital revolution like no other.
Currently, out of 5 people in the world, almost four people are online. That’s a sizable population to find on the Internet every day.
Printed flyers and posters used to be the only ways for local businesses to promote their brand. Gone are those days of paper wastage.
Google has been at the helm of search and finds for a person. Facebook Marketing is picking up the pace and catching up with Google. Hyper-local Marketing is now easy.
Social media sites are the most used platforms on the Internet at present. With users close to 4 billion, it’s the best place to do online marketing. Digital marketers prefer social media sites to boost their brand value.
If you are from the 1990s’ generation, then you’ll find your Smartphone precious. Smartphones have changed local marketing into a necessity. Combined with Social media, it has been a potent weapon for digital marketers.
People use Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing for the task. The local businesses are booming. Regardless of the size and product, businesses are going for Facebook to market.
Thanks to the meteoric rise in the smartphone market, now 8 out of 10 have one. Accessing the Internet to find a local store is now easy.
In this article, you’ll know all about Facebook Marketing.

• How to Start a Facebook Page for Your Business?
• How to Market Your Brand Online?
• How to Generate Traffic and Engage People on Your Facebook Page?
• If You Already Have a Page, This Will Help You to Optimize It.

Let’s Optimize Your Facebook Page for Local Searches

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1. Keep Your URL Address Accessible

Creating a Facebook page is easy. Most of the vendors ignore their page address. A simpler Facebook URL can bring you a lot of traffic. Look at the two examples below,
https://www.facebook.com/t5tgh/mybusiness101/qwertyuiop......
And
https://www.facebook.com/mybusiness101
Here, both the addresses belong to the same shop. But the first Facebook page address is a crowded one. At the same time, the second one is short and readable to a layman.
The first one is harder to find and engage online for customers. You want your page URL to be short and easy to remember. It will make your page accessible and engaging.
Most of the business owners overlook this, and they assume that whatever URL they have is final. Facebook gives you the option to change your URL too.
Once you get to 25 likes on your Facebook page, you can change your URL to a simple and accessible address.

• A clear address can give your business the edge it needs.
• It will increase the views and visits on your page.
• Compact and accessible URLs reflect your business better in the public domain.

2. Use Business Relevant Keywords and Hashtags

Yes, keywords and hashtags are important. For a local search of a business, they are everything. Maintaining a particular set of keywords and hashtags would help your online marketing.
Facebook is not like Google, but it uses a similar search algorithm. Hence, the keyword related to your particular business will help people to get in touch with you.
After creating your Facebook page, you will have a main category for your business.
Let say you are a local grocery vendor on Facebook. So, you will be choosing “Local Place or Business” as your main category.
After that, you will choose a sub-category.
Let’s assume your business offers home delivery of products. So you will choose “Home-Delivery” as your sub-category.
After that, you will name your shop.
Your business timings offer on products, and other information will follow. These sub-categories will distinguish your business.
It will help your local customer to find you in no time. They will search with keywords such as “Local vendor,” “Vendors near me,” “Home-delivery near me” on Facebook to find you.
Use tools such as Ubersuggest to find relevant keywords. It will help to optimize your Facebook page for local SEO program.

3. Update and Upgrade Your Content

On Facebook, We have seen many digital vendors vanish after a month’s hype. There are many reasons for that, but “Outdated content” is the primary reason. Keeping your Facebook page updated should be your priority.
Before Facebook, people were listing their business on Google. They make sure all the information about your business is accurate. Your location, business type, opening and closing time should be accurate.
Like Google listing, you should update your Facebook page information. When you create your page on Facebook, all the information you provide should be relevant.
Your business information is what attracts local customers. So you should update your business profile weekly or monthly.
You can update information such as ongoing events, discount offers, and membership program details. It would attract more customers. When they do a local search for your product, new information will engage them.
Invest in your Facebook page content, and update it at a regular interval. Upgrade your content by making it savvy.

• It will pay off by boosting your brand value.
• It will skyrocket your “local SEO results.”
• It will yield more engagement on your Facebook page.

