HOW TO MAKE YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS IMMUNE TO FACEBOOK ZERO

Everyone is talking about the coming changes in Facebook's newsfeed. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg predicts that people may end up spending less time on Facebook, and this has a parked fears that ads will become more expensive than they were before. Is this the end of organic reach on Facebook? With 'public content' expected to get less exposure, will Facebook still be worth it for local businesses? These doomsday predictions are not quite accurate. The rules of the game change from time to time, but the game goes on. Local businesses will just have to learn to dance to a different beat.

A different way to engage

Engagement posts will need to be done in a different way. Encourage people to comment and to talk to each other - not just to talk to you. Create posts that causes people to share their experiences, to write longer and more thoughtful responses. The usual 'like and share' may not necessarily work, especially if the post openly solicits the likes and shares. Facebook frowns upon that, by the way. One way of generating more meaningful responses is to get people to share stories. Interactions between people will give your page a better performance.

Group Power

All indications are that groups will continue to fare well. Depending on the size and nature of your business, you can choose to participate in multiple groups or to form your own group. Do not form a Facebook group without putting a lot of thought into it. What kind of value will the group offer to its members? What is the plan of action for keeping members engaged? Without a clear and well thought out battle plan, your group will be dead within a very short time.

Get Personal

There are people who are afraid of being connected to too many strangers on Facebook. If you are a private person, you may not feel like making your Facebook page public. People are more attracted to a real person than to an impersonal business page. Since content from personal pages will not be affected, allow people to follow your page and to comment on your posts. Offer real value by answering people's questions and you will quickly become the go-to-guy in your niche. This can work very well for certain kinds of businesses. Wedding planners, for example. Do this on your page and also in groups. Consider using your Facebook as a blog of sorts. Tell your story in a way that encourages other people to also tell their stories.

Local Ads

Both Facebook and Google have products for local businesses. They allow companies to run ads within a limited geographical area. These ads are much cheaper, and local businesses should continue to use them - particularly for mobile.

Contests

Contests will have to do better than the notorious 'like and share to win a prize.' In fact, Facebook is actively suppressing the visibility of these posts. Use check-in drives to reward existing customers. Facebook let's users now where their friends have been, so this should be effective for local marketing. Selfie contests are also a good way to boost organic reach. To avoid soliciting on Facebook, target in-store customers.

Video and Media

Live video and watch parties are useful during any important  events that you might want to share with your local community. Birthdays? Anniversaries? Launches? Dinners? Local media will get more exposure, so now would be a good time to get closer to the local newspaper, radio, television station, or news website.

Gather Feedback

Five-star ratings on your business page are more important than ever. And if you have not, it is because you ask not. It may seem tacky, but make a habit of asking customers for five star reviews. A happy customer will be happy to oblige you. An unhappy customer will be just as happy to tell you why they are unhappy. Their feedback will help you to make any changes you need to make. Facebook let's users know which businesses are rated highly by their friends.

Facebook Messenger

Haven't built a bot yet? Now would be the time to get to it. Put together the power of artificial intelligence and human intelligence for maximum results. Facebook Messenger has a better click through rate than email can even dream of.