Location based marketing has become very popular within the past year. Foursquare, Gowalla, and Brightkite, just to name a few, are well known applications that allow users to check in to different places they visit and to explore their cities. Users have the option to leave comments at any venue they check in to. Starting this week you can add Facebook to the bandwagon with their launch of Facebook Places.
When checking in with Facebook Places, users have the ability to tag friends they are with, just as they can tag friends in status updates or photos. In the “People Here Now” section users will be able to see who else has checked in at that place, giving them a chance to meet other people who may share the same interests. According to Facebook, there are privacy controls to opt out of appearing in this section. If users want to avoid being checked-in to places they prefer not to be checked-in to or want to avoid sharing their whereabouts, they need to make sure to set their privacy settings for Places. By default, only friends are able to see check-ins on Places. To customize who can see check-ins, visit privacy settings and choose the option for “Places I Check in.”
If a user tags a friend, a notification is always sent out. If a friend is tagged at a location, it is as if they have checked in themselves. And like being tagged in a photo, users can untag their locations.
On the business side of things, Facebook Places allows businesses to claim their business, just as Foursquare does. If the business has a Places Page, the owner can claim it by clicking the link. Unlike Foursquare though, Facebook isn’t focusing on offering rewards or incentives- they are focusing on three core elements: finding friends, checking-in, and building stories about places.
Compared to other location based marketing applications, it seems as though Facebook is attempting to take a different route by focusing on creating experiences for people. They are more focused on people having memories of places and meeting new people with the same interests. Other location based marketing applications have taken the path of offering users rewards and incentives. This is not to say Facebook Places won’t eventually develop into that, but it will be interesting to see other ways they plan to differentiate themselves from the crowd.
What do you think about Facebook Places? Do you plan on using it?
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The Discovery Communications Group is an award-winning, fully-integrated marketing agency located in Salem, NH, that specializes in professional web design, search engine optimization, and social media marketing strategy. DCG also provides printing and mailing services to meet every advertising need, servicing clients throughout New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
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