With every passing day, more and more businesses turn to the Internet to advertise their products and services to online prospects. Competition online is getting fierce and each week we must try even harder to get our ads to stand out and be seen.
But what if you’re a bricks and mortar business and want to stand out in the real world, what do you do then? Facebook thinks it has the answer with their new Bluetooth Beacon.
What is a Facebook Bluetooth Beacon?
A Facebook Bluetooth Beacon is a physical device that will send alerts to Facebook users who are near your business. When a prospect is within a certain distance of your store, they will be sent your business’s ‘Place Tips‘ directly to their mobile device.
Place Tips include:
- A welcome message and photo
- Invitation to like your Facebook Page
- Check-in at your store on Facebook
- Posts from your Page
- Event information
- Read reviews friends have left about your store
They can also be used to serve information about current promotions, how customers can get the most value from visiting your store, directions and further information on products and services you offer.
Facebook Bluetooth Beacon is a medium for offline businesses to leverage online marketing to bring more customers to their shopfronts.
Made for privacy
With shoppers worrying about data security, you’ll be glad to know that the Facebook Bluetooth Beacon doesn’t collect any information from users’ devices, nor does it affect other parts of their device (WiFi or calling features).
Only users who have their Bluetooth switched on and have enabled location services will be able to receive Place Tips messages.
Is a Bluetooth Beacon right for you?
If your business is completely Internet-based or your customers are located in remote places, there will be little use for you to use a Bluetooth Beacon. Sending Place Tips to non-targeted prospects nearby who will have no interest in your business will only annoy them and negatively brand your business.
If you run a brick and mortar business and rely on a lot of your trade from passing traffic, then applying for a Facebook Bluetooth Beacon is a no brainer. As of right now, applying and receiving a Bluetooth Beacon is 100% free and you can do so by clicking here.
How to use the beacon
At this moment in time you cannot set which Place Tips prospects see, they are served at random depending on what is currently being served on your Facebook Page. The only thing you can control is the first welcome message they see.
I highly recommend to keep your Page up-to-date with fresh and relevant content should you decide to take advantage of their beacon.
Tip: double check the information on your Page to ensure your telephone number, address and location on maps is all correct and up-to-date.
Summary Of The Facebook Bluetooth Beacon
Facebook Bluetooth Beacon is an interesting move by Facebook to merge their online platform with the offline world. There’s no way to currently monitor and track how prospects interact with your Place Tips, Although I strongly advise serving content on your Page that provide the most about of value over aggressive marketing tactics.
For example, make sure your Facebook Page is full of evergreen content, any offers or sales you currently have, not generic updates or pictures that provide them with little value. Not everybody will be happy with you sending them Place Tips, if you do, make them of great value.
Nick Bridges
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