How Jeeperz Creeperz Grew Sales Leads On Facebook by 4,200%

Jeeperz Creeperz is your typical mom-and-pop, brick and mortar business that sells and installs automotive accessories with their core group of business coming from Jeep owners. Located in Wyandotte, Michigan, Kevin Bentz and his wife Charri have operated the business and its related ecommerce website since 2001.

Jeeperz Creeperz launched their Facebook page in June 2009 and, over the course of several months, built their page up to 1,700 fans. They did this by spending $20 a week on targeted Facebook ads.

Even with their initial success at getting fans, few were actually turning into qualified sales leads. They knew that they had a huge untapped source of revenue, but didn't know how to reach it. To fix this problem, Kevin brought in Brian Offenberger and the Right On - No Bull Marketing team to increase sales opportunities (leads), fan interactions, and develop a strong brand presence for Jeeperz Creeperz on Facebook.

How Right On - No Bull Marketing Increased Sales Opportunities

At Right On - No Bull Marketing, we believe one of the keys to success is understanding exactly what a customer wants and delivering it to them. When Jeeperz Creeperz started working with us we looked at every aspect of their Facebook page. We became a fan ourselves and looked at their page both from a customers' as well as a marketers' point of view. In our analysis, we asked questions like:

• Did the overall appearance of Jeeperz Creeperz Facebook page convey the right message?
• Was there a compelling reason to become a fan?
• How were they greeting their fans?
• What was Jeeperz Creeperz posting?
• How frequent were their postings?
• What posts were getting comments?
• How did Jeeperz Creeperz respond to fans comments?
• What types of postings were triggering sales questions (leads)?

The Proven Techniques We Used

1. We created a professional, customized welcome page for new visitors

From our analysis of the existing Jeeperz Creeperz Facebook page, and through our communications with Kevin, we determined that Facebook visitors were not given clear reasons to become a fan of their page. Visitors also were given no reason to go to the Jeeperz Creeperz website. We designed a new welcome page to:

• Tell visitors who Jeeperz Creeperz is and what they do
• Give reasons to become a fan
• Offer an ethical bribe for becoming a fan: a $10 discount on their next purchase
• Build trust by showing industry associations that they are active in
• Show images to "paint a mental picture" of what they do
• Establish a strong brand presence on Facebook
• Establish credibility among the masses with a professional look

Once the custom welcome page was complete, we changed the account settings so new visitors were instantly directed to the new page instead of the Facebook wall. Once these visitors became fans, they were automatically routed to the Facebook wall on all future visits to the Jeeperz Creeperz page.

2. We developed a custom services page

The Jeeperz Creeperz services page allowed us to generate traffic to targeted portions of the ecommerce site directly from Facebook. By making it easy for fans to find what they were looking for, we increased the likelihood of fans turning into paying customers.

3. We used engaging content that encouraged discussion

The purpose of our content – creation plan was to feed Jeeperz Creeperz Facebook fans with content that would strike up a conversation and elicit a response. For that reason, our posts talked about almost anything except Jeeperz Creeperz. Here are just a few questions we asked that generated excellent responses:

• "If you could win a product from us in a contest, what would you most like to win?" – 40 comments
• "Where is your favorite wheeling spot? Post up!"- 58 comments
• "Other than money, what keeps you from buying the next thing on your list? What is it?" – 33 comments
• "What car / truck / Jeep do you wish you had never sold?" – 34 comments
• "Are you a hard top or soft top person?" – 38 comments
• "If you could find a killer deal on some part, what do you wish it would be?" – 35 comments

Most posts that resulted in a high number of comments had fans talking about their wants and needs. This was important as it allowed us to identify sales opportunities.

4. We looked for opportunities

Right On - No Bull Marketing (and Jeeperz Creeperz) monitored the Facebook wall multiple times a day, looking for comments that could be considered leads. What qualified as a lead? Any comment that had an "I'm looking for…", "I'd like a …", or "I wish there was…" among numerous other sales qualifying statements. Here are specific examples:

• "Hi Jeeperz Fans. I am looking for 2 soft Doors for my 1985 CJ5."
• "… I want to upgrade my headlights in my 05 Rubicon …"
• "I'm a vet (Jeep guy) but am having trouble finding a (set of) gears in my price range"
• "I need a combo gas can holder and bike holder to go on the back of my 2004 Rubicon"
• "I still need to replace mine." (talking about an off-road product)
• "You can correct speedometer in 1998 TJ with an OBD programmer? I wouldn't have to change the gear in the transfer case? Tell me more…"

People who posted comments and questions that qualified as leads were contacted directly by Jeeperz Creeperz staff. By offering sound advice, solving customer problems, and pointing out where products could be purchased, Jeeperz Creeperz became a trusted resource to their fans. This method for cultivating leads resulted in a number of sales that would not have occurred otherwise.

5. We helped Jeeperz Creeperz take advantage of the opportunities that arose

The first 8 months on Facebook yielded barely 1 sales lead per month. Once our changes were made, the number of leads shot up to 29 for the period between March 5 – 31. Since then, leads have continued to increase and Jeeperz Creeperz now sees an average of 43 leads per month Between March 5 and May 31.

6. We created special contests

As part of the plan, Right On - No Bull Marketing wanted to give fans even more reasons to interact, other than just regular, daily posts. Customers entered the contest by making posts on their own walls about the Jeeperz Creeperz giveaway. They were then asked to post on the Jeeperz Creeperz wall to confirm that this was done. This helped to increase fan engagement. It also exposed Jeeperz Creeperz to the networks of their fans' friends.

