The loss of paid ads for bail bonds on Google and Facebook was seen as a huge blow to the industry. Numerous agencies thrived in the PPC market, but this sudden change forced bail bond agents to rapidly adapt to an evolving digital space. For many, it meant abandoning Facebook altogether. While the powerhouse that was PPC is significantly weaker for bail bond agencies, Facebook can still play a major role in your marketing efforts.
Facebook’s Role in Bail Bond Marketing
While Facebook ad campaigns can garner a large number of leads for a business, they also come at a steep cost. Pay-per-click advertising requires you to funnel consistent ad spend for the small chance that a lead will convert, with most businesses seeing months of losses before any real profit. While the loss of Facebook ads for bail bonds should not be discounted, an agency’s Facebook is not just about PPC.
Ranking organically on social media means putting your agency directly into the hands of potential clients. Most conversations nowadays occur on social media, with Facebook playing host to many lively, if not intense, debates about public policy, social change, and cultural identity. But it also acts as a search engine, allowing users to rapidly find answers to important questions and share valuable resources.
Bail bonds are no different. After someone is arrested, their family members may look to Facebook to figure out how to get them out of jail and back home. By reaching out to their online communities, the family can rapidly get the name and number of a reputable bail bond agent in their area – often through the agency’s Facebook profile.
In addition, the real strength of Facebook is the branding opportunity. A bail bond agent can get a foothold in digital marketing by fostering a strong and unique brand through social media. The average person may only know about bail bonds through billboards and strip mall signs. By offering a more grounded, human side to your agency, you can both educate Facebook users about the bail industry and garner new leads down the line.
How To Rank Organically
Organic ranking is a mixture of optimizing your profile for Facebook’s internal searches, promoting strong engagement, and spreading word of mouth.
While most marketers treat Google as the leading domain for SEO, many SEO practices also apply to Facebook. Keywords, backlinks, original content, NAP consistency – Facebook looks at all of these factors before highlighting a business’s profile and pushing it in front of more users through its newsfeeds.
What makes Facebook different is the notion of post reach. “Reach” refers to how many users actually see a post. Businesses have a harder time cultivating a wide post reach due to a number of factors, but this is still important to keep in mind when creating Facebook posts. Low reach may show that your content is not being pushed in front of many users and needs to be optimized.
In addition to reach, there is engagement, which refers to how many users have liked, commented on, or shared a post. Strong engagement can help increase the reach of a post, which in turn can lead to more engagement. Creating content that your followers want to respond to, that is informative, and is useful is key to fostering consistent engagement.
Lastly, a bail bond agency’s Facebook page can thrive on word of mouth. For social media, word of mouth can include followers sharing your posts as well as followers referring other users to your page. Shares are traditionally less valuable than likes or comments, but they can still help to foster a strong community around your agency’s brand.
Work With an In-House Social Media Team
SLS Consulting, Inc., saw firsthand how the Facebook ban impacted the bail bond industry, but rather than letting it deter us, we saw it as a challenge to overcome. Social media is still one of the top forces in the digital marketing space, and bail bond agencies still have a place in it. Rather than letting Facebook muscle you out of the market, your agency should adapt and evolve.
Our team at SLS Consulting, Inc., believes that challenges breed innovation. If your bail bond agency needs help growing social media traffic and landing new clients, let our in-house social media team show you the ropes. We know growing organically takes a lot of sweat and elbow grease, but we are willing to put in the hours.
Call SLS Consulting, Inc., at (323) 254-1510 or toll-free at (877) 248-3529 to begin planning your bail bond marketing strategy in a free consultation.
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