One thing is for sure: You can always count on updates from Facebook which will be interpreted by a lot of people in a lot of different ways. We have seen a many articles in the last couple of days which seem to go for a striking headline rather than for well-researched content.

So we would like to give a short overview of what we consider to be the most important changes. Last week Facebook started to roll out a major update, which gives a huge lift to using location features.

More focus on Locations and Places

As this might very possibly result in much more visibility and ease of use for Facebook Place Pages and Local Businesses, we think it is worth having a closer look. A Facebook Place Page or Local Business is basically a Facebook Page that is associated with a specific address and that´s where features for locations become important.

So what makes this such a huge update? Before, the possibility to use location features, was only possible on mobile devices through check-ins into Places. Now Facebook has introduced location features on the Facebook desktop version, which means that it is accessible for the majority of users which are using Facebook with a computer.

Facebook calls this new feature “location tagging”. When writing a status update or post, people can add a location, either a city or a specific Place. This also means that one doesn´t have to be at that place geographically in order to tag it. When tagging a Place, it will appear in the post with a direct link to the Place.

We think that these two facts might really give Facebook Place Pages more impressions and click-throughs. In order to tag, one doesn´t need to be a fan of the Place Page!
Furthermore, even photos can be tagged with a location.

Facebook Deals done - Check-in Deals alive

Facebook has also announced to stop the product “Facebook Deals”. Facebook Deals was a not so well known product, running in a beta version in only five US cities.

It is kind of easy to confuse this product with “Check-in deals”, that´s why we mention it here.

Check-in deals on the other hand can be used as promotions by companies who own a Facebook Place. When people check-in with their mobile device, one can claim a deal and show the deal in the mobile device in order to take part of the promotion, such as getting a discount or a free product.

In the US, check-in deals are available nation-wide. In Sweden and other European countries, Facebook was rolling Check-in Deals out in a beta version only for a handful of companies. As far as SkandNet is informed, there is no official date announced yet for the full roll-out, so we are trying to help our clients to get prepared for the release..

Are you interested in more visibility on Facebook? Just drop a line to sales@skandnet.com or give us a call at +46-8-12032500.

Enjoy the rest of the summer,
SkandNet Media AB