Why Facebook is a good advertising opportunity

I was out shopping with my son Jacob this weekend.  Jacob is thirteen – that great age where they are growing up but still talk to you.  While walking through the stores he was asking a lot of questions about how much items cost to make versus what they sold for.

I explained to him that the actual cost to make an item may not be the biggest cost related to that item.  You see, there are marketing costs, transportation costs, storage costs, and so on.   He was shocked to learn that for many items the marketing costs far outweigh the product creation costs.  This discussion got me thinking about marketing costs and how to best manage them. 

For most advertising, it is a one shot deal.   You send out a postcard and either the person acts or they don’t.  You can’t re-send the card for free.  But with some mediums, like Facebook, it’s different.  Your single ad can connect you to an unlimited stream of free marketing to that person in the future.

Let me explain.   When you put an ad on Facebook for your fan page AND the person ‘likes’ your page, you can build a relationship with your new fan over time for free.  You only had to pay for the initial ad to get them to be a fan.

This is a far superior use of your scarce marketing dollars than sending a postcard or doing a radio ad that has only one shot.  But, you have to setup your ads so you turn the right people into fans AND get them to come into your business.

Here is how you do it…

I am going to use a real life example.  Our client in Cleveland, Auto Repair Technology, has a fan page you can see at http://www.facebook.com/autorepairtechnology

On their fan page they are offering 1/2 off an oil change.  They can advertise their 1/2 off oil change special on Facebook to the people who live in their market area.  They can also put up signs in their shop and on their storefront.   When someone comes to their fan page to get the 1/2 off oil change coupon, they have to ‘like’ the page to gain access to the great coupon.  The fan can also request an appointment on their Facebook fan page and learn about their services.

Every time someone likes the page and gets a 1/2 off oil change, the owners of Auto Repair Technology get a customer AND they get the opportunity to contact that customer again through Facebook for FREE!!!! This is why we are so excited about Facebook advertising.  Pay once, connect again for FREE.

Is this a revolution in marketing?  We think so.   This is a game changer for the small business owner.  But you have to play to win and the rules are changing.

Dedicated to your success.

Greg Pitstick & Bill Brown