Fun Fact #8

84.8% of all consumer impressions happen on assets that represent individual stores, showrooms and restaurants. Just 15.2% of impressions happen on brand or corporate assets, including the brand’s own website – MomentFeed

Consumers Want Local Pages

Mobile customer experience and social media management company MomentFeed hypothesized that multi-location businesses would have at least 50% more customer engagement on local pages than on national corporate pages. When the study of 60 businesses with between 30 to 2700 locations was completed, it was revealed that the hypothesis underestimated how much consumers relied on local information. Customer engagement on local pages was much higher than they had anticipated, clocking in at an astounding 85% for individual restaurant, store, and showroom pages.

This means that only 15% of engagement opportunities are left for national assets, an area where most brands typically allocate the majority of their budget for digital advertising and social media.

So what’s a business with multiple locations to do?

Give the People What They Want

These kind of numbers prove that multi-location businesses need to shift their priorities and put local assets first. As the majority of these interactions are happening on mobile and on-the-go, brands must be ready to give potential customers what they want: relevant, useful, location-specific content that can tell them which location is closest and directions on how to get there. Pro tip: make sure your location data is accurate! As we’ve discussed before, even slightly truncated coordinates can send a user miles away (like straight into a competitor’s open arms!).

Another significant finding in the study was location-based Facebook pages had 25 times as many impressions as the corporate Facebook page servicing the brand as a whole. Potential customers browse these local pages on Facebook looking for local deals and other information, and 18% head to Google Maps to actively look for the nearest location (see chart above). With consumers so engaged and so close to the end of the sales funnel, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

The challenge may seem a little daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. As MomentFeed suggests, there are techniques a brand can implement to take on this local challenge in stride. Implementing dynamic ad copy that speaks to the unique aspects of individual locations as well as leveraging user generated content will not only help fill your local social media feeds, but build and strengthen the customer-brand relationship.

Image Credits

Feature Image: Unsplash/Kyra Preston

Image 1 + 2: Screenshots from MomentFeed White Paper