Facebook Offers Draw Youth to Local Businesses

Local deals and offers on Facebook have a strong pull with youth says G/O Digital in a new survey fielded among 18-29 year-olds who own at least a smartphone or tablet and a desktop computer, who have an interest in making purchases from local/small businesses.

Of the various Facebook marketing tactics identified, respondents were most likely to attribute influence to Facebook offers that can be redeemed at a local store.

When presented with seven Facebook marketing tactics and asked which would be more likely to impact them to make an in-store purchase from a local or small business, a majority 40% of respondents cited Facebook offers which can be redeemed at a local store, distantly trailed by promoted posts (12%); photos/videos that encourage choice of favorite products, styles and colors (11%); and loyalty app promotions (10%), among others.

Similarly, the largest share of respondents cited Facebook offers when asked which marketing tactic would most influence them to visit the website, mobile site or app of a local/small business.

Overall, 84% of those surveyed said that local deals and offers on Facebook have some impact on their decision to make a purchase in-store.

Aside from offers, the study demonstrates that customer reviews and ratings are an influential element when it comes to respondents’ decision to interact with local businesses on Facebook.

Asked which of five factors they care more about when engaging with a local or small business online, 41% of those surveyed cited customer reviews/ratings, far outweighing others such as “featured products/services relevant to your needs” (19%) and “number of page ‘Likes’” (15%).

Furthermore, eight in ten said they would be more likely to purchase products or services in-store from a local/small business if there were more positive customer reviews/ratings on the brand/s website, mobile site or Facebook page.

A recent study from BrightLocal similarly demonstrated the power of customer reviews for local business, discovering that 88% of those who responded claimed to regularly (39%) or occasionally (49%) read online reviews to determine the quality of a local business.

G/O Digital’s study focused on Facebook marketing merits special attention, given that 62% of respondents indicated that it is the most useful social channel to research products and services before visiting a local/small business, far ahead of Pinterest (12%), Twitter (11%), Instagram (9%) and others (6%).

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