Most Facebook Fans of Small Businesses Aren’t Local, Study Finds

A surprising study found that the fans of most small business Facebook pages are not local to the businesses.

Roost Local Scorecard evaluated more than 800 small businesses with Facebook presence. Only 15 percent of the average local business’ fans are actually in the city where the business is located.

Roost recently launched a free Scorecard app to help local businesses and independent professionals to determine if they are effectively drawing customers in from their immediate, local areas.

The app also provides reporting capabilities. The report gives information to assist a small business in determining local coverage relative to other businesses. It also gives insight into which Facebook fans/friends are in proximity of a businesses’ location and gives tips on audience development to snag that local customer base.

“These initial findings are a real eye-opener in the world of SMB social marketing, but Roost is excited to see that the Scorecards are going to help small businesses hone their efforts and better reach local customers,” said Alex Chang, CEO of Roost. “With small business’ livelihood at stake when it comes to attracting local customers, we designed the Scorecard not only to evaluate a businesses’ local presence, but also to provide recommendations on how to improve their social marketing efforts in the local market.”

Businesses, from small to enterprise have found great value in Facebook as a marketing tool. Recently, Facebook ramped up its offerings for businesses with the launch of the “Facebook for Business” Portal. Many speculate that Facebook is stepping up its efforts to both attract and retain businesses especially in light of the threat the recently launched Google+ poses in attracting businesses away from Facebook.

Any business can run the free Roost Local Scorecard evaluation to get information on its Facebook fanbase. Roost also offers on its website, a free social marketing tool to help businesses plan and execute their social marketing strategies across Facebook and Twitter with more social networking platforms to be added soon.

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“Saving Money by Saving Energy” Goes National

A couple of weeks ago the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Ad Council launched a national education campaign to help consumers save money on utility bills. Videos, tips, an “energy savings IQ” quiz, and a photo gallery on Facebook—as well as videos posted on You Tube—are designed to save money by saving energy.

While this idea isn’t new to Energy Savers, the concept is gaining ground as more and more people realize how easy it is.

“Americans spend about $2,000 per household on energy every year—but many of them could save a few hundred of that without changing their lifestyle,” says Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “Many American families can take simple steps to reduce their energy bill, while making their homes more comfortable, and use that money for something they really need or want.”

Examples of some of these steps include:

• Installing a programmable thermostat to keep your house comfortably warm in the winter and comfortably cool in the summer, which could save you more than $100 a year on heating and cooling bills.
• Upgrading 15 of the traditional light bulbs in your home, which could save you about $50 per year.
• Turning off your computer and monitor when they’re not in use and plugging home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips—and turning the power strips off when the equipment is not in use.
• Lowering the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120°F.
• Taking short showers instead of baths.
• Washing only full loads of dishes and clothes.
• Driving sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gasoline.
• Looking for the ENERGY STAR label on home appliances and products. (Note: Be sure to check out products recognized as the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient in 2011.)

For more information on how to save money and energy at home, visit the Energy Savers website.

Chris Stewart is a senior communicator at DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which assists EERE in providing technical content for many of its websites.

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