Function 3
Facebook Mobile is huge -- how are you leveraging it?
More than 100 million Facebook users, out of the total 400 million user base, connect to Facebook via mobile. Although, unfortunately, there was no big announcement on location-based functions during the F8 conference other than a small nod to a project called Presence, there's no doubt that once this is realized, mobile will be a huge area of growth for Facebook, as well as a strong social glue to the consumers at retail and on the streets.
As iPhone and other smartphone user bases continue to grow, Facebook mobile usage is something to watch. Users who have Facebook mobile applications installed on their smartphones are twice as active as the average Facebook user. The future of Facebook mobile and location is undefined at the moment, but the true benefit would be for Facebook fans to be given offers from retailers. With recent talks of Facebook's location feature scheduled to launch in the next month, mobile will be a game changer for the Facebook platform
Imagine if you were fan of Target on Facebook and entered a Target store. You could access your Facebook application, and a geo-locator would recognize you were a fan of Target and also recognize your current location. A special offer would be pushed to you, and the opportunity to share this message to your friends would be available. This is just scratching the surface of what's possible. Additional data could be pulled directly from your profile, and offers could be customized to you directly from Facebook. Ultimately, if Facebook could crack this opportunity, it would limit the need for a user to download each stores' independent app. They'd simply fan a brand on Facebook for a chance to get fed unique location-based offers. Now tie back the loyalty programs we brought up earlier, and you can start to see how this picture will play out in the coming years.
The true beauty of Facebook Mobile will be realized once geo-location is unveiled.
