Facebook Places – Stake Your Claim.

Facebook Places is here. Do you have a business that’s a brick and mortar location? Customers that visit you in person? You will likely find yourself in Facebook Places. Similar to Foursquare or Gowalla, Facebook Places will list your business, pretty much without asking or telling you. With over 500 million members, Facebook is the “4th largest country” on the planet, and it’s a pretty safe bet that just a few of your customers are there.

My recommendation? You should claim ownership of your business just to ensure the information posted is accurate. Then decide if you want to utilize this marketing avenue. Claiming your “place” ensures the business name, location, hours of operation and contact information is accurate. You can also control your profile pic.

Not every business will be listed, especially in smaller towns and rural areas. If your Facebook Place doesn’t exist yet, you can use the Facebook app for smartphones and check-in at your business to create it. Once your business has a Facebook Place, there is a link at the bottom that says “Is this your business?” Click that to begin the verification process. IF you choose not to create your Place, any customer can (and will) do it, and they may not enter your information correctly. If this happens, just click that “Is this your business?” button and make the appropriate corrections once you are authorized to do so.

Claiming your “Place” is a little more difficult than just creating it. It requires some supporting evidence–so random strangers should be prevented from claiming your Facebook Place. Aside from basic information like the name, URL, and address of the business, the Claim Place page also asks for the Federal EIN (Employee Identification Number), and requires that you upload a scan of official documents.

You can choose from articles of certificate of incorporation, certificate of formation, local business license, or Better Business Bureau accreditation. Once you submit the necessary information, the Place will not become yours until you receive an e-mail confirming the submission and notifying you to “stand by as we should be back with you soon.”

According to the Facebook Help Center, you can also advertise your Facebook Place on Facebook. The Help Center FAQ explains “To advertise your Place, click “I want to advertise something I have on Facebook” in the ad creation flow and choose your Place from the drop-down menu.”

Facebook Places is new to the location-based check-in application, so opportunities such as the ability to target market Facebook users who have checked in to your business doesn’t exist yet. Watch the blog below to keep up with the latest updates to this new marketing service and as always, just get in touch with me if you have any questions or just need a little help!

For the latest Facebook Places info visit the official Facebook blog.