3 WAYS LOCAL BUSINESSES ARE CRUSHING FACEBOOK RIGHT NOW

Having A Hard Time Getting Your Facebook Marketing Strategy Dialed In?

Let’s be honest. Using Facebook to drive more traffic, leads, and sales into your business isn’t as easy as many make it out to be.

Sure, it can be highly effective. But it doesn’t come without a lot of effort, testing, and figuring out how to implement it correctly.

Much like the art of boxing… its a sweet science.

If You’re Having Trouble Getting Facebook To Work For You On A Consistent Basis Then It Likely Boils Down To A Couple Core Issues

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1. Lack of a strong strategy

If you wanted to become the next home run king, do you think going to the batting cages occasionally would make it possible?

Nope.

And if you don’t have a solid strategy. One that is proven to work. And backed by consistent action and implementation to get those results, then it is unlikely for your Facebook efforts will succeed either.

The difficulty comes in this paradox. You must have confidence in the strategy (that it will work) or otherwise you are unlikely to stick with it for a period of time and achieve results.

It’s the exact same as following a diet. If you don’t see fast results, then you are unlikely to stick with it.

So confidence, experience, and sticking to your strategy are often intertwined.

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1. Lack of a cost effective strategy

Getting results is great. But getting results at a great price is another issue altogether.

It takes time, money, and effort to get results.

But the “cost” of the results is what separates the amateurs from the professionals. Sometimes your strategy is working, but you still aren’t getting good enough results to get over the cost hurdle.

Or the strategy may work, but is not the strategy that can compete at the top. It may be last year’s strategy that has been replaced with a better one.

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1. Lack of great execution

How many people KNOW how to diet, but don’t follow through?

While not everyone knows how to make Facebook work at peak, most of those who do (or think they do) still don’t get it implemented in such a manner that gets the results they are looking for.

It could be because they’re busy (like I don’t know… running a business). Or they’re distracted. Or have other things going on (don’t we all?).

You can have the best plan in the world, but if you don’t stick to it then it doesn’t do you any good since you won’t see the results.

Even with a good strategy Facebook can be hard. Being “second best” doesn’t necessarily allow you to compete at the top. Ad prices have been soaring. Building your Fanpage is no longer easy or cheap (for most people). Getting access to your target market and potential customers is getting more prohibitive every day.

Then Facebook updates their rules, ad strategies, and opportunities constantly. It takes constant work to stay on top of it.

So…

I’m Going To Help You Solve That Problem!

But first… you may be thinking, “Well screw it then! I’m not going to use Facebook.”

And tucking tail and running might seem reasonable considering what I just said.

But it’s worth the cost of figuring out and getting Facebook to work for your business.

Why?

Here’s just a couple reasons why if you’re not currently using Facebook to build your business, grow your customer base, and increase your profits… you should really think about it (particularly for local businesses)…

Why You MUST Be Using Facebook

In Your Marketing Efforts…

Facebook has become quite the unstoppable force over the past decade. They have a depth of access to the population that is simply unheard of.

You can contact – through Facebook – nearly every home in the U.S. and you are able to build a relationship with them too.

With over 1.5 BILLION users right now they are…

1. The most widespread way to reach your potential customers (over 71% of U.S. adults are on Facebook right now). Put simply, there is no easier way to reach and stay in front of your customers.
2. The most effective (and often times lowest cost) way to reach your potential customers (For example we are currently getting potential customers to watch our videos for?$.0001 per view!)

However, the fact remains that there is a gap between having the opportunity to get results… and actually obtaining those results.

Why Local Businesses Have An Even Larger Advantage…

In addition to the other benefits, local businesses have a couple “legs up” over those “internet businesses” or national chains.

First, it is much easier because your audience is much easier to define. You likely already know exactly where your prospects are located, and with Facebook’s new targeting features you can specify (down to the neighborhood) you want to target.

Next, your audience pool is typically easy to find. Think about it for a second. In order to have a local business there are many things that already have to be in place.

Such as enough customers in a local area to stay in business. Which means you aren’t reinventing the wheel.

Which also means it is very likely your prospects are easy to define on Facebook.

Pretty cool, right?

