How To Use Facebook Places For Your Business

Want to have your own business show up within Facebook Places? For companies that have a physical location it makes sense to have a Facebook Place in order to track the people who are stopping by your store, office, or venue. As such, Facebook has released a new guide for businesses to learn how to merge Facebook Pages and Facebook Places into a single Page. The final result is a newly designed Facebook Page which includes location-relevant information.

While you can view the guide below for all the steps required to claim your Facebook Place and merge it with your Facebook Page, we’ve broken down the process into 3 easy steps.

Step 1: Create Or Claim Your Place

If nobody has checked in to your company’s venue, you’ll need to load up the Facebook iPhone application or Facebook for touch devices on a compatible phone and check if your place exists already. You can do this by searching for the place. If it doesn’t exist, you can quickly create it by clicking on “Add” or the “+” sign depending on whether or not you are using Facebook for touch devices or Facebook for iPhone.

Step 2: Claim The Place As Yours

Facebook will discover the phone number. If the phone number is incorrect you can quickly change it. However before getting to the phone number confirmation, you’ll need to log in to Facebook and search for the Place that you’ve created or check in to. Once you find the venue you can click on the “Is this your business?” link at the bottom of the place as pictured below.

Claim A Facebook Business Place

If there is no associated phone number, Facebook requires a more manual verification process. You can find the full explanation in the document which is embedded below.

Step 3: Merge Your Place & Page

The final step is to merge the Place and the Page once you’ve completed the verification proces. The result is a combined Page which effectively serves as a local business page. The design is substantially different from existing Facebook Pages, however it’s possible that Facebook will move in this direction for all Pages.

Hubstown Page Screenshot

Done!

In three steps you’ve easily claimed your business and merged it with your Facebook Page. We will be providing more comprehensive guides to Facebook Places for business in the near future. In the meantime, feel free to email us with details about how you are using Facebook Places for your own business!

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17578148 Comments2010-08-20+16%3A36%3A06Nick+O%27Neill »

Not getting prompted to merge the Places with my existing page.

Comment by Monte — August 20, 2010 @ 7:48 am
Good Afternoon,

Please I want to Merge my Place & Page but I'm using computer not phone, give me the details on how to merge them.

Comment by David Ehizojie — August 20, 2010 @ 8:51 am
In the same boat Bruce, my one business has somewhere around 70 locations. Guess I'll wait to see how FB attempts to handle that. This reminds me of the endless game of trying to claim all your locations on Google Maps.

Comment by Aaron Hughling — August 20, 2010 @ 9:06 am
What if your business has multiple locations?

(think Dry Cleaners or maybe a small restaurant chain) – they probably won't have (or want) multiple fan pages for each location.

Comment by Bruce Serven — August 20, 2010 @ 9:08 am
Ditto on the multiple locations question. Otherwise it is useless for us.

Comment by tshirtlaundry — August 20, 2010 @ 10:05 am
I didn't receive the "merge" option once I verified my business. When will we will the ability to manually merge two pages?

Comment by Josh Hill — August 20, 2010 @ 12:06 pm
is it same app like foursquare

Comment by niel — August 20, 2010 @ 12:08 pm
I am also trying to figure out if I can do this from a computer instead of a phone. So far it doesn't seem likely. If I'm wrong, I'd love for somebody to help me.

Comment by David Mayer — August 20, 2010 @ 1:30 pm
I did not get the option to merge my page with my place either. I hope this addressed shortly…

Comment by Casey — August 20, 2010 @ 2:54 pm
I have a question : I already have my Facebook page for my business, with 750 people who "like" it. I don't really want to create a new page with "Facebook Places" and start a new one.

Is there an option on your facebook page that can tell facebook where it is located?

And for now, facebook place is only available if you have a USA IP adress, so for the other country, use a VPN

Comment by Cedric — August 21, 2010 @ 6:00 am
how do I do this on motorola android?

Is there a way to claim your place on your computer?

Huge thanks for all your info and support! xo

Comment by Glory — August 21, 2010 @ 10:47 am
Hey guys think you might find Fouraquare easier, Bruce and others. I just dump the FS links on my page and find that easier, this is too tricky.

Cedric just do that dump the links on. You get a better service anyway, most of these services have yet to roadtested. The works is done over at FS and Gowalla.

Noel I would sayit is the same app, think one should pay attention to. Aaron I am not sure they can using and combo of FS or Gowalla with Facebook would be best bet. You will still have to register all of them whatever you do. That is how you claim it, make sure you choose Manager.

On FS you just need to mention the street and cross street for each one. I guess opening google maps ir an A to Z would help you get all pf them done quick. I am slightly apregensive on usability issues, from chatter on Blogoshere is is fairly negative.

I hope that can solve a few issues. Remember you can merge FS and Gowalla too Facebook which should merge correct some issues.

Dara

Comment by Dara Bell — August 21, 2010 @ 12:23 pm
Hope this clears up for businesses, apologies for few typos. Happy building!

Comment by Dara Bell — August 21, 2010 @ 12:25 pm
My place of business does not come up on a search. It seems that to add a place, you have to be physically there to do it. Is that correct or am I missing something. Thanks so much.

Comment by Sue W. — August 21, 2010 @ 12:35 pm
Same as the others–can this be done by computer since I don't have an iPhone? I've tried to follow all directions provided and can't figure out how…

Comment by Cathy Sanchez — August 21, 2010 @ 1:10 pm
Facebook Places dont like!!

