Believe it or not, local businesses need digital advertising as much as any big corporation. While a local business strategy may be different — to build presence within a local community, as opposed to branding and maintaining market share — it is crucial to realize the power of digital advertising and harness it to fuel business growth.
Today, Facebook has over 2 billion monthly active users, which allows businesses to grab a massive chunk of market share with the help of digital ads. Facebook has proven to be a viable platform for strategically placing digital ads in front of a highly targeted audience.
We recently published a case study, “From 0 to 3200+”, that delves into how digital advertising helped a hotel become famous on Facebook in two months. A couple of years ago, The Sapphire Hotel and Waterpark struggled to gain a local presence despite offering great amenities and benefits. The region was a tourism destination and people were using social media to find out about local attractions and things to do in the area. By not having a social presence, the hotel was missing out on Facebook’s massive audience.
Digital advertising on social media channels like Facebook allows for precise targeting and deeper penetration of the audiences, thus making it easy for local businesses to reach out to potential customers and create an online presence. With this insight, The Sapphire Hotel and Waterpark worked towards promoting its brand with three main goals:
- Create a business presence on Facebook from scratch
- Grow an audience of future customers with whom to engage
- Drives sales for room booking and waterpark tickets
Once a Facebook page was created, they started posting at regular intervals. Using The Mike Agency’s Reputation and Marketing Platform (RAMP), The Sapphire Hotel laid the foundations for generating more traffic and establishing an online presence on social media. Besides building brand awareness, they worked on ad campaigns to drive traffic, boost promotions, and eventually generate sales.
Within two months, The Sapphire Hotel and Waterpark’s presence boomed:
- Facebook page likes skyrocketed from 0 to 3,284
- Average organic post reach increased from 0 to 2,000
- Average organic post clicks reached 100+ from 0
- There were at least 15 organic page reviews
- Average review rating was 5-stars
- Direct messages from interested customers rose to 35
- There was a steady increase in user engagement on its Facebook business page
The hotel also ran a separate Facebook ad campaign to promote its waterslide packages, as well as drive clicks, impressions, and phone enquiries. The result was again increased active engagement and public buzz that went viral.
Three main factors contributed to making the hotel famous on Facebook:
- Well-designed and accurate Facebook page – The road to gain fame on Facebook starts with having a Facebook business page. But it is even more crucial to ensure that your page displays accurate information regarding location, work hours, and a brief business description. It is also vital to make sure this information is always up to date.
- Relevant, timely, and engaging social posts – When posting on social media, ensure that your posts are helpful, fun, and promotional. Always stick to the 30/30/30 rule: 30% promotional, 30% industry-relevant, and 30% engaging. The key is to provide value so that your audience sticks around.
- Highly targeted Facebook ad campaigns – To taste success with Facebook ads, you need to run ads an optimal number of times over a specific period to a highly targeted audience. Tying organic Facebook posts with the right campaign helps drive engagement, ultimately leading to inbound calls, increased foot traffic and sales.
Digital advertising can help gain a robust online presence and enhance your business.
To evaluate the online presence of your business, including how your social accounts are performing, we offer a complimentary Snapshot Report to help you identify the areas of improvement and how you compare against your competition. Click here to generate a free Snapshot Report