4. Use Relevant Visual Reference

As humans, we remember what we see, as visual references are powerful. It has always been in the marketing trend. Be it with flyers or online, it has always been relevant to the general mass.
We are now in the digital era of smartphones. People are searching for millions of information in a second. To stay relevant in these times, you have to stand out.
Capturing these micro-moments is important. Posting photos of your store or the exact location on your Facebook page would benefit you. It will give your customers a clear idea about where to go.
Posting product-related photos and offer posters is also important.

• It will engage more visitors on your page.
• It will give them an insight into your business.

Videos relevant to your business is an add-on. It will boost your “local search results.”
Make sure your visual contents match up with your written content. Post facts relevant to your business.
Pin the important photos and videos on your Facebook Page news feed. It will help your online customers get information with minimal effort.
People visit a page that interests them. Make sure that your page gives them what they are looking for.

5. Get in Touch With Relevant Facebook Groups and Pages

You need to expand your digital reach: the more follower, the better engagement. On Facebook, there are many local groups. You need to find the ones relevant to your business.
It is crucial as it will increase your online reach. To improve, you have to learn about the customer’s needs. Joining a local Facebook group would give you a sizable target audience. Facebook groups have a search function within them. It allows a member to view posts of others. Hence, by posting about your business, you can promote your brand. You can get a significant increase in your organic traffic.
Though it depends on the group’s size, groups with more members will give your brand more exposure. You can also interact with other members. It will attract the audience to visit your Facebook Page.
There is another way to make use of Facebook Pages and Groups — usage of Keywords and Hashtags. There are many local Facebook groups dedicated to connecting the audience with businesses.
If you use the right set of keywords and hashtags, then there will be a rapid rise in your Facebook Page traffic.

6. Collaborate with Local Facebook Influencers

We already discussed the role of local Facebook groups in your business. Here we will know about the role of public figures. The term “Social media influencer” comes to light in the mid-2010s.
Talented individuals such as a movie personality, a famous dancer, a singer, or a painter can influence a certain section of society. They have a significant number of followers on Facebook.
Hence, digital marketers leverage this opportunity to collaborate with those individuals. Popular social media platform such as Facebook has a sizable number of influencers. Brand promotion is easier to manage with these influencers.
There are several types of collaboration tactics. Reward-based collaboration is in the trend right now.
In this type of collaboration, there will be some investment. You will give the influencer your products to try. It could be a free sample or a discounted product.
In return, they will post a detailed review of your brand. They will post photos of your products, or sometimes videos of them trying and reviewing.
It will give your brand the necessary credibility and trust. The trick is to collaborate with a Facebook Influencer people can relate to.

7. Create Buzz by Creating Events

Be interesting to stay relevant. Many brands on Facebook vanish even after making all the above points. The main reason is because of their lack of innovation.
Facebook Events are the best way to engage your audience. It will also invite more people to your Facebook Page. Events are the easiest way to let your followers know that you are here to serve them better.
You can create an Event on Facebook, and it will notify all your subscribers. They would know all the events are happening nearby within a month.
To stand out, make your Facebook Event title catchy. Events are searchable on Facebook. Creating a Facebook Event is easy, but you have to make it interesting.
A neat description, a set of rules, and rewards will bring your page the necessary attention. It will be on all your subscribers’ news feed, and their connections will also get notifications about it. It will increase the digital footfall on your Facebook Page.
Facebook Events create the necessary buzz around your business, and it will make people talk. You want them to talk, as it will create a chain of interaction and inquiry. Thus, providing you with the reach to stay relevant in the market.

8. Focus on NAP & Link Your Facebook Page

The first point discusses the importance of a customized URL address. Here we will discuss the importance of NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number). You have to include the NAP in your Facebook Page description.
A visiting customer should be able to find you on any page they are on. It will increase your brand and product’ inquiry.
You can add a backlink from the Facebook page to your business website and vice versa.
You can do the same on your other social media handles. It will give your “Local SEO results” or SERP visibility a necessary boost.
When you mention your Facebook page on other platforms, people take notice. Your connections and their connections will also visit your page. During peak hours of social media platforms, your page will get an increase in visits.
Backlinking is not as technical as it may sound.