Comment by Hayrullah Öz — August 22, 2010 @ 12:45 am
Got started on "claiming" my business. Unlike what it says in the article, they want you to scan and send a copy of your incorporation papers or business license plus they ask for your Federal Employee ID number??? Not sure how I feel about submitting that info to FB who is notorious for not caring about privacy.

Comment by Annette Holbrook — August 22, 2010 @ 1:26 pm
don't see where to claim page as ours?????

Comment by ray mckenzie — August 23, 2010 @ 3:56 am
How do you do this from a computer if you don't have an iphone? My Fan page doesn't have the "Claim Your Business" link that you are suppose to use. Any help would be appreciated.

Comment by Ernest Freeland — August 23, 2010 @ 5:02 am
My question is how useful the data from Facebook Places really is to businesses. Anyone is welcome to comment on my blogpost discussing this here: http://wp.me/pJfdj-mA

Comment by Thompson Morrison — August 23, 2010 @ 10:12 am
@David Mayer, in response to your question about adding Facebook places from your computer. You can add places from your computer and I wrote a post on how to do it. Just visit my site and then go to my blog to find out how!

Comment by Mitchell Stoker — August 23, 2010 @ 11:28 am
What if you're a university page admin and need to claim the university places?

Comment by Laurie — August 23, 2010 @ 11:34 am
I have the same issues as other commentators. I would like to "merge" my existing business pages with their Places pages. I also am trying to add my businesses using a computer rather than a touch mobile device. I have an iPhone and I tried attempting to add places but it seems that you have to physically be there to claim it as your place when using a mobile device. I saw that someone else had that same issue. So, can you please help us and let us know: 1. How to merge already existing business pages to their Places page–if they have one. 2. How to claim your businesses without having to use a touch mobile device. 3. How to properly make a Places page when using a COMPUTER not a touch mobile device. Thanks in advance.

-Kandice

Comment by Kandice — August 23, 2010 @ 12:56 pm
I was able to get around the 'Mobile site' requirement by using Safari and http://touch.facebook.com. Safari uses the same Webkit as most mobile browsers (think iPhone/iTouch), so the touch.facebook.com site works. Annette mentioned above that they are requiring a Federal Employee ID # to verify you are who you say you are. This seems a bit over the top, when anyone can create a Page..

Comment by Jesse — August 25, 2010 @ 11:02 am
I am really confused …. Add the business to Places but there is no notation on claiming or merging the two spots (I have a Fan page already set up). Need to do this via computer. Can someone help?

thanks,

Sandy

Comment by Sandy — August 25, 2010 @ 1:10 pm
In step two, it shows a screen shot with a link for "Claim your business." I can't for the life of me find the page they're showing in that screen shot, whether on my iPhone or my PC.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Comment by Brian Thurston — August 25, 2010 @ 3:35 pm
I manage a Fan Page for one client that has two locations. Will we be able to "merge" two Places into one Fan Page? Facebook needed to launch this thing with everything clearly explained and fully thought out. They are making me a little nervous this time.

Comment by J. Matthew Brown — August 26, 2010 @ 2:05 pm
So I have been trying to Claim my Business for over two weeks now. They keep telling me that my State Issued Business License isn't enough along with my Federal ID number. Anyone else experiencing a similar issue with the Facebook Team?

Comment by Ernest Freeland — September 13, 2010 @ 3:23 pm
Facebook is the new frontier for marketing.

Just think about it. You can reach millions of people across the world for FREE.

Social networking is allowing unprecedented levels of marketing for business owners.
However you need to know how to use sites like Twitter and Facebook to your advantage.

1. Make a Facebook fan page or Twitter account for your business

2. Load it up with content about your business .ie what you do, your products etc.

3. then get fans and followers and advertise them via facebook status updates and twitter tweets.

My best advice would be to use a social networking marketing site. They help you get thousands of fans/ twitter followers for your business.

I know of two that I hear do a great job.
http://www.WantFans.com
http://www.Growyourfans.com

Comment by Jay B. — September 15, 2010 @ 3:12 am
I've claimed my business listing without a problem, but see no option of merging. Is this something that happens automatically, similar to Google Places merges, or will there be a button for this at some point?

Comment by Ivan — September 17, 2010 @ 1:10 pm
This guide suggests that you will be prompted to merge business and places pages by Facebook. Somebody ought to tell the Facebook Team because I've had my Places page verified and up for about 3 or 4 weeks and I have received no such invitation. I also do not receive any response from multiple help requests to Facebook. This whole article/guide is nothing more than a fairy tale/

Comment by Darren — September 26, 2010 @ 2:42 pm
I'm having the same problem as many others… I cannot merge my Business Page to the new Place page

Comment by danielle — September 27, 2010 @ 3:59 pm
A really goofy limitation here is that you need to be NEAR the physical location of the "Place" you want to claim, in order for this to work. I am sitting in our corporate office, and want to claim a consumer facing spot that is about 5 miles from here. No dice, I need to GO there for it to even show up in search. Pretty weak.

Comment by @andrewteman — September 30, 2010 @ 9:02 am
2 months after, I am still looking for merging
Anyone did it?

Comment by Cedric — October 4, 2010 @ 4:37 am
Was prompted to merge the Place and the Page, but a few weeks later and it's not been done yet. Facebook Help being what it is, I can't find a single link to contact someone to get the problem sorted out.

Comment by Jacques — October 11, 2010 @ 8:04 am
Hi Jacques. I had the same problem but they did eventually send me an unprompted email to say they'd just got round to it. Sit tight.

Comment by Simon — October 21, 2010 @ 7:56 am
My business is in Denmark, where Places hasn't come to yet… is there any way of adding my business now, before Places comes to my country?

