SageDot Mobile Marketing + Facebook provides business with a solution for referral marketing via the social web. Now even Mom & Pop and Bob’s Tavern can quickly reach out to local Facebook fans.
Websites can be useful for marketing to your local customer base – if the business owner has done the “SEO” and is fortunate enough to achieve high placement in the search engines. Referrals from satisfied customers, however, will always outperform placement on a search results page.
How does it work?
Facebook is used by a half billion people across the planet. Your Facebook Page is a center around which to build a referral marketing channel. Facebook pages make sense because you’re marketing your products and services to people, and Facebook is about people.
If people like what they see on your Page they will have an opportunity to ‘Like’ your page. When somebody ‘Likes’ your page an item will be displayed in their Facebook News and will be seen by their friends. They are effectively recommending your Page. The chances that their friends will click through to your Page are very high.
Texting is huge, with 73% of new smartphone users saying that texting is the most important feature on their phone. About 25% of users that opt-in to a businesses’ subscriber list say they respond to messages sent by that business.
By texting customers, small local businesses have an incredible opportunity to reach their customers with targeted special offers, coupons, event notifications and news. With open rates at 95%, text-based marketing is one of the most effective ways to get customers’ attention.
Now let’s say you have set up posters in your place of business where they’ll be seen by customers asking them to visit your Page on their phone – right there in your store – and Like your Page for a cool freebie or discount. Their friends instantly see that a friend likes your store. That, my reader, is instant word-of-mouth advertising.