Facebook Places: New Face Of Local Marketing

Marketers, specifically multi-location retailers and franchise organizations, were recently confronted with a new Facebook-marketing reality. What was once a relatively “top down” process of managing one’s brand from a single Profile Page, has now given birth to a “Child/Parent” dynamic that is hyper-local.

While Facebook Places launched almost a year ago, the improvements released recently send a clear signal to retail brands: think and act local. First let’s review what’s been rolled-out then we’ll have a look at the implications for brands with multiple locations.

New Enhancements to Facebook Places

Generally, the changes are focused on establishing a relationship between “Parent” Pages (heretofore called “Page”) and the “Child” Pages (let’s call these “Place Pages”) for each of the company’s locations or stores. Access to these features is still limited and accessed through a Facebook Account Representative. Specifically the following features have been added:

• Locations Tab: This optional tab would appear on the main Page. The Locations tab will display nearby locations for a user and enable them to search for locations by zip code.

• Linking Parent/Child Pages: A link to the Page will be displayed below the name of each Place Pages.

• Total Check-ins: An aggregated tally of Place Page Check Ins will appear on the Page.

• Places Page Management: This one is for the monitoring/moderation companies out there. Administrators for the Page will have admin access to the Place Pages.

• New Pages API features: This one is for the more advanced developers out there. Dashboards can now be created to edit all these new Place Pages efficiently using new API features, including the wall settings, custom tabs, etc. Particularly exciting is Check-in Deals can now be created and edited for multiple Place Pages.

Implications for Marketers with Multiple Locations

• Stake your Claim- Establish your Places It all begins with claiming your Place Pages and owning your corner of the Social Graph. Once established, you’ll be surprised how many of your customers begin checking in and “liking” those local stores right away.

• Add Local to your Social Plan Just when you thought you had Facebook marketing figured out for one Page, now there the many “children” to consider. How are you going to manage these Place Pages? Who will monitor and moderate Comments and Wall posts? What is the role of your store managers and franchisees? How will you track customer service at this local level? These challenges will scare off many of your competitors. Let it. You alone will own this busy intersection of Local and Social.

• Remember “Place” is just one of the Four P’s The Four P’s have been around since the 1960′s but until now, seemed absent from most Social Marketing plans. Product, Price, Place and Promotion all have a staring role in your new Social-Local Marketing Plan. Adding Facebook Deals and creative Check In promotions have the power of driving foot traffic and immediate sales. Always use this power for good, not evil.

• Never forget the fifth P, People Pay special attention to that which makes you successful in Social Marketing- the People. Your Fans have liked your Page with the expectation that they’re subscribing to news from and opening a line of two-way communication with your brand. Now they will do this, with the same expectations, but through a local lens. Exceed these expectations. Surprise. Delight. These People may be the best customers you’ll ever have.

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The rich flock to Facebook, don’t bother with Twitter

Rich individuals in the US are increasingly joining Facebook. The percentage of US millionaires using the world’s largest social network has nearly doubled from 26 percent in November 2010 to 46 percent in June 2011.

The data, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points, comes from a reported titled “Social Media and Affluent Households” by Spectrem Group, a consulting firm specializing in the affluent and retirement markets. The results are based on online and telephone surveys of the financial decision-makers of 3,002 households.

The company has three categories for the rich, not including primary residence: the mass affluent (net worth of $100,000 to $1 million), millionaires (net worth of $1 million to $5 million), and Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW, net worth of $5 million to $25 million). Following this grouping, 55 percent of the mass affluent in the US are using Facebook, 46 percent of millionaires are on the social network, and 47 percent of UHNW investors are using the service.

“Led by Facebook, the social media era has finally arrived for the nation’s wealthiest investors, with nearly half the nation’s millionaires now logging onto the social network. Wealthy investors are also interested in reading blogs by trusted financial advisors,” George H. Walper, Jr., President of Spectrem Group, said in a statement. “The message is clear. Learning how to effectively use social media and financial blogs is critical to the future success of financial services firms. Providers who fall behind run the risk of frustrating their investors and losing customers.”

In addition to Facebook, LinkedIn is also popular among wealthy investors, with 22 percent of the mass affluent, 19 percent of millionaires, 26 percent of UHNW investors using the job website. Twitter usage is much smaller, with 5 percent of the mass affluent, 3 percent of millionaires, and 6 percent of UHNW investors using the smaller service.

The results are completely understandable. Facebook and LinkedIn offer much more privacy than Twitter does, and most rich individuals understandably prefer to keep their personal lives out of the public’s eye. Since Facebook is a networking tool, while Twitter is a broadcasting tool, it isn’t surprising that the latter’s usage is so low. Facebook is bigger than LinkedIn, so it makes sense for it to have a larger share, but there’s another factor that also comes into play. LinkedIn is mainly for those looking for a job, or for those who think they will be at some point in the future. Most rich people have steady jobs already.

See also:

• Chrome extension adds your Facebook, Twitter streams into Google+
• Facebook plugins most used, Google +1 button passes Twitter buttons
• US Supreme Court: we’re not on Facebook, what’s Twitter?
• France bans Facebook and Twitter from radio and TV
• Homeland Security to issue terror alerts via Facebook, Twitter

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