Comment by henriette — October 26, 2010 @ 5:03 am
So I got the message to merge (it seems if someone checks in to your business using 4square the owner gets notified) and did but damn do I hate what it's done to me my fan page!!

How the hell do remove that map, or at least make it optional? It also seems like the main page dies nothing new apart from add a HUGE map and make far more space for sponsored ads. Is there any way to unmerge or at least get rid of that map? Better still is there any way to just make the Wall display the first thing that you see?

HELP!!!

Comment by Tom — October 28, 2010 @ 8:40 pm
I merged our Places and Fan page, however now when I do status messages, I'm unable to tag events or people – or other pages using the '@'. Furthermore, our map location is off. I searched the help and didn't find a way to submit a new map, or if Tagging is different using the Places.

Anybody having the same issue?

Comment by Kevin — November 1, 2010 @ 12:56 pm
There's no way to un-merge that I've found.

Tom – do you utilize the tagging feature for your merged page for status messages? I used to tag events or fan pages for our other outlets and now since the merge, I've been unable to get that '@' feature to work.

Comment by Kevin — November 1, 2010 @ 12:58 pm
I havent merged but my info on the map is wrong as well I havent found out how to correct that either

Comment by @jlinos — November 1, 2010 @ 4:44 pm
How do I unmerge. I do not want this on my page. It is hiding my FBML.

Comment by Staff at Penny Lane — November 1, 2010 @ 5:23 pm
I merged the Places and Page for one of my clients, but now I've lost all of the tabs. Boo. Anyone know how to get them back (or even if it's possible)?

Comment by Jim Tome — November 3, 2010 @ 2:54 pm
You can't. We're in the same boat with one of our pages, due to a new admin taking the "initiative" to claim the place. Less than 500 fans on that one, so we're probably just going to start over.

Comment by Courtney — November 4, 2010 @ 11:11 am
The FBML pages should still show up on the left hand side, but the names may be different. That's how it is on one of my pages. After the merge, "Tabs" are gone, and gone for good. There is no unmerge. (yet?) We can only hope that Facebook will realize that they should have pulled Places info into the existing Business Page, rather than the reverse. Basically, for the people like us that actually spent time building a nice looking page, they screwed it up.

Comment by Courtney — November 4, 2010 @ 11:14 am
If it's still not done, you may want to rethink it, anyway. If you've spent time adding FBML tabs to your pages, you may not want to merge them. It takes away a lot of the functionality of them. Do a little more research, because once you merge them, you can't undo it. Good luck!

Comment by Courtney — November 4, 2010 @ 11:17 am
Cedric, one of my page admins got a little click happy and merged the page with the place. We hate it! We had built FBML tabs, custom landing page, etc, and it's all gone. If you don't have FBML on your page and want that map at the top of your business page, then do what you'd like. I suggest a little research into what the page looks like, before merging. You can't undo it once it's done.

Comment by Courtney — November 4, 2010 @ 11:19 am
[...] claiming your business within Facebook Places (as described here), you’ll have to create a Deal. You can accomplish this by clicking on the “Create [...]

Pingback by The Complete Business Guide To Facebook Deals — November 4, 2010 @ 11:41 am
I understand the Merge, but if I have custom Facebook tabs, it seems I've lost the option to direct 1st time "likers" to my custom tab. Any word on this? Thank you!

Comment by stephanieburt — November 4, 2010 @ 5:48 pm
How can I change my map to accurately display my location? The address is right, but Bing maps has not updated our location since we moved…I have sent in multiple requests as the business owner. I claimed the business long ago, but Bing still will not verify the changes.

Is there a way to just delete the map? I hate having the wrong location shown at the top of our Facebook page…
Please help!

Comment by Jessica — November 8, 2010 @ 11:50 am
how to use facebook places for desktop/laptops please do reply as early as possible

Comment by Akhil Kumar — November 9, 2010 @ 8:20 am
I too merged my business page with a places page. The user now lands on the 'Profile' page with a HUGE map at the top. I can't seem to adjust it so the user lands on the 'Wall' page and they can click the 'Profile' option if they'd like to check in.

1. Are we able to modify the landing page?
2. Or, can we at least remove the giant map?

Also, when I pull up my facebook page on a Blackberry the only thing I can see is the map and nothing else.

3. Does this even work with a Blackberry?

Comment by Matt — November 9, 2010 @ 6:06 pm
Exactly! This seems opposite and I hate the way it looks. Deleted my page out of frustration with FB. Almost 1000 business fans that can now connect with me the old fashioned way … in person.

Comment by Matt — November 10, 2010 @ 12:33 am
I've discovered a new drawback to merging a business' Facebook page and place– I can't seem to upload a new photo album to the merged business page, it only shows up on the administrator's PERSONAL Facebook account.

Anyone else encounter this problem and know a way to work around it?

Thanks!

Comment by Kelly — November 10, 2010 @ 11:51 am
Everyone seems to want to merge, but I HATE the new porduct from merging! All I want to know is how to get rid of the giant map that is at the top of my page. This has completely ruined my fan site. No one cares about the map, if they need to find us, they will look at the info page. I want people to see the content first!! That's what I work hard on! Plus all the pictures are squished now DONT MERGE!!

Comment by MCM — November 10, 2010 @ 3:40 pm
LOOK BEFORE YOU MERGE…then don't do it! Check out http://www.facebook.com/unmerge and read up on this before you merge. I merged and am regretting it because it is so negative for the layout and functions of a site that I've not only stopped growing but also started loosing fans. Arrgh! Save yourself while you can! Don't merge.

