Our local Aussie Butcher in Birkenhead has started a Facebook page.

Although they've only just started posting regularly, it's a great example of how to use a Facebook business page to build relationships with your customers and encourage repeat business.

Posts include specials of the week and promotion of specific products as you'd expect - Fans/friends can see the weekly specials and decide to pop in to the Aussie Butcher on the way home from work or picking up the kids.

But the Aussie Butcher also encourages participation by asking for recipe ideas and responding to comments. The latest is a small competition involving best meat recipe.

In this way they are using Facebook as a community building tool, not just a marketing tool (although the desired outcome will be the same!).

The 139 142 people who like the page, now have an ongoing 'relationship' with the business, rather than the casual one-off nature of a visit to the store. It may be a tenuous relationship at first, but over time the business name, conversations about their products and communications from them will be seen regularly.

This will increase the familiarity with that business in the minds of those people, so they are more likely to do business with them.

Why the butchers have turned to Facebook

Archer from The Aussie Butcher says it's still early days but explains the main reason they have done it because the retail food industry is very competitive.

Archer explains "Our prices are usually as good or better than the large supermarkets, while our meat usually has a better quality grading. This shows up in taste and tenderness. But some people don't rate this so highly and the supermarkets' one-stop-shop convenience and their massive advertising budgets can offset these advantages."

While the Aussie Butcher has extra services such as special cuts and some speciality preparations, they want to offer "relationship and character without being phony".

Most of the people who work in the shop live in the area and are therefore locals. The idea is to develop empathy with other locals and Archer see's the web as the key to reach out and build relationships beyond what would be possible in a busy retail shop that operates twelve hours a day, 7 days a week.

The competitions encourage people to sign up to their newsletter which notifies people of specials, encouraging them to buy. The newsletter promotes the Facebook page opening up "..a two way commentary. How else can we find out what things people like/don't like about us?"

Also the recipes "give us a local flavour (excuse the pun) and perhaps will create some pride in the submitters own creativity."

Describing Facebook as “the next frontier” because it is “more interactive” Archer goes on to say " ...people can feel a part of things. We can also read and react if we get suggestions."

Not only thinking of customers, this initiative gives the people working hard in the shop something more that's fun. Archer would like to try other things in the future so watch that space!

The philosophy expressed reveals an important concept behind successful social media - a true desire to add value and build relationships with customers.

A local butcher may not be the type of business you would usually associate with the internet. But this example shows how the web, with a little bit of creativity (and not much money) can extend and enhance your existing relationship with customers.

And that's great news for small business.