So with that in mind, lets get you some results from Facebook fast…

The Top 3 Ways To Cash In From Facebook Right Now…

While we have over a dozen strategies that have been tried and tested in the field, we see a very wide range of businesses consistently having success with three particular strategies. One of the benefits of these strategies is it has a wide room for “error”.

What do I mean by that?

It means that you don’t have to be a Facebook marketing stud like us in order to make it work. If you get it mostly right… you can still see some great results.

So let’s dig in…

Method #1 – Retargeting website traffic

This is, without a doubt, the easiest way for local businesses who already generate website traffic to increase their sales… usually for a ridiculously low price.

Particularly if they’re already running any advertising on Facebook.

So what does retargeting even mean?

It’s very simple.

Here’s how it works:

When someone goes to your website (or any particular page on your site)… and they have a Facebook account they’re logged into on that computer or phone… then you can retarget them again.

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?“Why Would I Retarget Visitors To My Website?”

There is a phrase in business that has never been more true today.

“Delay is the death of a sale”. This was true 20 years ago, but is even more true today!

Think about it for a second. We live in a distraction oriented world where people can’t hold their attention on anything for more than 5 seconds.

And how many times today have you looked at something you were interested in, but life (or a Facebook post, or text, or phone call, or car horn) got in the way?

You can have someone engaged who is interested and willing to take the next step, but maybe the kids at the dinner table decided to throw the mashed potatoes, and then your soon-to-be customer had to put down the phone and take care of the emergency.

Sale gone.

The easiest way to increase your sales isn’t to convince less interested prospects to buy from you, but to simply get those who wanted to buy but failed to because of the 257 possible things that could go wrong or distract them today… to present them with another opportunity to buy from you.

And no one is more likely to be that person than someone who has already shown interest in your product or service.

In this case meaning they have clicked on your ad or link, and have gone to your site and engaged in content.

What Retargeting Works For…

Obviously, you can retarget visitors to increase your sales. The simplest way to do this is to take those who have gone to your sales page, and simply retarget them back to the same page.

But it can be far more sophisticated and effective!

You can develop a sequence of marketing material to present to them in a logical order that gets them to take the next step closer to a sale.

It may mean converting them into a lead. Or an appointment,

Or even as simple as building a relationship so you can close the sale at a later date.

In fact, because you’ve been on this page you’ll likely see another post from me on Facebook because I’ll be retargeting you (but don’t worry, it’ll be in a cool way

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Where People Mess Up…

Like I said, retargeting can be simple or rather complex. But there are a couple problems people make consistently in their efforts to retarget, but mess up their results.

1. Not retargeting a specific audience

You can retarget everyone who visited your website… or people who only went to a specific page.

The easy mistake is to target everyone, even though they are likely facing very different questions or in different states of buying.

Sending the same message to someone who has repeatedly gone to your checkout page as the person who once visited your blog page and doesn’t really know who you are… will have drastically different results.

Each needs a different message to nudge them along to take the next step. Screw it up and you’ve lost the sale!

2. Not using a sequence

You shouldn’t think of retargeting as a one-time effort. At least not if you want to get the most sales from it.

You can set up a retargeting campaign to act much like an autoresponder. You can deliver multiple messages in a sequence. This way you can answer multiple objections that your prospect may have. Or solve different issues at different times. One ad can show the benefits of your product, while the next introduces urgency or maybe a bonus item if they act by the deadline.

3. No plan

Lastly, retargeting without it fitting into a larger strategic plan will not net you large results.

Sure, some action is better than none, but the action should also help move you towards your goal.

Develop… and stick to… your overall plan.

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The Most Beautiful Thing About Retargeting…

What may possibly be the best thing about retargeting is the dramatically lower cost per sale than what you will usually pay.

Since the people you’re targeting are already in your highly qualified pool (people who’ve already shown interest) they’re much more likely to respond.

Sometimes to the point of getting newfound sales (or lost sales) for about 10% of what you usually pay. It is not unusual to see what usually costs $30 to acquire a customer to come in for $3 or so.

How To Make It Happen…

Let’s break this down step by step so you can see what is required to get this live and running for your business.