Comment by mishe — November 11, 2010 @ 1:28 pm
Don't Do It! The merged page is awful and most users (me included) are petitioning facebook to allow an "un-merge" option. You will destroy your page if you merge and you can't reverse it.

Comment by wesleychapeltoyota — November 23, 2010 @ 5:10 pm
DON'T MERGE! You will regret it. Hours spent building a good page, then gone in a couple of hours with no undo. Luckily fans are low so I will only offend a hundred or so by deleting the page and rebuilding!

Comment by Dan — November 24, 2010 @ 1:40 am
I also am trying to add my businesses using a computer rather than a touch mobile device. I have an iPhone and I tried attempting to add places but it seems that you have to physically be there to claim it as your place when using a mobile device.

Comment by brand name — November 24, 2010 @ 2:35 am
Le sujet de plus que merveilleux

Comment by ??? ???? — November 29, 2010 @ 2:06 pm
I have also merged my business and the map is so annoying! There are no tabs or landing page! Why did they change the format? It's not what I wanted at all and now I want to unmerge my page but can't figure out how. Frustrated! I wish Facebook would just make another tab or box for the "Place" instead of changing the entire merged page.

Comment by Crystal — December 2, 2010 @ 12:48 pm
I have tried and tried and tried to merge. I go through the process, it says it's in process but nothing ever happens. This has been for over a month or so. Any suggestions.

Comment by John — December 3, 2010 @ 3:07 pm
If your thinking about merging your page with the place. DON'T DO IT
It is a disaster, nothing works right

Comment by bill — December 4, 2010 @ 2:48 pm
How do you undo merging your business page with a place? We succesfully merged the two but HATE the new layout. We want tabs back. Do you know how to undo this damage?

Comment by Erin DeMont — December 4, 2010 @ 6:53 pm
My place and page have merged but I am very unhappy with the results. My custom landing page no longer works and my tabs across the top are now small icons on the side. I don't see any benefit to the place page other than the map… however I would prefer the map to be at the bottom of the page. I big map doesn't exactly display my page the way I want it. It's not appealing. You can offer incentives to people who visit your place, but how knows how beneficial that will really be… depending on your industry.

Comment by joshuajlyons — December 6, 2010 @ 5:28 pm
How do I get the tabs back at the top of my business page? I think my co-worker may have merged it with a "places" page. I think "places" pages are intended for people with physical locations, right?

Comment by tony — December 12, 2010 @ 12:09 am
We merged and lost our fan page! Apparently this is happening to everyone who merges. The places page does not upload into the newsfeed and we don't like it at all. How do we unmerge to get our page back? Whay can't places be a subpage within the page we had.

Comment by darek trowbridge — December 13, 2010 @ 6:58 pm
You can verify using an email address

Comment by jDeppen — December 17, 2010 @ 1:50 pm
I created a Place for our business, began the claiming proceedure and then had to exit as I didn't have the appropriate documents to hand. I then had to wait about a week until I could see the 'Is this your business' button again (which appeared yesterday) but now that I have gone on to claim it, this button has disappeared again!

Can anyone help me? I just want to see the button again so I can complete the claiming process.

Thanks.

Comment by Emily — December 21, 2010 @ 7:16 am
[...] The geolocation service debuted in August has since become available on most types of smartphones and helps make the new [...]

Pingback by The 8 Most Important Facebook Features In 2010 — December 28, 2010 @ 9:39 pm
What is better for a business? A place or a page? I am hesitant to merge simply because I cannot control my landing tab on the places. Can I get an opinion on this?

Comment by Kyle Clouse — January 7, 2011 @ 12:13 pm
That is all public info anyways, not much to hide when it is open to view on your states Secretary of State Website.

Comment by Mike — January 18, 2011 @ 12:16 pm
You specialize in Facebook, but your last entry for Facebook Places was in August! Meanwhile, countries have been added, and more. Get with it!

Comment by Steve — February 15, 2011 @ 1:43 am
For over a week now I keep getting the phone verification code and entering it, but all I get is "This place cannot be claimed at this time. Try again later." Not sure what the issue is.

Comment by zowieguy — February 15, 2011 @ 7:21 pm
I need people to click on "Paul Hassell Photography" as business I am the owner of via my personal profile and it go to my "Paul Hassell Photography" fan page. For some reason, I can't seem to link the two.

Any advice?

Comment by Paul Hassell — February 24, 2011 @ 1:47 pm
Got started on "claiming" my business. I am glad I found this post thanks for the great info.

Comment by The Geek Firm — February 27, 2011 @ 12:23 am
Having issues claiming my place as mine. I've provided a utility bill and business license. I keep getting a message saying they are unable to confirm ownership at this time. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Comment by Jonathan — February 28, 2011 @ 9:10 pm
thnkis yuo

Comment by ????? ?????? — March 24, 2011 @ 10:14 am
I was able to get around the 'Mobile site' requirement by using Safari and http://touch.facebook.com. Safari uses the same Webkit as most mobile browsers (think iPhone/iTouch), so the touch.facebook.com site works. Annette mentioned above that they are requiring a Federal Employee ID # to verify you are who you say you are. This seems a bit over the top, when anyone can create a Page..???
?????

Comment by ????? ????? — March 30, 2011 @ 8:12 pm
using fireefox download the geolocater addin.
Set your location to anywhere you want
go to http://touch.facebook.com
login

Comment by dee — April 4, 2011 @ 1:04 pm
What about combining 2 pages together. I've combined my place page with my fan page but there is still a fan page I would like to merge with the place/page combo.. Is this possible?

