The Facebook Strategy That Works: How a Local Store Increased Engagement 423% Without Ads

This episode cuts through the noise about Facebook being “dead for business” and showcases a case study of how a local retail client proved the naysayers wrong. Danielle Wheeler breaks down the exact steps her team took to help this client achieve a 423.7% engagement increase and nearly triple their impressions in 90 days—without spending a single dollar on ads. Key Strategies Discussed 1. Stop Selling, Start Connecting • Shift focus from product pushes to showcasing the people and personality behind the brand. • Highlight real conversations, relatable moments, and team personalities.   2. Lean into Entertainment • Share funny behind-the-scenes content, team banter, and bloopers. • Create authentic, engaging content that resonates with the audience.   3. Timing is Everything • Use Facebook Insights to identify the best times to post. • Adjust posting schedule to early mornings, lunchtime, and evenings. Actionable Steps for Your Business 1. Throw out traditional content calendars and start with: • 5 FAQs from customers. • 3 funny or memorable business moments from the last month. • 2 team members your customers love interacting with. 2. Create entertaining content ideas around these. 3. Use Facebook Insights to align posting times with audience activity. 4. Stay consistent for 90 days to see measurable results. Results Achieved by the Retail Client • 423.7% engagement increase • 282.9% growth in impressions • 15-20 comments per post (up from zero) • 300% rise in share rate • Increased foot traffic and sales. Connect With Us • Instagram: @wheeler_marketing_agency • Website: wheeler.marketing   Ready to turn your social media around? DM us or visit our website to chat about your business! Episode Timestamps • [02:04] Key strategy #1: Stop selling • [02:39] Key strategy #2: Create entertaining content • [03:20] Key strategy #3: Perfecting timing • [04:33] How to replicate these results

Episode Transcript

(00:05):
Welcome to the Social Media Reality Check,
the show that cuts through the noise and
brings you real, actionable social media
strategies that really work.
I'm your host, Danielle Wheeler, and with
over 15 years of experience managing social
media for business, I'm here to share
what's actually moving the needle.
No fluff, no outdated tactics.
Practical strategies you can implement today.

(00:26):
Hey everyone, this episode is going to be
all about
Facebook.
So everyone says Facebook is dead for
business.
You have to pay to play.
Focus on Instagram instead. Well,
I'm about to share how one of our local
retail clients just proved everyone wrong. They

(00:46):
hit
a 423.7% increase in engagement.
And nearly tripled their impressions in 90 days.
But here's the kicker.
They did it without spending a single
dollar on ads, and they did it by throwing
out everything you've been told to do on
Facebook.
Before I break down exactly how they did
it, let me paint a picture

(01:08):
of, you know, where they started.
So they were doing everything
right.
And I'm making air quotes here.
They were posting daily product photos,
spending time creating perfect graphics.
Writing those perfectly polished captions,
following all the
so-called best practices, and getting maybe

(01:30):
two to three likes per post and absolutely
0 meaningful engagement.
If this sounds familiar, that's OK.
Because you're not alone.
This is what most small businesses are
still doing on Facebook.
Now, this retail business didn't just wake
up one day and decide, hey, I'm going to
change everything.
They followed our company's advice and the

(01:52):
results speak for themselves.
So let me walk you through exactly how we
helped them transform their social media
strategy
and in turn, their business.
So number one, they completely stopped
trying to sell.
I know it sounds.
Counterintuitive
for a retail store to stop selling.
But here's the twist.

(02:13):
Instead of pushing products,
they started showcasing people, their
team's personality, real moments, real
conversations,
funny, relatable moments.
And the result?
Their engagement exploded.
But why? Because people connect with
people, not products.
The audience wasn't just seeing what the

(02:34):
store sold.
They were getting to know the faces, you
know, behind the brand.
All right, the second thing, we made their
content entertaining and this was a game
changer.
They stopped trying to be overly polished
and started creating content that their
audience genuinely wanted to watch.
Here's what that looked like.
You know, funny behind the scenes content,

(02:56):
unpacking inventory with team banter and
bloopers.
Day in the life clips.
So showing like the chaos and laughs that
come with running a store. And
by leaning into entertainment, they made
their brand relatable and fun.
Customers weren't just watching,
they were engaging, commenting
and sharing with their own networks.

(03:17):
All right, #3, timing and information kind
of became a little bit of the secret sauce. So
we advised them to rethink when
they shared and this was a major shift for
their strategy.
Because previously most of their posts were
going out consistently between 8:00 and
9:00 AM, right when their store opened.

(03:38):
But here's the thing, most of their
audience wasn't scrolling at that time.
They were working.
So we helped them adjust their posting
schedule
to hit two prime windows, so early mornings
when people are just waking up and
scrolling in bed.
And lunchtime when they're taking a break
and catching up on social.
So here are the results.

(03:59):
In 90 days, their engagement increased by
423.7%.
Impressions were up 200.
And 82.9% average comments per post went
from zero to 1
to 15 to 20 and their share rate.
So the number of times people shared

(04:19):
increased by over
300%.
These numbers all sound great, but here's
what these numbers actually meant for the
business.
Foot traffic increased, which in turn
increased the sales.
Right, so let me break down exactly what
you need to do to replicate these results. First,
throw out your current content calendar.

(04:41):
Instead,
grab a piece of paper and write down #1 the
five most common questions you get from
customers,
#2 the three funniest things that happened
in your business in the last month, and #3
the two team members your customers love
interacting with the most. OK,
then
around these 10 things.

(05:02):
Create a content idea that is entertaining
and be strategic on how you can tie it in
with the value.
Next, you need to go
and check your timing and make sure it's right.
So go to your Facebook Insights and really
look at what time you're posting.
Is it during the time your audience is most
active? If it is, then stick with that.

(05:22):
If you're not posting when your audience is
most active, then adjust it.
And typically,
the best times to post on Facebook are in
the AM or Early morning
when people are getting ready for the day
before they start work, during lunchtime,
or even in the evening, like after dinner time.
Now here's the most important part, and

(05:44):
this is.
What really made the difference for our
client? You need to show up consistently
with the strategy for at least 90 days.
No jumping ship after two weeks if you
don't see instant results.
OK, remember, this isn't about going viral
or getting thousands of followers
overnight.
It's about building a genuine community
around your business that actually cares

(06:06):
about your content and wants to engage with you.
Remember, social media doesn't have to be
complicated.
It just has to be real.
Until next time, this is Danielle Wheeler
reminding you to keep it authentic, keep it
strategic, and always get your social media
reality check.