1. Setup the pixel

First, you’ll need to get your pixel. So from the toolbar inside your ad account you’ll need to go to: Tools > Pixels

Then click on “actions” > View pixel?

?Where you can copy the code.

Then all that is left is to install it into the header code on your website (or just give it to your programmer).

Now you’re ready to get rockin…

1. Create a Custom Audience

Next you’ll need to create a custom audience so you can retarget them.

First, go back to the toolbar and select “Tools > Audience”

Then click on “Create Audience > Custom Audience”

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Then click on “Website Traffic”…

Then you can enter in which pages you want to target, along with how long ago (up to 180 days).

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Now you’re ready to create your campaign.

1. Create your campaign

Ok next up. Once the pixel is installed, pull up Power Editor.

This isn’t going to be a tutorial on using Facebook’s Power Editor, so I’ll let you do some searching on Google if this is completely new to you.

You create an ad campaign just like you would for anything else, but there is one crucial difference.

The important part is under your “audience” tab is where you select your retargeting options. Choose your custom audience here.

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1. Create the ad

Now you’ll go in and create the ad itself. You’ll want this to emphasize whatever the point is of this particular campaign (benefit/scarcity/etc)

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1. Start the campaign

This is pretty self explanatory. Upload the ad(s) and wait for Facebook to approve them and start receiving traffic.

So if you’re not currently using retargeting to increase your sales and dropping your cost to acquire new customers then you need to get it implemented fast.

You could see a 20% or 30% bump in sales almost overnight by putting this in place. Don’t delay!

Moving on to the second way to monopolize Facebook for your business…

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Method #2 – Using “Customer Acquisition” Campaigns

Imagine being able to turn on your ad, and having 100 new leads per day come into your business… or 20 new customers.

Having the ability to create customers on demand is one of the largest assets you can have for your business. Since sales and cashflow are the lifeblood of a business you can create, quite literally, money on demand.

But… you have to have your promotion setup properly and get it working… which may be the most difficult thing to do in business.

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Why Do Most Have Such A Difficult Time?

Simple. It is difficult!

But if you succeed then the value is huge. You can turn a quick profit and generate leads, customers, and sales… all on demand.

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There are 3 things that are required for a great customer acquisition campaign:

1. A targeted audience – You must have a group of people who are interested in what you have to offer.
2. A great offer – The offer you make must be enticing. 5 minute abs? Hell ya!
3. Great reach – Meaning you can actually reach them with your advertising

So what are some ways you can make it work for you?

We’ll go over it in a second, but first I think it will help you out more if we start by showing you the process that will get you there.

Tricks and tips won’t do you any good unless you’re already doing things correctly.

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The 11-Step Process We Use To Creating Facebook Campaigns That?Bring In Customers On Demand

Let’s walk through the process we use to create these killer campaigns.

Step 1: Define the specific audience your promotion is going to target

You need to know who you’re targeting. You can’t create anything else until you know this.

For example, are you going after new customers (all of them), is it going to be a specific promotion for a product, a discount, or a promotion to a subset of your audience.

If you don’t know this (or define it) then you’ll have a difficult time moving forward.

Step 2: Define your offer

You can’t create your pitch if you don’t know what you’re going to offer. Begin with the end in mind.

A great offer with a mediocre pitch can still get amazing results. An amazing pitch will still struggle to get great sales with a mediocre offer.

Once you know who you’re targeting, it is time to define what is you’re going to offer them, and why it should get them to respond.

Are you going to give them a month of free gym membership?

Are you going to offer a discount?

Or maybe you’ll throw in something as valuable as the product itself… for free if they try now?

Whatever it is… it must be irresistible. This is key to getting people to respond.

Step 3: Create a logical sequence

Have you ever clicked on an ad that told you they were going to give you a free pizza, but then when you clicked on it you were taken to a page for free Viagra?

I hope not. But if you have (or “tricked” into any other misleading or unexpected direction) you’ll remember. You probably felt tricked, or at best was left scratching your head.

You want to make sure you don’t make this mistake. It is far easier to do than it seems. Particularly if you don’t “strategize” everything at the same time.

There shouldn’t be a disconnect between your ad and your landing page. If there is one, then you are likely to lose people. And this will kill your results.