Thanks

Comment by Alex — April 4, 2011 @ 5:42 pm
Nice and simple and easy to follow thanks for the help

Comment by Dave — April 13, 2011 @ 10:31 am
I also am trying to add my businesses using a computer rather than a touch mobile device. I have an iPhone and I tried attempting to add places but it seems that you have to physically be there to claim it as your place when using a mobile device. <a title="?????" href="http://games.2sw2r.com/">?????

Comment by ??????? — April 26, 2011 @ 6:21 am
Thank you for asking this…..I have the same question

Comment by GGG — May 4, 2011 @ 12:00 am
Is the option to claim your page removed? There is no link to do this anymore.

Comment by dimagios — May 13, 2011 @ 2:24 am
I would like to know the answer to this as well. We have 6 locations…we would like all check-ins to tie back to our one fan page…anyone know how to do this?

Comment by @rebekkarea — May 18, 2011 @ 1:22 pm
make that 3 for wanting to know this

Comment by georgio — May 21, 2011 @ 2:22 am
I'd like to know that too – we have five locations that I'd want (if possible) to merge with one facebook page.

Comment by Anne — May 24, 2011 @ 8:00 am
Okay I have merged business place with actual business page. Now trying to figure out how to add a discount coupon when a customer checks in. How do I edit a place page? Thanks

Comment by artz — May 26, 2011 @ 1:26 pm
Trying to claim local business page but it just keeps processing – I have waited 10 minutes – Am I doing something wrong?

Comment by Sheree — May 26, 2011 @ 5:32 pm
Having issues claiming my place as mine. I've provided a utility bill and business license. I keep getting a message saying they are unable to confirm ownership at this time. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. ??????? ???????

Comment by ????? ???? ???????? — June 8, 2011 @ 8:14 am
How do you do this from a computer if you don't have an iphone? My Fan page doesn't have the "Claim Your Business" link that you are suppose to use. Any help would be appreciated. http://www.mazajcool.com http://www.box-movies.com http://www.ledo.tv http://www.animes-streamings.com

Comment by ????? ??? ???? — June 13, 2011 @ 3:00 pm
I don't see the "is this your business" button? Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Comment by Jaco — June 27, 2011 @ 3:23 am
Yes, another with multiple locations here.

Comment by Lee — June 29, 2011 @ 12:15 pm
Facebook has disabled this feature.

Comment by Regina Mize — June 30, 2011 @ 3:49 pm
how do I merge 2 facebook pages that are in one account

Comment by Uwe — July 7, 2011 @ 12:07 pm
Thank you for this magnificent words of the very

Comment by ????? — July 8, 2011 @ 8:10 am
Ditto to this as well! Please let us know if you all hear of a function that allows this.

Comment by Kelsi Guidry — July 17, 2011 @ 11:19 pm
Anyone know how to post a comment on another business page from your business page?

Comment by Tampa Spa — July 17, 2011 @ 11:46 pm
I am having the same problem. Did you ever get a response to your question or solve your problem? I would love to know!

Comment by louisegc — July 21, 2011 @ 8:26 pm
I have a page I set up for my business 18 months ago with 1000+ likes, but although my address is correct, the map location is incorrect. I keep contacting Bing maps to ask them to fix the location but nothing happens. Is there an option to direct the address to Google Maps instead of Bing maps as Google places lists my business correctly so people can check in? Meanwhile fans have set up 2 other pages for my business with the correct location which I have reported as duplicates and also tried to claim as the owner but unable to do either. Does anyone have any advice?

Comment by louisegc — July 21, 2011 @ 8:35 pm
Thanks alot man

I will use this for my business

Another great post !!

Comment by ????? ????? — July 25, 2011 @ 8:30 am
I did not get the option to merge my page with my place either. I hope this addressed shortly…

Comment by ????? ?????? — July 26, 2011 @ 7:41 pm
This article seems either outdated or lacking some crucial information. We have several different locations, all of which have multiple places locations (with more popping up every day). We don't get a prompt to merge our places with our page – as a result some of the places we claimed have been automatically associated with our page while others are orphaned. There is the option to "create a page" but we already have a page and there's no option to merge with an existing place page. For whatever reason, these duplicate places don't show up under the "duplicates" option even though they all have the same name and address. Also, there is still a "places" page and a "fan" page, they have not technically been "merged" but rather associated, so that likes and check-ins are displayed on both. It does seem to overlap a bit, but computer users will see the fan page while mobile users should see the places page. We've deleted most duplicates; however some of the automatic associations give us 9 check-ins instead of 2,000. I have no idea where the 9 is coming from, we don't even own a places page with those stats… Clearly FB has a long way to go on this…

Comment by wikiwikiwerewolf — July 28, 2011 @ 12:08 pm
than;s

Comment by ????? ?????? — August 1, 2011 @ 6:11 pm
Thanxxx man

Comment by ahmedphp — August 4, 2011 @ 11:35 am
thanks

Comment by ????? ?????? — August 7, 2011 @ 6:04 pm
hoooooooooooooooooo good

Comment by ????? ?????? — August 7, 2011 @ 6:05 pm
Till last month there was no solution to this issue. But as I figured out through the Starbucks page, there seems to be some kind of solution for large enterprises provided by Facebook. So hopefully they will open this function to all users soon!
Best regards from Germany

Comment by getpublic — August 12, 2011 @ 8:54 am
thanks man but plz can you translate this page so many people will learn more

Comment by ????? ??? ???? — September 2, 2011 @ 3:50 am
thanks for posting but we need translation to arabic

Comment by ????? ??? ???? — September 2, 2011 @ 7:18 am
e. I have an iPhone and I tried attempting to add places but it seems that you have to physically be there to claim it as your place when using a mobile device. I saw that someone else had that same issue. So, can you please help us and let us know: 1. How to merge already existing business pages to their Places page–if they have one. 2. How to claim your businesses without having to use a touch mobile device. 3. How to prop

Comment by ????? ?????? — September 3, 2011 @ 8:51 pm
nice and informative post btw.. thnx
and yeah i found a site to Buy Facebook Likes

Comment by @AngelEyesBill — September 4, 2011 @ 5:36 pm
any word on how to get a locations button of the left side of the facebook page. help!?

