Facebook Marketing for Local Business with Dr. Ben Adkins

Generating traffic and leads for online marketing and national businesses is a conversation we’re very used to having. However, how do we change the formula in order to make it work for brick and mortar stores? Can small businesses still be affected and benefit from a traditional traffic and leads marketing plan if they’re strictly local? Or do we have to change up the formula in order to find the same kind of small-town success?

Dr. Ben Adkins has the answer. Ben started the very popular company, Closers Cafe—an agency that specializes in local Facebook marketing, and bringing in traffic and leads to local businesses. Together, Ben and I discuss the ways marketing can differ if you’re a traditional storefront looking to reach a local audience, and how online marketing works on Facebook for an audience designed for said small business. Let’s jump in!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

All about who Ben is, and how he got started. Originally, Ben started out as a chiropractor, and though he was very smart, he built in no money for marketing his business. Panicking, he turned to Facebook and started using it heavily for advertisements, and within 6 months, his business was competing with some of the most established doctors in town! The rest is history! Through his start, Ben had other businesses coming to him and asking for help with their own marketing, and Closers Cafe was born.
Ben talks to us about what they do at Closers Cafe, explaining that they help businesses leverage Facebook (and Google) to have a bigger presence online, making it look like they’re actually something going on with the business even when there’s not, as well as bringing in new leads through the front door. The most important thing he does is spend his days helping very smart people who have little time for marketing get their start.
Ben then talks to us about the process of running ads for a brick and mortar local businesses as opposed to advertising for something nation or worldwide, explaining that they’re very different. When you’re handling a national company, you can niche down by interest. However, with local businesses, you don’t have that luxury, and you have to do what Ben likes to call ‘filter by the ad’. Through this process, instead of filtering by the audience, you have to think about the core people you’re targeting.
Ben also explains to us that, when creating these ad filters, you should implement a ‘jaw-dropping offer’. He explains this as something that, if people saw it, would have to do a double take because they can’t believe it’s being given away for free, or at an at a very low price. Ben adds on that the key to filtering by the ad is getting good at using the offer and creating the ad because you don’t have much to work with in terms of interest targeting.
Ben then moves on to explain that offering free content works wonderfully for these brick and mortar businesses. He tells us that, by going for an audience that’s outside of the realm of Groupon, you’re getting a more committed deal. With free content, the core thing you have to do is make sure that there’s a funnel inside of the practice/business that’s going to take those people and make a large majority of them come back! Through this method, Ben himself sees a 60 – 70% turn over rate with offers that give discounted services after a free trial. And, to most small businesses, having a customer come through the door twice is considered a success. Ben leaves that with a very important notion: you have to make absolutely sure that this business is set up to close the deal once the ad has done its work. Otherwise, fall through is possible.
Ben and I discuss the number of people needed in a town to make these strategies effective, and Ben explains that in a town of merely 20,000, he’s seen amazing success! The jaw-dropping over not only gets people to engage with the business, but to also share that same offer across social media—and through word of mouth—really putting it to good use.
Ben also talks to us about the importance of follow up, especially for a traditional storefront. In order to ensure that people are going to walk back through the door after their initial engagement, you must make sure you have a strong follow-up—whether that be through phone calls or e-mails. Ben gives us examples of how well this works for his clients, and how it can work for you, too. Overall, though, you want to have a healthy blend of technology, as well as real human interaction.
Ben discusses with us his content strategy outside of paid advertisements, stating that the core thing he does to help businesses (and how he makes a lot of his income for the agency) relies on helping businesses look like they’re active, and to help educate people. When someone searches a business by name, they look for a website, first. However, people often use the Facebook search function to find local businesses in their town, and if the page they find is inactive, it’s bad news for business.
From there, Ben explains why that’s a key component of his work, and why frequent posting on social media is a good idea. In relation to content shared as well, Ben encourages people to share content that relates to educating people about things in the business that would interest them. And, additionally, never be afraid of showing people your growth.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Did Ben not answer a burning question on your mind? No problem! You can reach Ben at his website above, as well as any social media links listed, too. Ben has a ton of awesome tips for local business owners, and we can only hope he’s helped you as much as he’s helped us! His insight is extremely relevant, and keeping his tips in mind is sure to kick-start your local marketing career!