So go ahead and plan out what your ad will say, what your landing page will say, and so on. This should all be in a continuous sequence that delivers on your promises.

Audience –> Ad –> Landing Page = Must all make sense!

Step 4: Create your landing page

Now it is time to create your actual marketing material. First up is your landing page.

There are numerous software options you have for this (like Leadpages) that make it easy to do the technical side.

But at the end of the day what is important is the effectiveness of the page.

You need to state your offer, and back it up with proof (if possible or required).

Remember, it is all about results.

Usually you’ll want to use a lead page (aka optin page) for most offers so you can follow up. This takes testing and can be tricky, but is often a good way to go.

The better you are at achieving results on this the better chances you’ll have at making it work!

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Step 5: Create an offer action page (if required)

If you’re using a 2 step sequence (collecting someone’s email on the landing page) then you’ll want to take them to an action page after signing up so they can take advantage of the offer.

It could be the coupon code. It could be a sales letter. It really depends what it is you’re selling and what your business is.

Step 6: Create a thank you page

Once they are done taking action and have become your new customer you’ll need a way to tell them… Thanks!

And you’ll also need a place to put tracking code so you can track all the variables and when someone becomes a customer.

Tracking is crucial. If you don’t use it then how are you going to know what is working and what is losing you money?

Step 7: Create your ad

Now that your sales funnel is ready to go it is time to create your ad you’ll place on Facebook.

You need an ad that will call out to your target market and get the right people (the ones who are qualified to become your customers) to respond.

The specifics on how we create our ad campaigns is far too detailed to explain here, but it boils down to getting great results (often meaning a high CTR%) and testing. A high level of split testing is critical here and is what separates the top performers on Facebook (or all ad platforms for that matter) and everyone else.

Ultimately conversions (most likely your conversion will be a sale or a lead) is what matters. If those who click on your ad don’t convert into customers, then you’ll have to figure out why… and fix it.

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Step 8: Create ad targeting

At this point it should be pretty simple to define your general targeting (since it was part of step 1). But most likely you’ll have numerous options on how to go about it.

Are you going to use interests? Demographic or behavioral targeting? All the above? Overlapping audiences?

It really just depends. And the answer is… you guessed it… even more testing. Of course experience and knowledge come into play here (just as with every other step). But at the end of the day you must test to verify.

Never trust any marketer who makes absolute statements.

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Step 9: Upload and start the campaign

Pretty self explanatory. Click upload and wait…?

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Step 10: Get results and setup split testing

That’s right. You have to split test your ads… and also your landing pages.

You need to test your headlines, your appeal, your call to action (CTA), and more.

This is what creates the huge winners.

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Step 11: Optimize and refine the campaign

Once you have a campaign that works and is getting conversions it is time to begin the optimization process.

This means you get rid of everything that doesn’t work so you can increase your profits.

Ditch ads that don’t work, targeting that doesn’t work, pages that don’t work, and so on.

This is a long process (it starts with days but takes months to really refine). But this is what multiplies your profits. The better job you do the more profit you make.

We use a 13 step optimization process that gets better optimization results than everyone we ever competed against. This is how we were able to run in the top .005% of marketers in the largest markets in the world and win.

Because the difference between having a winner you can advertise some places and make you some money… and one you can advertise everywhere and make 10X the money from… is often optimization.

Method #3 – Growing your Fanpage audience

Growing your Fanpage audience isn’t as easy (or cheap) as it used to be.

From 2010 to 2013 companies spent tons of money building as many likes to Fanpages as they could. Particularly since it was dirt cheap at the time.

One problem though…

They weren’t people in their target market.

Which led to a rash of poor quality and spamming-like episodes.

Back then it was easy to get Fanpage “likes” for under 10 cents. Now the average cost is 50 cents to $1.

More on this in a second, but first…

What Is A Fanpage Like?

When you click “Like” on someone’s Fanpage it adds you to their audience. Not to be confused with a “post like”.

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A Fanpage like is the same as building your list. Except it is in Facebook. When you add a new post on your Fanpage it can reach them again.

It is much like gathering emails or targeted prospects. You’re getting someone to raise their hand and say they’re interested, but not forcing them to take a large action. You’re letting people self identify themselves as prospects.

