“If I have a client that has a multiple business locations, should they operate with one social media profile for each location? Or keep everything under one page?”
This was a recent question from a Connect Community member.
There isn’t a simple yes or no answer for this one.
There are several things to consider as you build out the strategy for a client with a business that has multiple locations.
Let’s dive into this topic together.
I’ll walk you through a step-by-step process for how to approach this question depending on the needs of your client.
How Many Social Media Pages Should I Have for Multiple Business Locations?
Deciding whether to have more than one social media page for a business that has multiple locations depends on where you’re at in the process.
Typically, when someone is creating a social media strategy for their business, they do so from the mindset of having zero limitations.
We think to ourselves, “what would I do if I had unlimited resources, all the money, all the people, all the creative talent in the world. What would be the strategy for this brand?”
But you have to take a look at what resources the business actually has available to them in real time.
Sure, you can start building your strategy out from the space of endless resources, but then you need to go back and whittle down what you’ve come up with.
Start on a smaller scale, so that you have room to grow later.
Mainstream marketing tells us we need to be on all the platforms all the time. But what happens if you don’t have the proper resources to fill those channels in the appropriate ways is that your efforts and production energy become diluted.
Whether you or your client have a single or multiple business locations, or even if you’re only digital, start small and focus on what you can do well.
As you and your resources grow, and your processes for publication become more streamlined you can increase your efforts and distribution.
Another thing that is important to consider when deciding where to build your business social media pages is where your customers go to find you.
Is your business better suited for instagram? Linkedin? Facebook? TikTok? Start where your customers are so you can get in front of them with ease.
Starting small and expanding when you’re ready will support you in being more effective on each platform.
A friend and business teacher of mine named Carl White taught me that you complete one bridge before you start another one.
So many of us are trying to cross five bridges at the same time.
Building multiple bridges or social media pages at one time doesn’t work if you don’t have the systems in place to keep them going.
My recommendation to you: start with one social media page (where your audience is most likely to find and engage with you) and address both locations from that same page.
Social Media Strategy for Multiple Business Locations
There are a couple of interesting things you can do with your strategy as you build your social media presence for multiple business locations.
Utilize your descriptions and captions to direct your audience to which location you might be referring to.
Let Me Give You An Example
The Connect Community Member who prompted this question had a client with a physical therapy clinic. The clinic was not only in two different cities, but also in two different states.
Both of those locations have different activities, calendars programs, different staff, and varied hours of operation.
So when you’re posting from your one social media page you would include the information for each location in your captions or descriptions.
The caption may look something like this:
“Thank you so much for choosing XYZ Physical Therapy Clinic. We are here to serve our patients with quality customer services and efficient care. If you are in need of rehabilitation, we offer a variety of services to support your healing needs.
Please visit us or give us a call at the location closest to you:
XYZ Physical Therapy Clinic
Austin, Texas
Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
(000) 000-0000XYZ Physical Therapy Clinic
Davis, Oklahoma
Tuesday – Saturday 7:00 am to 6:00 pm
(111) 111-1111www.XYZPhysicalTherapy.com
Retargeting Social Media Ads for Multiple Business Locations
Once you find your rhythm with posting, you can take your one social media page to the next level by investing in targeted paid traffic.
Imagine for a moment that you make an organic post on your page. A quote, a video, etc. and people begin to engage with that post.
Now you can invest in a segment of ads to retarget those who engaged with your organic post that is specific to their location and the location of your business.
If we’re talking about XYZ Physical Therapy, she could make a post about the physical therapy program, any new equipment upgrades. She might even upload a video that shows her using or displaying the new equipment.
In the caption and at the end of the video, she’ll need to have a call to action for people in Austin or Oklahoma to come visit the clinic.
The call to action might be to:
- check out the new equipment
- book a consultation
- schedule an appointment
- download a PDF equipment how-to
- view case studies from patients who benefitted
After you know what your call to action is, you’ll go to your ads manager and create a retargeting campaign. Inside of your audience targeting, you’ll align with the schedule and location of the clinic you’re looking to promote.
You can have an ad or boosted post targeting each specific location and one that reaches out to both that highlights the values and mission of both locations.
After Your Processes Are Established and You Are Ready to Grow
At some point in the process of building your business’s social media presence, once your systems are established and streamlined AND you have the resources to expand further, you are going to want to have additional social media pages for your multiple business locations.
Creating your second, third, or fourth social media page should be at least phase two of developing your online social media presence.
You want to make sure you have your social media muscle toned and in practice so you can layer on what you’re going to do next.
Start with one page, move to two when you’re established and ready. Work smarter, not harder. Having a scalable social media strategy for your multiple business locations is key!
If you want to be able to ask me your questions directly, you should definitely become a member of my Social Media Connect Group!
Visit www.socialmediapro.com to learn more about it! And hey, if you’re not already – subscribe to our YouTube channel. We’re sharing new tips every week to support you in building a successful social media business.
