Facebook Announces Updates to Nearby; Oracle Digital Urges Clients to Take Action Now
Announcement posted by Oracle Digital Marketing 03 Jan 2013
SEO firm in Perth reveals how new Facebook Nearby updates can make or break a company’s marketing efforts.
Facebook’s 17th December announcement of new updates to the Nearby section of their mobile app didn’t draw a lot of attention, but Oracle Digital has already developed a campaign strategy to maximise Nearby for their marketing clients.
Facebook has updated Nearby, allowing users to check in to businesses, rate them, and recommend them to their friends. Facebook’s statistics indicate that 150 million people visit Facebook pages daily, across the globe. According to Socialbakers, a social network research firm, 11,872,040 Australians currently use Facebook.
This places Australia 21st on Facebook by number of users. By estimates, 55.18% of Australians use Facebook, and 70.15% of Australia’s Internet population uses Facebook. Marketing Magazine rates Facebook as the top social media outlet in Australia by the number of active users and by the 25 minute, 43 second average visit.
For a business to show up on Nearby, it must first have a Facebook page. In the rare case that a user rates a location that doesn’t have a page, Facebook will create a blank page for the business, which usually doesn’t help the business at all. A business must create a page, put it in the “Local Business or Place” category, and then put in basic information about the business, such as hours of operation, prices, and location.
Users can then find the business on their smartphones through the Facebook app. They can contact businesses over their smartphones by calling, checking in, or getting directions. They can rate the business on a five star system, and they can recommend it to their friends if they like.
When a user is looking for a business, he or she can see what business in that category are in the area, where their friends have checked in, and what businesses they have recommended. This encourages the viral nature of Facebook, and many businesses already see this feature as a great opportunity to get word of mouth advertising.
James Corby, Business Development Director for Oracle Digital, is very optimistic about the power of Nearby to enhance a marketing campaign: “We’ve been on Facebook since the beginning, and we consider it an essential tool in any marketing campaign, but the new Nearby update has just taken one of Facebook’s best features and made it even better. People go to Facebook to see what their friends have to say; now, Facebook has made it easier for friends to recommend businesses to their friends.”
Corby continued, “For any business that hasn’t fully integrated and maximised Facebook into their marketing campaign, this is the best opportunity they are going to have to create near-instant success at playing ‘catch-up.’ It is now crucial that businesses engage their customers and encourage them to give them likes and recommendations on Nearby. If a business creates a great page, caters to smartphone users, delivers the best in customer service, and then encourages those customers to recommend their business over Nearby, they may be able to position themselves as leaders for years to come.”
Corby added some words of caution: “The downside is that failure to take advantage of Nearby right now, whether through omission or shoddy, inept work, can result in a massive loss of business.”
Corby concluded, “There are two choices: take action now or get left behind.”
Oracle Digital is a Perth digital marketing and SEO firm that can help you integrate Facebook into your marketing program.
Visit their website here: http://www.oracledigital.com.au/ or call them at 1300 899 851.
Facebook has updated Nearby, allowing users to check in to businesses, rate them, and recommend them to their friends. Facebook’s statistics indicate that 150 million people visit Facebook pages daily, across the globe. According to Socialbakers, a social network research firm, 11,872,040 Australians currently use Facebook.
This places Australia 21st on Facebook by number of users. By estimates, 55.18% of Australians use Facebook, and 70.15% of Australia’s Internet population uses Facebook. Marketing Magazine rates Facebook as the top social media outlet in Australia by the number of active users and by the 25 minute, 43 second average visit.
For a business to show up on Nearby, it must first have a Facebook page. In the rare case that a user rates a location that doesn’t have a page, Facebook will create a blank page for the business, which usually doesn’t help the business at all. A business must create a page, put it in the “Local Business or Place” category, and then put in basic information about the business, such as hours of operation, prices, and location.
Users can then find the business on their smartphones through the Facebook app. They can contact businesses over their smartphones by calling, checking in, or getting directions. They can rate the business on a five star system, and they can recommend it to their friends if they like.
When a user is looking for a business, he or she can see what business in that category are in the area, where their friends have checked in, and what businesses they have recommended. This encourages the viral nature of Facebook, and many businesses already see this feature as a great opportunity to get word of mouth advertising.
James Corby, Business Development Director for Oracle Digital, is very optimistic about the power of Nearby to enhance a marketing campaign: “We’ve been on Facebook since the beginning, and we consider it an essential tool in any marketing campaign, but the new Nearby update has just taken one of Facebook’s best features and made it even better. People go to Facebook to see what their friends have to say; now, Facebook has made it easier for friends to recommend businesses to their friends.”
Corby continued, “For any business that hasn’t fully integrated and maximised Facebook into their marketing campaign, this is the best opportunity they are going to have to create near-instant success at playing ‘catch-up.’ It is now crucial that businesses engage their customers and encourage them to give them likes and recommendations on Nearby. If a business creates a great page, caters to smartphone users, delivers the best in customer service, and then encourages those customers to recommend their business over Nearby, they may be able to position themselves as leaders for years to come.”
Corby added some words of caution: “The downside is that failure to take advantage of Nearby right now, whether through omission or shoddy, inept work, can result in a massive loss of business.”
Corby concluded, “There are two choices: take action now or get left behind.”
Oracle Digital is a Perth digital marketing and SEO firm that can help you integrate Facebook into your marketing program.
Visit their website here: http://www.oracledigital.com.au/ or call them at 1300 899 851.