Used properly, building your Fanpage audience through likes can be very powerful. It is your audience who can be very receptive to your offers. An added benefit is when people engage it builds strong social proof for your business. When others go to your Fanpage and see a lot of engagement then they too will be more likely to respond.

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Where People Run Into A Wall…

If it is so good, then why doesn’t everyone talk about it?

There are a couple areas people tend to have problems with. Namely…

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Cost!

Due to the cheap cost of likes in the past combined with poor quality issues, Facebook increased the cost of likes.

Does this mean it has gone the way of the Dodo bird?

Not at all. In fact, you could argue they’re more valuable than ever. Particularly as advertising costs have risen more than the cost of “likes”.

In 2013 (when prices started moving up) a study released the value of Likes for businesses. On the low side most likes were worth a $1 per fan, and on the high side BMW stated a fan was worth $1,600.

But the average range of a “like” who is in your target market who is also marketed to correctly is in the $5-$20 range. Obviously the amount varies by market along with the cost to acquire these likes.

But… it’s still possible to get cheap likes. And this is where this method really shines (one of the areas at least)!

Think about it.

If You Can Acquire Leads At A Deep Discount Then

Doesn’t That Set You Up For An Easy Win?

Of course it does. But it does come with some caveats…

• They must be targeted
• They must be responsive

First, lets tackle the “targeted” portion.

You must be generating leads who are targeted to your business. But guess what? You ALREADY have to do this when you advertise on Facebook anyway. And you have the exact same audience you can choose from.

Here’s an inside secret we use.

You can actually test audience quality fast and easy (and cheap) by testing different target audiences in Facebook’s ad platform for page likes. Then when you find a responsive targeting group you can click on the people who “liked your Fanpage and see their profile (if they make it public which is most). You can then take a look at their profile and see for sure if they are in your target market.

This can save you a lot of money and time if you would otherwise have to let those people click on your ad and then they appear to be good prospects, but later you find out they won’t convert because they were never really your prospects.

Now you know a fast and easy way to bypass that issue.

That’s just one of the many strategies we use when putting this to work for your business.

Moving on…

If the targeting is good, you then need to make sure they’re responsive. But here’s the thing. As long as they are targeted they will be responsive. The key is in how you interact with your fans on an ongoing basis.

Are you developing a relationship with them?

Are you posting engaging content that helps them out (or entertains them at least)?

If they’re targeted but not responsive, then it is almost definitely something you are doing wrong and not the fans themselves.

But Still… What About That Fan Cost?

So you understand that fans can be incredibly valuable if approached correctly. But Facebook still charges a lot for fans right?

Not necessarily.

They will charge you a lot if you do a mediocre job of getting fans, and engaging with them.

But it is also possible to get very cheap likes (under a penny even) if you know what you’re doing.

Like what exactly?

We’ve found that one of the keys to getting long-term cheap fans is to maintain “likes campaigns” with a CTR% (of the ad) above 6%.

Once you achieve this then your price drops like a rock.?

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That alone helps, but is only a portion of the process. When combined with the 7 other tactics we put to use it really helps maintain highly-profitable likes campaigns over the long-term.

But there is STILL a problem you’ll run into.

In certain markets (where lead values are very high) you simply won’t be able to get really cheap likes. If you do everything else right then you’ll still get them much cheaper than everyone else, but you won’t get those really cheap likes.

However, we figured out a way around that, but you have to be a client to get that kind of access. I can’t go giving out all of our competitive secrets

Even if you don’t get those cheap likes in high value markets it doesn’t make it a game ender.

For example, for one high dollar service we ran a small “Likes Campaign” test. It turns out these likes were highly-profitable even though the average cost-per-like was 56 cents. When plugged into the follow up process it dropped the cost per lead (email signups) down almost 66% when compared to running Facebook traffic directly to the signup page… all while being twice as valuable as the other email leads.

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So you’re ready to build your own “Likes campaign”?

What’s the next step?

How To Build Your High-performing Facebook Likes Campaign

Here’s the general process we use to build highly-profitable likes campaigns.