Comment by DSSK — September 9, 2011 @ 10:39 am
This is a fantastic site and very engaging too. Excellent work! That’s not really much coming from an amateur publisher like me, but it’s all I could think after enjoying your posts.
<a rel="new tab" href="http://www.splicemarketing.co.uk/">web design agency southampton

Comment by Neon — September 10, 2011 @ 12:44 am
please facebook get your head out of your azz, very poor design and navigation. Sell now while your worth something…

Comment by fuk — September 10, 2011 @ 9:06 pm
why is it awful?

Comment by elizzabear — September 12, 2011 @ 11:11 am
Hi, I have a business page and can't get the address to show up for check in's/places.. I've changed the address numerous times then deleted it for 24hrs and was prompted on the business page to enter a correct addres to allow check-ins to occur, when i entered it, facebook told me check ins should be available within 1 hour. 3 days later still nothing… Yesterday Bing Maps was showing us at our correct address, but today it is a km a way… but i can't check in at either location,. The address i have entered is the correct address for our business in Google Maps, i'd assume this is how they verify it…. does anyone have a suggestion?? I don't want to create a place then merge because people appear unhappy on here about it, and then i don't want to end up with 2 places later on…. Cheers

Comment by Andrew Korsch — September 14, 2011 @ 8:15 pm
Thanks Nick, that was very useful!

Comment by Benchmark ad — October 2, 2011 @ 10:56 am
Merging my page and place went well… and I could even change the business category to "attractions & things to do"… but since the merge, my "rank" has dropped. My place is no longer on the first page of the check-in list, and guests have to scroll to page two (sometimes even page three) before they find me.

My place has also got the highest amount of check-ins in the area, so I seriously doubt that that defines who is placed at the top of the list.

Does anyone know how to ensure that my place comes up as one of the first?

Comment by Henriette — October 4, 2011 @ 3:14 pm
e business to Places but there is no notation on claiming or merging the two spots (I have a Fan page already set up). Need to do this

Comment by iraq29 — October 9, 2011 @ 4:17 pm
to add my businesses using a computer rather than a touch mobile device. I have an iPhone and I tried attempting to add places but it seems that you have to physically be there to claim it as your place when using a mobi

Comment by iraq29 — October 9, 2011 @ 4:18 pm
wow great article
allfacebook is just getting better and better

Comment by NBA 2k12 cheats — October 9, 2011 @ 11:11 pm
ette mentioned above that they are requiring a Federal Employee ID # to verify you are who you say you are. This seems a bit over the top, when anyone can create a Page..

Comment by iraq29 — October 11, 2011 @ 6:34 am
Another great post reall, thank you allfacebook

I think I should read more about facebook places anyway..

Comment by WizIMS — October 11, 2011 @ 8:52 am
Help, I have the opposite problem. When setting up my fan page, I guess it somehow got set up as a place page. I don't want it to be a place page. Is there a way to edit to make it a fan page. I was told (by facebook) I would need to remake the page and have my fans switch over (only 22 fans right now, so not a big deal) but then wouldn't the user name already be taken by the place page? Would love any help on this!!

Comment by Megan — October 13, 2011 @ 2:24 pm
Great post really
thanks alot

Comment by WizIMS Marketing — October 14, 2011 @ 1:07 pm
that's odd, I had it just call the phone number and verified with a pin

Comment by Guest — October 23, 2011 @ 2:38 pm
I'm not sure if this is going to work now. FB keeps changing things so much. If it works it is a pretty cool deal. Thanks for sharing!

Comment by Round Rock dentists — October 27, 2011 @ 10:15 pm
Hi, I tried the same by clicking on claim ur page, but i m not getting any link such as "Is this your page".
How do I claim & merge the same then.

If tried on a mobile browser I get the Link "is this your page" but it doesn't take me any further.

Please help.

Comment by Rishi — October 29, 2011 @ 7:02 am
I know a lot of business people who want facebook pages, but I have had one and they are hard to get followers. I know there are things to do to increase followers but it seems so time consuming.

Comment by security officer — November 8, 2011 @ 8:58 pm
I have the same question also. Is it possible to do this from your existing business page?

Comment by TGH — November 14, 2011 @ 4:57 pm
sdsfreg tg trh ythyt

Comment by ????? ?????? — November 16, 2011 @ 7:51 pm
Really like this post, Facebook is such a great way to contact with your clients/ friends / people of interest. I have a hard to getting people to friend though.

Comment by guard Harlingen — November 16, 2011 @ 10:17 pm
Great post

Facebook places is cool

Comment by Wizims SEO — November 17, 2011 @ 12:54 pm
been having so many issues with my business page, no one adds me. im thinking of doing some facebook ads, what do you thing?

Comment by computer repair — November 23, 2011 @ 7:51 pm
OK I figured out how to merge the page and the place but havent done it. Does anyone know if you lose all the wall posts and pictures from the existing Page if you merge the newly made Place into it??

Comment by Chris — November 29, 2011 @ 4:41 pm
Such useful information! I am thinking about doing this for our business, thanks for the help.

