Facebook Places storms into deals market

 

Last August we wrote that Facebook is due to launch Facebook Places, and low and behold, in late September the UK saw the launch of Facebook Places. Today the UK and Europe see the launch of a new service called Places Deals from Facebook.

Estate Agents can expect this service to be a mixture of Foursquare and Groupon, where smart phones are used to ‘check-in’. Once checked-in, users can then see a discount code or promotional offer. Of course by checking in, the company gets a little Facebook profile endorsement to all the Facebook user’s friends to see.

There are four different types of deals that Estate Agents can expect to see.

• Individual Deal
  This is where users sign that is designed for both new and existing customers. Estate Agents could use this deal to offer a free cup of tea or coffee for every check-in, or even a free valuation for every check-in. Try your best to think outside the box to attract buyers and vendors to your office.
• Friend Deal
  This is where friends all check in (up to 8) together to get a bundle-deal. More people checking in means that there is more visibility on Facebook.
• Loyalty Deal
  As the name suggests, regular check ins produce offers that are only available to loyal customers. Business owners can set this between two and twenty check ins.
• Charity Deal
  For every check in, the business will make a donation to a charity – the perfect way to add a human face to your Estate Agency.

After the check in the Facebook users then receive an email confirmation acknowledging their participation in the deal.

For more information Estate Agents can visit Facebook’s business owners page for Places Deals.