Best Practices
August 10, 2021
Facebook Wi-Fi: Get Discovered, Connect With Your Community and Engage Your Customers
More than 3 billion people around the world are un- and under-connected.1 Many people depend on public Wi-Fi to connect to work, school, family, and more. Small businesses are the glue that holds communities together, and these businesses can provide easy Wi-Fi for customers and use it to grow their own reach. Wi-Fi also helps businesses monitor store traffic and share offers with offline visitors, especially important since over 80% of retail transactions continue to happen offline.2 Most Wi-Fi solutions are expensive and cumbersome to manage, so many businesses are unable to offer guest Wi-Fi.
Connect People and Build Customer Relationships with Facebook Wi-Fi
Facebook Wi-Fi is an easy, affordable way for you to connect people, provide a digital experience to engage offline customers, and improve customer retention. It’s available globally and is simple to set up once you have your Facebook Business Page, a brick-and-mortar location and a Wi-Fi connection through a local internet service provider.
Here are a few ways that Facebook Wi-Fi can help you reach more people, engage with customers, and grow your small business:
1 Attract more customers by offering a great public Wi-Fi experience
Customers can easily connect to your Wi-Fi using their Facebook or Instagram logins. When connecting, they can choose to check into your Facebook Business Page or follow your Instagram page. You spend less time sharing passwords with customers, easily manage network traffic, and set session lengths.Offering customers Wi-Fi can make a difference for your business: 62% of businesses reported customers spending more time in their shop if Wi-Fi is offered,3 and 50% of small businesses surveyed said customers spent more money when free Wi-Fi is available.4
2 Generate more engagement on your business’s Facebook Page
After visitors connect to your Wi-Fi, they can choose to check into your Facebook Business Page, like your Page, and learn more about your business. Facebook check-ins appear in customers’ feeds and can be seen by their friends, which helps more people discover your business.
3 Attract more followers on Instagram
Connect your business’s Instagram account to your Facebook Wi-Fi settings and allow in-store customers to connect to your Wi-Fi using their Instagram login. They are then given the option to follow your Instagram account. Increasing your Instagram audience through Facebook Wi-Fi can help you reach a broader community with your latest updates and promotions. Instagram is a key channel to attract new customers and over 90% of Instagram users follow businesses.5
4 Get discovered by people looking for public Wi-Fi
Each month, many people search for public Wi-Fi on Facebook. Results list businesses near these users that offer free and public Wi-Fi. By adding public Wi-Fi to your Facebook Business Page, your business will appear in Wi-Fi search results for customers near you. This is an easy way to help people discover your business and attract new customers from local searches. Click here to learn more about finding Wi-Fi on Facebook.
5 Get to know your audience better and expand your business
With Facebook Wi-Fi, you’ll get Insights showing how many check-ins you have each month, how many unique visitors have checked in, and how many visitors are new or returning. As more in-store visitors check in via your Facebook Business Page or follow your Instagram Profile, your social media audience will grow and more people will see your posts and stories.
6 Share online ads with in-store customers and grow your reach
You can use your Facebook Wi-Fi check-ins to build Custom Audiences and share ads targeting visitors who have been to your business. You can then create Lookalike Audiences and share ads with people who resemble your previous customers. Increasing your social media ad reach alongside your organic following is key to growth: 81% of shoppers use Instagram to research products before they buy.6
7 Make the most of engaging holiday shoppers
For many retailers, the holiday season is the busiest time of year in-store and online - especially on social media. By using Facebook Wi-Fi, you can connect with holiday shoppers, increase your social media engagement during this period, and send in-store shoppers exclusive offers via Custom Audiences ads. Customer check-ins are shown on your Facebook Business page, so you can direct message (DM) them with special promotions.
Learn more about how you can get set up with Facebook Wi-Fi.
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