Comment by Hutto painting — December 1, 2011 @ 10:25 pm
no longer works…

Comment by becks711 — December 6, 2011 @ 9:26 am
Good posting, im subscribing to your rss. Many thanks once more

Comment by ?????? ????? — December 10, 2011 @ 11:00 am
If you don't have an iPhone, just go to http://touch.facebook.com via Firefox on your computer, and you'll be set.

Felix,
SotoWebTechnologies.com

Comment by Felix — December 12, 2011 @ 11:58 am
Thanks
Thanks
Thanks
Thanks

Comment by ????? ?????? — December 26, 2011 @ 6:14 am
"I am really confused …. Add the business to Places but there is no notation on claiming or merging the two spots (I have a Fan page already set up). Need to do this via computer. Can someone help?"

Can you please explain so I can help you?

Comment by internet marketing — December 31, 2011 @ 8:11 am
I started a new page and added the address of the location where our martial arts class meets. I'm the admin of the page and I'm trying to figure out how to check in. I'm confused because when I try to check in on the computer, the place doesn't pop up. Is this only doable via phone? Or is it just the fact that it's not letting me check in because I'm the admin?

Comment by Rosa — January 2, 2012 @ 1:39 am
. 3. How to properly make a Places page when using a COMPUTER not a touch mobile device. Thanks in advance

Comment by iraq29 — January 2, 2012 @ 8:08 am
I have 'claimed' a place page of my company's site and have been trying to 'merge' our fan page to it. I managed to find the option to allow both pages to merge but when I click on it, the message pop up that I am not allowed to merge them because the locations of both places are too far away. I realised that the bing map on my fan page is not showing the right place even though I have 2 exact same addresses on both the fan page and place page.. I have also tried deleting the address and retyping it but it just doesnt seem to work. Really annoying and I dont know who/where to turn to. Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Comment by Connie — January 10, 2012 @ 10:39 am
Hi Darren, thanks for the info. I submitted the info to verify my Places page and now I can't make any changes. I was wondering if they were ever going to get back to me?

Comment by Jim — January 18, 2012 @ 11:32 pm
Use firefox and go here: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/geolocation/

let firefox know your location. in another tab go to the other site the last person said and check-in. it worked for me!

Comment by regina — January 21, 2012 @ 4:32 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Not getting prompted to merge the Places with my existing page.

Comment by Monte — August 20, 2010 @ 7:48 am

Good Afternoon,

Please I want to Merge my Place & Page but I'm using computer not phone, give me the details on how to merge them.

Comment by David Ehizojie — August 20, 2010 @ 8:51 am

In the same boat Bruce, my one business has somewhere around 70 locations. Guess I'll wait to see how FB attempts to handle that. This reminds me of the endless game of trying to claim all your locations on Google Maps.

Comment by Aaron Hughling — August 20, 2010 @ 9:06 am

What if your business has multiple locations?

(think Dry Cleaners or maybe a small restaurant chain) – they probably won't have (or want) multiple fan pages for each location.

Comment by Bruce Serven — August 20, 2010 @ 9:08 am

Ditto on the multiple locations question. Otherwise it is useless for us.

Comment by tshirtlaundry — August 20, 2010 @ 10:05 am

I didn't receive the "merge" option once I verified my business. When will we will the ability to manually merge two pages?

Comment by Josh Hill — August 20, 2010 @ 12:06 pm

is it same app like foursquare

Comment by niel — August 20, 2010 @ 12:08 pm

I am also trying to figure out if I can do this from a computer instead of a phone. So far it doesn't seem likely. If I'm wrong, I'd love for somebody to help me.

Comment by David Mayer — August 20, 2010 @ 1:30 pm

I did not get the option to merge my page with my place either. I hope this addressed shortly…

Comment by Casey — August 20, 2010 @ 2:54 pm

I have a question : I already have my Facebook page for my business, with 750 people who "like" it. I don't really want to create a new page with "Facebook Places" and start a new one.

Is there an option on your facebook page that can tell facebook where it is located?

And for now, facebook place is only available if you have a USA IP adress, so for the other country, use a VPN

Comment by Cedric — August 21, 2010 @ 6:00 am

how do I do this on motorola android?

Is there a way to claim your place on your computer?

Huge thanks for all your info and support! xo

Comment by Glory — August 21, 2010 @ 10:47 am

Hey guys think you might find Fouraquare easier, Bruce and others. I just dump the FS links on my page and find that easier, this is too tricky.

Cedric just do that dump the links on. You get a better service anyway, most of these services have yet to roadtested. The works is done over at FS and Gowalla.

Noel I would sayit is the same app, think one should pay attention to. Aaron I am not sure they can using and combo of FS or Gowalla with Facebook would be best bet. You will still have to register all of them whatever you do. That is how you claim it, make sure you choose Manager.

On FS you just need to mention the street and cross street for each one. I guess opening google maps ir an A to Z would help you get all pf them done quick. I am slightly apregensive on usability issues, from chatter on Blogoshere is is fairly negative.

I hope that can solve a few issues. Remember you can merge FS and Gowalla too Facebook which should merge correct some issues.

Dara

Comment by Dara Bell — August 21, 2010 @ 12:23 pm

Hope this clears up for businesses, apologies for few typos. Happy building!

Comment by Dara Bell — August 21, 2010 @ 12:25 pm

My place of business does not come up on a search. It seems that to add a place, you have to be physically there to do it. Is that correct or am I missing something. Thanks so much.

Comment by Sue W. — August 21, 2010 @ 12:35 pm

Same as the others–can this be done by computer since I don't have an iPhone? I've tried to follow all directions provided and can't figure out how…

Comment by Cathy Sanchez — August 21, 2010 @ 1:10 pm

Facebook Places dont like!!

