Facebook Offers Free Bluetooth® Beacons to Businesses
Facebook is now taking requests from Business Page admins to reserve BLUETOOTH® beacons that will connect with nearby mobile devices to display customized Facebook Place Tips at the top of users’ news feeds. What does any of this mean?
Let us break it down for you:
Facebook Business Page
A Facebook Page is the commercial/business version of a Facebook user profile – and so much more. A Facebook Page gives your business a voice and presence on Facebook so you can find new customers and stay connected with people. If you are a business or organization using a Facebook personal profile modified to appear as a business, you will not qualify for this offer. In fact, you are in violation of Facebook’s Terms and Conditions. Confused about user profiles vs. Facebook Pages? Send us an email, and we’ll sort it out.
Using cellular networks, WiFi, and GPS, Place Tips show users information about places they visit, including friends’ photos, experiences, and moments from that place. During the testing phase, businesses using Place Tips in conjunction with their Facebook Page have seen a noticeable uptick in likes, views, clicks, and other engagement actions. Businesses have the option to create a custom “Welcome Message” that displays at the top of users’ news feeds when they are within range of the business. These Place Tips can also include visitor reviews, events, and business information such as menus, maps, videos, and photo albums.
Facebook BLUETOOTH® Beacons
These small, geometric hardware devices use BLUETOOTH® technology to connect nearby mobile devices and users to Place Tips within their Facebook app. When a Facebook mobile news feed is accessed within range of one of these devices, the user will be presented with Facebook Place Tips from the Facebook Business Page for which the beacon is configured.
Now that we have all the elements defined, the opportunity should be pretty clear to any business owners! Facebook Page Admins can request a Facebook Bluetooth® beacon from the social media network on this page. Kapeesh recommends submitting the form and requesting a Facebook BLUETOOTH® beacon if you fit within the following parameters:
• Your business has an active Facebook Business Page that is managed and consistently posts updates, photos, videos, and/or events.
• Your business receives visitors, customers, or clients at a designated location – you’re not just a warehouse, virtual office, or otherwise.
And we HIGHLY recommend this free tool if your business has a waiting room, lobby, or otherwise hosts clients and customers for extended periods of time where they’re likely to access social media on a mobile device to pass the time: doctor’s offices, auto repair shops or service centers, veterinary clinics, salons, restaurants that regularly have waiting lists, etc.
Want to learn more? Here are a few helpful articles on the subject:
Facebook Introduces Place Tips in the News Feed
Facebook Is Giving Out Free Bluetooth Beacons to Businesses – Entrepreneur.com
Facebook wants to tell you about a business as soon as you walk in – Fortune.com
Facebook Bluetooth® Beacons – Facebook for Business
The BLUETOOTH® word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