• It helps your business improve customer engagement.
• It makes your Facebook Page and your business website rely on one another.
• It will bring steady growth in customer engagement.

9. Pay Attention to SEO & SEM

For a physical shop, it’s easy to find areas of improvement. But for a Facebook Page, it’s important to change your perspective.
As the owner of your Facebook Page, you should see what your customers are experiencing. So before applying any SEO or SEM related optimization. You have to put yourself in a customer’s place to observe.
For that, follow the below-mentioned steps.

• Log out of your Facebook business Page.
• Log in with your personal Facebook account.
• Find your Facebook Page using keywords and hashtags.
• Check your page’s rank in the search result, and then enter your page.
• Check your descriptions and other contents.
• Check the loading time of your page.

If your search result rank is low, you have to go for a fresh set of keywords and hashtags.
Use platforms such as Ubersuggest or Moz for a fresh set of keywords and hashtags.
If you are getting impatient while your page is loading, then your customers must be too.
You can resolve this issue by upgrading your AMPs.
AMPs mean Accelerated Mobile Pages. These pages can load twice as fast as a normal mobile page. It can also increase your local search results rank.

10. Prepare a List of FAQs

Better interaction leads to improved customer engagement. At the same time, it’s important to update your Facebook Page content. It is also important to address the queries of the customers.
People visit your Facebook Page to find a product/service.

• If they find it, they will inquire about its features and price.
• If they don’t find it, then they will ask about whether you have them or not.

Every business has its own set of queries. Either way, resolving these queries should be your priority. It may be about your location or your products.
Sometimes customers also suggest to you about their expectations. It’s important as an owner to address these things. So take some time to post answers to some of the common questions that you get.
Then move on to context-specific ones, as it will increase your credibility and brand trust. Credible businesses attract loyal customers.
Other Services are information about your business that is customer-specific. This information includes your rush hour, happy hour, weekly sale, and delivery times. It also includes information about response time on your page.
You can add all this information from the “Services” tab on your Facebook Page.

11. Reviews and Testimonials

If you have followed all the points, your Facebook Page should be on the right track. It will bring in fresh customers and reviews to your Facebook page.
Pay close attention to all the reviews on your page. You don’t want your page to show up on a negative Local Search Result.
Make sure you provide your products and services of the highest quality. Because your services and reviews could make or break your business.
Your Facebook Page will receive all kinds of reviews. Reviews are a great indicator of your brand value, trust, and quality of your services.
While positive reviews can motivate you to excel with your services, negative reviews can hinder your reach.
It can also cost you some of the loyal customers. Hence it’s wise to resolve complaints as soon as possible. It will nullify the chances of getting negative reviews.
Taking note of a client’s testimonial is important.

• It helps you find the loopholes in your business.
• It helps you improve and provide better services in the future.
• It also helps your Facebook Page with its social proof.
• It enhances your “local search results” ranks.

Good testimonials can influence a consumer to turn into a buyer. Hence it ensures profit.

12. Be Patient

Yes, it takes time. Local Search Optimization requires time, and results vary on many factors. It depends upon your activity on the Facebook Page.
Online engagement, collaborations, giveaways, events could take somewhere between a few weeks to a couple of months to see visible changes.
So while you wait after implementing Local SEO, you can learn from different Facebook Groups and Pages about Facebook Marketing.
Learn how to maximize the reach of your Facebook Page. Try to update your page and its contents at a regular interval as we explained how to go forward with your Facebook Page.
You can apply the same techniques on other social media platforms too. It will boost your clientele and the reach of your business.
Consistency is all you need to see those results sooner. If you are following the right process, you will see a positive change in your business.
Most of the businesses are hiring SEO firms for their Local Search Optimization. But if you are patient enough, then learn and do it all by yourself. Be patient and be consistent to see growth.
Get in touch with us for a free consultation on updating your Facebook page for local SEO.