Do Businesses With Multiple Locations Need Multiple Facebook Pages?
May 14th, 2019 by
Facebook has become an integral part of marketing for any business. Those with multiple physical locations must decide how they would like to present themselves on this platform: in one corporate page representing all locations, or in separate pages that reflect each location. While the ease of managing one corporate page may sound appealing, it is important to have a social media presence for all locations. It is likely that each location has its nuances. Whether they differ in menu items, atmosphere, or specials, it is important that these differences are reflected accurately in all marketing so the local brand is well represented and customers have correct expectations.
There are two ways to accomplish separate Facebook marketing for multi-location businesses: creating multiple business pages or using Facebook Locations.
Facebook Locations Vs. Multiple Business Pages
When a business has multiple business pages, they have created a separate page for each location, meaning that each location is set up completely independent from the other. This is one way to account for all locations; however, it often makes more sense to utilize Facebook Locations to accomplish this.
Facebook Locations is set up with one parent page that represents the main brand. Within this page, there are local pages that account for each individual location. All pages are managed through the central parent page. One way to think about Facebook Locations is the parent page as an umbrella and the local pages underneath it.
Who Should Use Facebook Locations?
While Facebook Locations is a great tool, it is not appropriate for every business to use. Multi-location businesses with a generally centralized brand identity are the best candidates for Facebook Locations. Additionally, this method is best for businesses that have an employee that can communicate and be involved with all locations, since all pages are through the parent page.
The Advantages of Using Facebook Locations
The main advantages of using Facebook Locations are that it can save time while allowing each location to share increasingly specific and relevant content.
As mentioned before, all pages are managed through one central spot, the parent page, with one login. Through the central login, a business is able to post content to all pages by sharing from the parent page. This is a quick and easy way to share company-wide information. Additionally, content (such as location-specific events, specials, etc.) can be posted just to certain pages from this same login. These features increase efficiency by reducing the amount of time spent logging in and out of multiple business pages.
Using Facebook Locations allows for highly targeted location-ads and content to be shared to each local community. This way, followers are more likely to pay attention to and engage with the ads and content they see because it is relevant and important to their location.
The parent page will have a map that shows all individual locations, in addition to listing them out under a “Locations” tab. This feature makes it easier for potential customers to find the nearest location to them.
One objective that is only available for businesses that use Facebook Locations is store visits. According to Facebook: “Store visits reporting shows you visits that happen within 1 day, 7 days, and 28 days after a person clicks an ad, and 1 day, 7 days, and 28 days after your ad is viewed.”
This is extremely valuable information, as it is the most advanced way to correlate posts or ads with actual customer visits. Facebook uses a variety of measurement signals to calculate this metric, which they explain further in this post.
Creating and Managing Facebook Location Pages
The first step in creating a Facebook Location page is to set up a parent page. This should be a page for the main brand and is the same as setting up any Facebook Business page.
After this, there are three ways to add specific locations:
- Manually add each address
- Upload using a CSV template
- Migrate existing pages into new location structures
Once all pages are set up, someone must be in charge of managing them. This role includes ensuring all information is correct, publishing posts, managing reviews, and more. Some businesses assign these responsibilities to an in-house marketing employee. However, many find it more effective to hire an agency for social media management.
Ready to set up your business’ Facebook Location pages? Search Influence has been helping brands succeed online since 2006. Our services include social media management, content creation, and online advertising. Request a proposal today to learn how we can help you make the most of your brand on social media.
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