After an extended testing period in New Zealand, Facebook Deals finally launched in Australia yesterday, marking the start of a very interesting era for social media marketers.
Facebook Deals allow businesses to create coupons and discounts which can be unlocked when people check in on Facebook Places. The types of deals differ in the way they are unlocked by the user, and can be used to encourage more than one person to check in at a time and to give people an incentive to visit your business on a regular basis.
Up until now, location check-ins on apps like Foursquare and Facebook Places have struggled to gain much momentum in Australia. It has been hard for people to justify the effort of updating their location status aside from the social capital that comes with checking into a high profile shop or club, but with Facebook Deals we now have a clear financial incentive to check in, and businesses have a real incentive to incorporate Places Deals into their social marketing strategy.
So far, it appears the only brands using Facebook Places Deals are those who have the budget, with Commonwealth Bank, 7-Eleven, KFC and Westfield the first to take it up in Australia.
Based on the data we've seen, we estimate there are around 10 million Facebook check-ins in Australia every month, which will no doubt increase substantially now that Places Deals are available in the market. This marks an important shift in the progression of Facebook's advertising products, solidifying their efforts to make Facebook marketing more practical, trackable, and proving it can generate a real increase in sales and revenue.
To read more about how it all works, have a read of one of my previous articles on the Facebook Deals launch in New Zealand, or if you're interested in staying ahead of the curve and setting up a Deals strategy for your business, give us a call on 1300 853 597.
Chris
is a specialist in
link and deputy Foursquare Mayor at
Traffika.
Follow him on Twitter
@chrispahor,
or read more from Chris
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