Google Is No Longer The Referral King!

Did You Know That FaceBook Refers More Traffic To Websites Than Google?

According to Business Insider, Statista, and Parse.Ly, the biggest sources of traffic to websites today are Google and FaceBook, accounting for 80% of all web traffic.

Simply put, if you are in business and want to get referral traffic, you need to understand how to maximize your traffic from Google and FaceBook.

Most contractors I interact with are more concerned about getting traffic from Google. I understand.

However, did you know that FaceBook refers more Education & Research traffic than Google? In fact, 60% of all the traffic to websites today related to education and research originates from FaceBook, compared to only about 20% from Google.

Why is this important?

In an earlier article, I explained why disaster restoration contractors should pursue a content marketing strategy. The statistics show that you will get more traffic, higher search engine rankings, and most importantly, more leads that convert to sales.

One of the core goals of content marketing is to educate and inform consumers about disaster restoration issues (mold, water damage, asbestos, fire and smoke restoration, disaster restoration planning, etc.), with the explicit intent of building a relationship early on in the sales cycle. As I stated in an earlier article:

An educated consumer will make better decisions. Contractors that position themselves as the expert in their area will gain more leads and sales because they are offering highly valuable information to potential customers.

In addition to researching brands, products, health issues, and other lifestyle topics, consumers today use social media to get news, education, recommendations, and referrals on service providers and products. The largest social media platform consumers use for this is FaceBook.

If you are pursuing a content marketing strategy and want to maximize the return on your content, this article will explain why you need to consider investing more in your FaceBook marketing strategy. Specifically, I cite statistics that show you that for every $1 invested in FaceBook you will generate a much higher return than Google!

The Business Case For FaceBook!

I recommend FaceBook for three key reasons:

1. FaceBook is a large source of referral traffic. In fact, according to Business Insider, FaceBook refers 40% of all the traffic to websites on the Internet.

2. Nearly 2 billion users on FaceBook. It is the largest social media in the world and where your customers are checking in daily.

3. Finally, the relative investment in FaceBook ads pales in comparison to bidding for ads on Google or investments in other traditional advertising.

Since 2015, I have been sending traffic to my clients’ websites using FaceBook ads targeted to consumers in their service areas.

On average, for every dollar I invest for my clients, they get 2 visitors to their websites.

In some cases, I have ran campaigns where the cost per click to the website is only $0.20 and sometimes even lower, meaning for every dollar spent, my client is getting 5 visitors or more to their websites. (For more detailed statistics, please sign up to my free course!)

Google Cost Compared To FaceBook

Compare the cost of FaceBook to Google Ads where you are paying for clicks and bidding for key words amongst many other contractors in your area.

The average cost per website visit for my clients that use FaceBook ads is $0.50.

In contrast, if you are paying for clicks on Google, you will  pay an average of $1 to $2 per click and likely more  if you are in an area where there are many competitors because Google AdWords is based on an auction system.

Another consideration is that many contractors rely on SEO agencies to manage their adwords campaigns. Do your homework and find out how many of your competitors the same SEO firm is working with in your area. If you are working with a firm that is managing the adword campaigns for you and your competitors in your service area, you will likely be paying a lot more per click.

FaceBook Empowers You To Build Relationships and Digital Word of Mouth!

There are two other reasons that you should consider using FaceBook.

First, if you post your content to your FaceBook fanpage, you have the opportunity to create fans for your business and brand, meaning you can determine who likes your page and reach out to them personally. This empowers you to begin building a fan base that will be able to interact with your brand on your fan page by commenting on articles, reading posts, providing testimonials on your services, etc.

Second, if you post an article that fans or consumers in your service area like, you can leverage what I refer to as “digital word of mouth” which leads to social sharing. When someone shares your article to their timeline, you are leveraging the value of the ad spend, meaning you will multiply the number of visitors you receive to your website at no additional cost. For instance, let’s say someone shares the article to their profile and they have 250 friends. If 3 of their friends click on the article and read the article, your average cost for post share reduces even further. The more people that click on the link and view the article, the less the post share is costing you. Some campaigns I have launched for clients have resulted in over 1,000 shares.

Concluding Thoughts!

More Traffic, Higher Brand Awareness, More Pages For Google To Index, More Leads, More Sales!

A well thought out and implemented content marketing strategy will accomplish several goals.

First, it will increase the number of visitors to your website, visitors that could eventually call on you during an emergency situation or inquire about indoor air quality concerns caused by mold or other issues.

Second, by educating consumers in your service area, you are actually providing a service by informing and creating awareness. This is one of the first steps in creating a relationship early on in the sales cycle and the premise to begin building TRUST, the prerequisite to getting an inquiry that leads to a sale.

Third, consistently posting content on your website, promoted through a targeted campaign on FaceBook, will expose your content and brand to more consumers in your area through direct clicks and social sharing, which in turn increases your opportunities for higher lead acquisition.

Fourth, posting high quality content on your website will increase your organic search engine reach, particularly if consumers spend time reading the articles, sharing the articles, and clicking on internal links. Keep in mind, Google and other search engines are giving websites that publish high quality content higher organic rankings!

Finally, the relative cost of using FaceBook to distribute and promote your content is very low, considering the potential return on the investment that you will gain by actively promoting your brand to consumers in your area.

About Sanjay Gupta

Sanjay is a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience in both traditional marketing and digital marketing. His digital marketing agency, Restoration Digital Marketing Solutions (RDMS) specializes in helping disaster restoration professionals increase their brand awareness and online lead generation. RDMS is offering a free restoration marketing course that teaches disaster restoration contractors how to implement a successful digital marketing strategy.