Business Growth Through Facebook
As we approach our 4th birthday at The Last Hurdle, it feels fitting to reflect on our journey and appreciate just how far we’ve come. Starting from scratch at the end of June 2011, with no capital to invest and absolutely no revenue coming in, was a real motivator!
Over the past four years, I’ve grown the business significantly. While I have been the driving force behind this development, our success wouldn’t have been possible without the invaluable support I received along the way. This came from those who believed in me and my vision, the talented team members who have helped shape our offering (which continues to evolve) and friends of the business who provided moral support. Even those with a negative influence played their part, teaching me vital lessons—mainly to avoid negativity and remove those kinds of influences altogether!
With over 18 years in sales and marketing, I’ve witnessed the rise of the digital world as an extraordinary business development tool. One of the key skills for a business development manager is spotting opportunities and making the most of them, not just for your own business, but for your clients as well. A prime example of this has been the way we’ve used social media, particularly Facebook, to fuel The Last Hurdle’s growth.
Business Growth Through Facebook
I had been using Facebook personally for some time, so when I started The Last Hurdle, my first online presence wasn’t a website—it was a Facebook business page! The website came later.
Facebook, like any successful business, continually evolves and refines its offering. When I created The Last Hurdle’s Facebook page in June 2011, there weren’t nearly as many local business pages as there are now. At that time, if you liked one business page per day, you would now have close to 1,500 pages in your feed. Imagine if every post from each of those pages showed up on your timeline—it would be impossible to keep up! This is why Facebook limits the content you see unless you choose to receive notifications or subscribe to a business’s events (a topic for another day).
From the very beginning, Facebook has been instrumental in The Last Hurdle’s success. In our first year, 86% of our business was generated through social media, with over 78% of that attributed to Facebook. Even now, more than 50% of our annual business growth is thanks to Facebook—and no, it’s not just for consumer-focused businesses!
Facebook Success Story
When we were asked to feature in a case study for Facebook’s Success Stories, we had to gather all the ways we’ve used the platform to fuel our growth. Once I started listing them, it became quite a long essay! Here’s a brief summary of how we’ve driven business growth through Facebook:
- Brand visibility: Regular posting and interaction with our audience increased our brand’s reach and visibility.
- Lead generation: Targeted Facebook ads brought in a steady stream of inquiries and leads.
- Customer engagement: Consistent communication and value-driven content fostered strong relationships with our followers.
- Event promotion: Facebook has been a powerful tool for promoting and driving attendance to our business events.
- Referrals and testimonials: Encouraging clients to share their positive experiences with us on social media led to increased word-of-mouth referrals.
Facebook has been a critical element of our business development strategy, and it continues to be a valuable platform for growth.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can achieve business growth through Facebook, contact our business development specialists at 01604 654545 or email hello@thelasthurdle.co.uk.