7. Jeeperz Creeperz learned what their customers wanted

Asking the right questions can reveal an enormous amount of useful information about your fans. When the question "What's your favorite tire for all around use?" was asked, a huge number of comments were posted.

What's the big deal? It's great to know what brands/models your customers are partial to. It lets you target inventory, sales, promotions, and a lot more, just by spending 15 seconds asking a question.

The Results Are In

Right On - No Bull Marketing made the first post for Jeeperz Creeperz Facebook site on March 5. The following numbers are from Facebook's Insights program. Average month statistics are based from the time Jeeperz Creeperz joined Facebook on June 2009 through February 2010.

 

What Right On - No Bull Marketing Didn't Do

Concentrate on increasing fans by getting more page visits. Of course you have to have fans to have opportunities. Jeeperz Creeperz already had more than 1,700 of them to engage. That's a pretty impressive number for a 2-person operation. It was decided that Right On - No Bull Marketing would focus on developing an ongoing dialogue with the existing fan-base and not attempt to draw a large number of new visitors to the page. However, the contest did turn out to be a significant source of new fans.

We didn't specifically target groups with relevant interests. We didn't post on external group pages, or do anything Jeeperz Creeperz wasn't already doing to cause an influx of fans, and therefore potential opportunities.

No changes to the ad campaign. Jeeperz Creeperz continues to spend a modest $20 per week on targeted ads, as they have done for most of their page's existence. No analysis or changes were made to this campaign.

All of these items could make positive improvements to the number of fans, and therefore an increase in the number of potential leads. However, our goal for this study was to change the looks, communication frequency, and communication content, to increase sales leads. The focus on growing fans will take place in the coming months.

Secrets Revealed To Increase Your Facebook Sales Leads

First, make your company visible. This is done by having a professional presence, including a customized landing page that explains all the key elements listed on your fan page.

Second, become credible. This takes time and effort. Treat Facebook as what it is…a social network. Too many businesses post nothing but comments designed to sell or promote, when they should treat it like a cocktail party. If someone at a party says, "Hi, I sell used cars, are you in the market?" How long do you listen to them before you are looking for an exit? 15 seconds? Online, probably less. You have to engage them in what interests them. Ask questions that can elicit responses. A good rule of thumb is don't promote your company, products, or services more than 10-15 percent of the time. You are on Facebook to mingle, interact and engage.

Post regularly. Once a day is NOT too often as long as you have engaging, interesting content that will generate conversation among potential customers and fans. Not posting is the equivalent of being a wallflower at a cocktail party. Just signing up for Facebook and watching others interact will not generate any new business.

Offer tips:

• Our top 10 tips to…
• Flower arranging secrets found here
• Best restaurants you've never heard of
• How to choose the best…

Talk about current events (but stay away from politics, religion, and sex.)

Ask questions:

• What do you think about…?
• What would you do if…?
• What's the best ____ in your opinion
• Where would you…?

Check your page multiple times a day. Speed counts. Again, think about the cocktail party. No one wants to ask you a question and then have you stare at them with a "deer in the headlights" look.

Post pictures or videos. Better yet, ask your FANS to post theirs.

Profits don't come overnight. Too many companies fail to realize that you can't just "show up" and start making money. Like everything in life, this takes time, training and effort. If you can't commit to all three 100 percent, then you are better off hiring a professional to do it for you.

Tools That Helped Along The Way

• Facebook Markup Language (FBML) – Used to build the custom welcome and services pages.

• Facebook Insights – Provides analytical data about interactions, new fans, and more.

• Hootsuite – Schedules wall posts to be submitted to Facebook automatically.

Jeeperz Creeperz Comments On Their Results

"We've been delighted with the results of our Facebook fan page since Right On - No Bull Marketing started working with us. Our fans have doubled, activity on the page has tripled, and we now have a great new source of sales leads. Our Facebook page has become a major asset to our business.

I can't imagine why any business would NOT want to use Facebook in their marketing strategy. My only regret is that we didn't start using it sooner."

Can You Do This?

Of course you can, but like with everything in life you shouldn't take shortcuts or go against the grain in what has been proven to be successful. Reinventing the wheel is a long road to take.

You have to make a commitment to view this as a critical part of your business. Everyone from the CEO to whoever scrubs your floors has to be on board with the fact that these are your customers, and this is how they want to communicate in this day and age. It requires an investment of finances, time, or both. If you treat this as another store, branch, or office in your organization and accept that these are your real customers, your odds of success go up dramatically.

The Importance of Having Fans

It should go without saying that you need fans to have sales opportunities. Because Jeeperz Creeperz had already developed a fan base of 1,700, we were able to focus solely on sales for this study (while the custom welcome page helped get additional fans, it was not because more traffic was sent to the page).

If your business has not yet acquired a significant number of fans, you should make that your first priority. Even if you are publishing the best content possible, it will have no effect if you have no fans to view it. A strong welcome page and a measured strategy to promote your Facebook message to potential customer can be helpful to start building your presence.

Want More?

Subscribe to the Right On - No Bull Marketing Blog for more great articles on Facebook marketing and all other aspects of online marketing. Also be sure to become our fan on Facebook and Twitter for exclusive marketing training content you won't find anywhere else.

Thanks to Jeeperz Creeperz

We'd like to thank Kevin and Charri for allowing us to share their story and discuss details of their Facebook page. They are your typical hard working entrepreneurs who do whatever it takes in going the extra mile for their customers, and to be successful in what they do. Our sincere thanks to them both.

Get started with a free consultation >