Emily Steinke | @emzGS

Facebook Place Tips launched in the Big Apple back on January 29, and soon, this update will be coming to a city near you. Why should you care, you may ask? Facebook is constantly changing to stay on top of the social media dog pile, but for business owners, this particular update could really help draw in more customers.

First, let me catch you up on how the new update works. Facebook Place Tips “help(s) users receive contextually relevant information about nearby businesses directly in their News Feed.” So essentially, as you’re strolling past shops in a local or foreign area (enabled location services permitting), Facebook will grab information from your friends who’ve also visited the same spot. This will show atop your everyday feed, and if clicked upon, will open all the information of your friends’ trips in the same area.

So if while in Rome your bestie Mary visited a hole-in-the-wall pizza shop she raved about online, and of course you happen to be near that exact shop, that information will present itself. It’s kind of like having friends and their advice with you while traveling, shopping or going about your day! Decide to get a last-minute haircut? Guess what, Joe Schmoe just posted a pic from nearby Salon Fabulous. Maybe you should join!

What is the best part about this for you as a business owner? This will get your name out there. If you already have a great stream of customers, perhaps it’s time to pull a Starbucks and let your customers advertise for you. Try incentivizing customers to check in or post about your business, then sit back and watch your customer base grow. This new update is revitalizing Facebook Check-Ins, but what a bonus for you! See Mark Traphagen’s seven tips to optimize your business with Facebook Place Tips, and I’ll see you next time. Happy social media-ing!