Facebook has a quest to be the one-stop source for anything and everything. That’s evident with its new app, Facebook Local. The app delivers an impressive push into helping people find things to do, places to go, and services to try, all of which are based on the recommendations of others.
Sounds familiar? It should be since it’s basically an app that merges the primary services of Yelp and Foursquare. But since it’s Facebook, the social media giant, Facebook Local has its own twist.
What Makes Local Different from Yelp and Foursquare?
Facebook Local is a refurbished variation of Facebook Events. Its goal is to assist people in finding and locating nearby activities and services to try. Its other goal is to make Facebook a much more visible and usable player in the local search.
Using the app, users can look for places such as cafes, theaters, restaurants, and gyms. They can also search for events like concerts and festivals. Facebook Local requires users to log in using their Facebook accounts. As such, it can use locations that a user’s friends have liked or events they’ve RSVPed to using the site.
Activities and locations are searchable in three ways: by name, by category, or by browsing the site listings. The categories include food, drinks, fitness, movies, music, and health. Results are sorted by popularity, distance, relevance, and rating. Keywords can also be used for easy look-up. Choosing a location displays its operating hours, address, as well as Facebook rating. Users can even get directions using a third-party map, view the event, or look at the place’s website or Facebook Page.
When people install the app on their phone, they can accept or decline Facebook’s request to track their locations. Also, they can set up a city as their preferred search recommendation, even if they don’t live there.
The home tab of Facebook Local also features places and events broken down into three subcategories: For You, Events, and Guides. “For You” provides services and activities trending in the neighborhood. It also shows the events that Facebook friends have RSVPed to. “Events” details local activities and functions arranged by day in chronological order. “Guides” divides activities and events by interest such as arts, culture, music, games, and fundraisers.
Facebook Gains through Facebook Local
Facebook hasn’t released any information yet if Facebook Local will soon feature ads. As such, it’s still ambiguous how the app can specifically contribute to the company’s ROI. But, its indirect benefits are more obvious.
Regardless if the users allow the app to track their location or not, they still must set an area when using the app. This helps Facebook measure people’s interests in that particular location. Choosing specific places further indicates interest. This is particularly true if users take action, like calling a restaurant or getting directions.
And even if users don’t give the app authorization to track their locations, they could have previously allowed Facebook to do so. The social media giant has empowered brands to retarget the users that have RSVPed to their activities or stopped at their physical stores. Facebook, at some point, can retarget Facebook Local users to benefit the site’s ecosystem.