It’s been a busy few months at Facebook’s headquarters. Before they even announced their new search tool earlier this month, Graph Search, they had made a more subdued announcement in December. That announcement was Facebook Nearby, a program meant to take on Foursquare and Yelp, and it is slowly rolling out to their over 1 Billion users over the next few months.
What is Facebook Nearby?
Facebook Nearby is going to take the place of the “Check-In” section of the mobile Facebook application, and will no longer just give you businesses surrounding your present location. Nearby is located in the mobile menu, on the left side of the screen, which is accessed by swiping the Facebook screen to the right.
Facebook Nearby will now scan several different information points to offer you businesses that your friends have liked, commented on, or checked-in to, going on the premise that if your friends like something, you will too (this is the same theory that Graph Search works on). As Social Fresh says, “it is word of mouth marketing in your pocket”.
How does Facebook Nearby work?
Once Facebook Nearby is active for you, all you will have to do is select “Nearby” from the top of the application (it will take the place of “Check In”), and Nearby will provide you a listing of businesses around your location, with a “Suggested Places” section, which draws from your friends that have either liked, visited, recommended or rated.
Because Facebook is leveraging the data provided by your friends, the suggestions will be more accurate to your likes and dislikes. Going on the premise that we trust our friends and the information that they provide, Facebook will help guide our purchasing decisions.
In addition, Nearby will allow you to search for specific businesses and will also offer specific categories of businesses for you to search through.
Will it help my business?
Since this has not rolled out to all users yet, it is hard to tell the value in the short term. However, as Nearby begins to grow and more people start using it, it will certainly offer your business an advantage over those not active within Facebook.
In addition, you should begin to evaluate your Facebook business page, and ensure that your contact information, location, store hours and phone number are correct, as this information will become more visible within Nearby.
Are you going to use Nearby for yourself? Do you think it will help your business? Do you even have it yet? Let’s discuss it below.
Resources
What Marketers Need to Know About Facebook Nearby
How to Leverage Facebook Nearby for Business — 5 Actions to Take Now
Hands On With Facebook Nearby, A New Local Biz Discovery Feature That Challenges Yelp and Foursquare
Facebook Nearby and How to Use it
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