In a fascinating study from Roost, it turns out that only 15% of fans on the average small business Facebook Page are actually local customers of the business.
There are a wide array of arguments for why exactly that is. Mine would be that there’s probably no real incentive to become a “fan” of your business Facebook page, and that the only ones willing to do it are your friends and family, in an effort to support you. Those family and friends of course, don’t necessarily live in the same town as your local business location.
Of course this is only one humble Web analyst’s opinion. But, as someone who fully believes in the power of social media, it’s not a magic bullet to help your uninteresting business create mass interest.