The biggest news from Facebook last week was the announcement of Facebook Deals, a deal function that allows businesses to advertise its deals to users of Facebook Places. Businesses can offer individual deals, for example, a free pastry with a purchase of a coffee, to customers who check into their location on Places.
Users are encouraged to share deals and get their friends to check in as well and are rewarded with special ‘Friend Deals’ for doing so. Another aspect of Facebook Deals are ‘Loyalty Deals’ which work in a similar way to loyalty cards whereby users are rewarded after multiple visits. Businesses can also offer ‘Charity Deals’ were they offer to make a charitable donation for every check in that is made on Places.
Facebook Deals is being rolled out immediately in America and is being tested by up to 20,000 small businesses. The interesting thing about this idea is that, while it will surely be used by big brands too, it looks like it will be very accessible to small local businesses, giving them an outlet for tapping in to the mobile advertising market that they wouldn’t have otherwise had.
