Recent changes to Facebook’s Newsfeed algorithm have many small businesses sweating. Friends and family are being prioritized while Page posts get buried deeper and deeper in the feed.

But the eternal rule of Facebook hasn’t changed—if you can post great, shareable content, you will succeed on Facebook.

And if you can identify and take advantage of rising fads or trends with high social traction, you can have significant returns.

This is the story of Guillaume Guevara, and how he was able to use Facebook Ad and Pokemon Go’s marketing potential (21 million daily active users in just a week) to connected his torta shop to thousands of new customers.

The Lure Of Pokemon Go

Guillaume Guevara, the owner of modern Mexican torta shop and grocery store Miscelanea, was sitting in his restaurant and watching the street when he noticed waves of people walking by, stopping abruptly, swiping at things on their phones, and laughing.

Guevara did a quick Google search to see what could draw so many people outside despite the heat, and learned about the newest gaming craze—Pokemon Go. He downloaded the app to see what the fuss was all about and quickly realized he was right next to two PokeStops, physical locations where players can collect items or attract Pokemon.

Guevara learned the way to draw people to his shop would be to put down Lures at the nearby PokeStops, attracting trainers looking to catch more Pokemon. Guevara knew this would be an excellent way to reach new people, so he decided to plan a Pokemon Go themed event.

“Catch Pokemon, Not Immigrants.”

Guevara knew he wasn’t the only one to realize Pokemon Go’s marketing potential of 21 million daily active users in just a week. Guevara needed a catchy hook to stand out among the slew of other businesses advertising with Pokemon Go.

The tongue-in-cheek humor featured on their “Make America Mexico Again” hats had received positive responses, inspiring Guevara to follow a similar vein of humor in deciding on “Catch Pokemon, Not Immigrants.” as the tagline. He crafted the following blurb to share on the restaurant’s already popular Facebook and Instagram sites.

By starting off with a tagline that catches the targeted prospect’s attention and following with a command headline, his post was formulated to be irresistible.

Aiming Your PokeBall To Catch Your Target Audience

Just like you wouldn’t waste your PokeBalls by throwing them without aiming for the Pokemon on the screen, Guevara turned to Facebook ad targeting to ensure he would reach only those that were interested and near enough to actually stop by his store.

Guevara targeted the specific geographic (everyone around the zip code and throughout Manhattan), demographic (21-40 years of age), and interest-based (all Pokemon-related interests listed on Facebook) variables that he thought would maximize his returns.

$20 worth of ads and 24 hours later, the post already had 200+ likes and 31 shares.

Miscelanea’s post was definitely getting a reaction. Comments ranged from expressions of admiration to requests for directions to the store. Interest had been piqued, and the right audience was notified.

Guevara just had to figure out how to draw Pokemon players off the street and into his store.

Using Tiered Rewards To Seal The Deal

On the day of the event, an additional announcement was made on Miscelanea’s Facebook page advertising added discounts. Tiered rewards were offered based on avatar level — a smart choice considering one of the best ways to level up is by catching more Pokemon near a lure.

Tiered rewards are effective because they increase customer engagement, and exclusivity makes customers feel valued. Even if the reward is only a free torta, being one of the small group of people to qualify is a reward in and of itself.

Miscelanea saw a spike in weekly New Page Likes of 1600% after the event. That means 1600% more new people than normal discovered and Liked Miscelanea’s content that week, a massive kickstart to their future organic and paid efforts.

Smaller businesses tend to see the crowd each week, so this was a great opportunity to reach new people without a huge investment. And while not everyone who used the lures came into the store, many of the people walking by playing Pokemon stopped to take a picture of the sign.

Taking advantage of such a great opportunity helped to gain Miscelanea more potential customers and the publicity about the event spread the word about the store.

Never Miss An Opportunity

You might think a marketer shouldn’t concern themselves with rising fads or trends. However identifying and taking advantage of the ones with high social traction can have significant returns.

Miscelanea realized the potential of using the popularity of Pokemon Go as a marketing technique. In return, they had a rise in Facebook Page Likes, an increase in exposure, and extended their reach to a much wider network of people.

Using Facebook Ads helped Miscelanea to build on their already established Facebook Page and connect with customers. For a marketer, the use of Facebook Ads is one great tool to make sure you are connecting with customers in any way you can.

What about you? Do you have a Pokemon Go story to share? Or you want to give it a try now? Let us how it worked for you!