1. Create the master plan

Sure, you can jump straight into building your Fanpage audience. But first I’d suggest putting together a solid plan on how you’re going to take them from fans all the way through to the goal – which is usually becoming a lead or a customer.

What are you going to do to develop the relationship? What content are you going to deliver?

What is the next step you want them to take?

These are all questions you should know as part of your plan.

1. Develop the content

You have your plan, but now you need to set it up so when you start driving fans to your page you can get a sense of the value they create.

Because what is important at the end of the day is not the actual price you’re paying for likes, or the value per fan, but that you’re putting in $1 and getting out more than $1 in revenue. So you must have a way to gauge what a fan is worth.

You also need to know what range you can afford to pay for likes so you know whether your campaign is a success or not.

1. Create ad(s)

Now its time to develop your “likes campaign ads”.

While I would like to say there is a one-size fits all mold, testing is what is required. There are a couple strategies that work well, but that is going to be kept private.

But here are some things to keep in mind. 1) The ad image is vital. It must stand out and ideally hit an emotional chord in your target market. 2) The text is very important. More so than a regular Facebook ad since there is very little of it, and it does the majority of the “selling”. It will easily make or break your likes campaign.

1. Create targeting

Do this the same as you would for any other ad.

Keep in mind you’ll likely need to test many variations in order to find the sweet spot. It’s not unusual to test the same ad with 10 different targeting variations only to find one group generates likes for 1/5 as much as the others.

1. Start campaign

Upload your campaign and wait for approval… and then the traffic.

1. Test ads and targeting until right combination is found

Check your fans and make sure they are your target market. If you are targeting Dentists, but they’re showing up as people who work at aquariums then you know you need to fix it.

And aim for a Likes signup rate of over 6%!

Keep testing new ads and targeting combinations until this is achieved.

1. Scale

Once you have targeted and responsive fans… at a great cost-per-like… its time to scale your traffic and build your Fanpage fast.

The amount is up to you, but if you’re making a profit in a timeframe that works for your budget (often it can be hit profit within 7 days or less… immediately even, but it all depends on the process you’re using and what you’re selling.)

Once you’re profitable, scale like there’s no tomorrow.

1. Optimize funnel process

Just because your campaign is successful doesn’t mean it is time to sit back and relax. Now it is time to modify and improve your follow-up process.

You should work on improving your messaging, your follow-up ads, and your average fan value. There are 5 strategies that can make a major impact on this, but it is far beyond the scope of this article.

Why Fans Work So Well…

We’ve found that building fans to Fanpages have become very valuable.

Why?

I think it is due to several factors.

First of all, it is very easy for someone to take the action. It is one click, and is reversible. Plus, no “private” info is shared. So it is an easy first commitment.

Another benefit is by getting a “like” you have the chance to move someone forward through your funnel without it needing to be a “one shot wonder”. You have multiple chances to follow up and get them to move forward… all the while building your relationship with them.

In some markets this is critical as people are very skeptical. And if you can prove your value before they have to “commit” to the next step then they will be rabid consumers, but they assume you are just like “everyone else” from the get-go.

Plus, you get the built-in trust of being on the Facebook platform. It makes people feel safer and drops their guard. They don’t wonder if their computer is about to be attacked.

So growing your Fanpage audience can result in…

… Increased Leads For A Lower Cost!

A nice side benefit is it is usually easier to get the campaign working than trying to shortcut the process and go right for the sale or (sometimes) email lead.

If you’ve learned nothing else after reading this, you should now know that your strategy is critical to your success on Facebook.

If you use the wrong strategy, then you are better off spending your time driving in circles or petting porcupines.

Now…

How To Develop The Best Facebook Strategy For Your Business

There are multiple ways to go about figuring this out.

You can figure this out on your own. It’s what we did. But the “cost” of figuring it out is very expensive.

Both in terms of time and money.

Then testing it is expensive. Then tweaking everything, figuring it out again, refining it (so you get the best results – bar none).

Or if you don’t do all of that and just get it “in the ballpark” then you’ll be stuck having mediocre results.

Which is the difference between spending $1 and getting $2 back… or $4, $6, or even $10. It’s all about the results.?

Take action and implement. And let me know your results

The longest article writer ever,

Vince Whinnery