If you have a local business you can take advantage of Facebook places and deals to get more customers coming into your store of office, or shop and to reward existing customers. 250 million users access Facebook using their mobile devices and they are twice as active on Facebook. These “smart phone savvy” people that come into your store with smart phone in-hand are very important people, so treat them like a VIP.

You can take advantage of “Places” on Facebook. It is called a Place Page. It acts like a Fan Page, but is more effective for driving customers toward your local establishment. The Facebook Place Page option, just launched last year, has been a huge success for businesses to get more visitors and reward existing customers, engage them and expand local business.
What is a Facebook Place?

Let’s say a customer comes into your store and they pull up their iPhone and “check in”. If there is a little yellow coupon there, this means that there is an offer that customers can take advantage of for savings. A Facebook Place Page is great way to connect and engage with customers.
How to Setup a Place Page on Facebook:

Here’s how to setup a “Place Page” on Facebook:

1. Go to Facebook and search for your business.

2. If you see your business, click the “Is this your business” link, then go through the short process to claim that page.

3. Now you have a wonderful presence on Facebook to use to promote offers and take advantage of “deals”.
There are 4 kinds of “deals”:

1. Individual

An Individual “deal” is a one time offer. For example, you could offer 20% off if the customer purchases over $200 worth or your product or service. Another example is if a restaurant offers a “buy an entree and get an appetizer for free” deal.

2. Loyalty

Loyalty deals are great for repeat customers. This type of deal will activate when a customer comes in from 2 to 20 times.

3. Friend deal

A Friend deal is a deal that is great if you have a business that attracts people to come in to your establishment in groups, and up to 8 people can “check in” at once to take advantage of your deal.

4. Charity deal

A Charity Deal is a effective way to increase sales. An example is when McDonalds donated $1 to the Ronald McDonald foundation for everyone that claimed that deal. Another example of a successful Facebook “charity deal” campaign is when Gap gave away jeans just for claiming a deal. This increased visitors to their stores and helped to build a higher profit margin. Deals are a great way to get more people to come in and reward existing customers.
Combine a Facebook Place Page with Twitter to Grow Your Business More

Twitter is also a great way to build your local business. Twellow is an example of a way to search maps, find your local city, and find people in your neighborhood, then follow them on Twitter. Most Twitter users will follow you back, after you have followed them. At that point, you can talk on your tweets about some of your deals that you are offering on Facebook.

Facebook marketing for local businesses as well as Twitter marketing for local businesses can help you build your local business, get more customers coming into your business or shop and reward them with deals. Through mobile devices, people can find these deals and you – the business owner – should take full advantage of these deals to increase business and build your bottom line.

@rlmosca What if you already have a fan page?  Can you have a place page too?  Is there any need to have both or is just the place page okay?  Can you transfer your fan page to a place page?