Comment by Hayrullah Öz — August 22, 2010 @ 12:45 am

Got started on "claiming" my business. Unlike what it says in the article, they want you to scan and send a copy of your incorporation papers or business license plus they ask for your Federal Employee ID number??? Not sure how I feel about submitting that info to FB who is notorious for not caring about privacy.

Comment by Annette Holbrook — August 22, 2010 @ 1:26 pm

don't see where to claim page as ours?????

Comment by ray mckenzie — August 23, 2010 @ 3:56 am

How do you do this from a computer if you don't have an iphone? My Fan page doesn't have the "Claim Your Business" link that you are suppose to use. Any help would be appreciated.

Comment by Ernest Freeland — August 23, 2010 @ 5:02 am

My question is how useful the data from Facebook Places really is to businesses. Anyone is welcome to comment on my blogpost discussing this here: http://wp.me/pJfdj-mA

Comment by Thompson Morrison — August 23, 2010 @ 10:12 am

@David Mayer, in response to your question about adding Facebook places from your computer. You can add places from your computer and I wrote a post on how to do it. Just visit my site and then go to my blog to find out how!

Comment by Mitchell Stoker — August 23, 2010 @ 11:28 am

What if you're a university page admin and need to claim the university places?

Comment by Laurie — August 23, 2010 @ 11:34 am

I have the same issues as other commentators. I would like to "merge" my existing business pages with their Places pages. I also am trying to add my businesses using a computer rather than a touch mobile device. I have an iPhone and I tried attempting to add places but it seems that you have to physically be there to claim it as your place when using a mobile device. I saw that someone else had that same issue. So, can you please help us and let us know: 1. How to merge already existing business pages to their Places page–if they have one. 2. How to claim your businesses without having to use a touch mobile device. 3. How to properly make a Places page when using a COMPUTER not a touch mobile device. Thanks in advance.

-Kandice

Comment by Kandice — August 23, 2010 @ 12:56 pm

I was able to get around the 'Mobile site' requirement by using Safari and http://touch.facebook.com. Safari uses the same Webkit as most mobile browsers (think iPhone/iTouch), so the touch.facebook.com site works. Annette mentioned above that they are requiring a Federal Employee ID # to verify you are who you say you are. This seems a bit over the top, when anyone can create a Page..

Comment by Jesse — August 25, 2010 @ 11:02 am

I am really confused …. Add the business to Places but there is no notation on claiming or merging the two spots (I have a Fan page already set up). Need to do this via computer. Can someone help?

thanks,

Sandy

Comment by Sandy — August 25, 2010 @ 1:10 pm

In step two, it shows a screen shot with a link for "Claim your business." I can't for the life of me find the page they're showing in that screen shot, whether on my iPhone or my PC.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Comment by Brian Thurston — August 25, 2010 @ 3:35 pm

I manage a Fan Page for one client that has two locations. Will we be able to "merge" two Places into one Fan Page? Facebook needed to launch this thing with everything clearly explained and fully thought out. They are making me a little nervous this time.

Comment by J. Matthew Brown — August 26, 2010 @ 2:05 pm

So I have been trying to Claim my Business for over two weeks now. They keep telling me that my State Issued Business License isn't enough along with my Federal ID number. Anyone else experiencing a similar issue with the Facebook Team?

Comment by Ernest Freeland — September 13, 2010 @ 3:23 pm

Facebook is the new frontier for marketing.

Just think about it. You can reach millions of people across the world for FREE.

Social networking is allowing unprecedented levels of marketing for business owners.
However you need to know how to use sites like Twitter and Facebook to your advantage.

1. Make a Facebook fan page or Twitter account for your business

2. Load it up with content about your business .ie what you do, your products etc.

3. then get fans and followers and advertise them via facebook status updates and twitter tweets.

My best advice would be to use a social networking marketing site. They help you get thousands of fans/ twitter followers for your business.

I know of two that I hear do a great job.
http://www.WantFans.com
http://www.Growyourfans.com

Comment by Jay B. — September 15, 2010 @ 3:12 am

I've claimed my business listing without a problem, but see no option of merging. Is this something that happens automatically, similar to Google Places merges, or will there be a button for this at some point?

Comment by Ivan — September 17, 2010 @ 1:10 pm

This guide suggests that you will be prompted to merge business and places pages by Facebook. Somebody ought to tell the Facebook Team because I've had my Places page verified and up for about 3 or 4 weeks and I have received no such invitation. I also do not receive any response from multiple help requests to Facebook. This whole article/guide is nothing more than a fairy tale/

Comment by Darren — September 26, 2010 @ 2:42 pm

I'm having the same problem as many others… I cannot merge my Business Page to the new Place page

Comment by danielle — September 27, 2010 @ 3:59 pm

A really goofy limitation here is that you need to be NEAR the physical location of the "Place" you want to claim, in order for this to work. I am sitting in our corporate office, and want to claim a consumer facing spot that is about 5 miles from here. No dice, I need to GO there for it to even show up in search. Pretty weak.

Comment by @andrewteman — September 30, 2010 @ 9:02 am

2 months after, I am still looking for merging
Anyone did it?

Comment by Cedric — October 4, 2010 @ 4:37 am

Was prompted to merge the Place and the Page, but a few weeks later and it's not been done yet. Facebook Help being what it is, I can't find a single link to contact someone to get the problem sorted out.

Comment by Jacques — October 11, 2010 @ 8:04 am

Hi Jacques. I had the same problem but they did eventually send me an unprompted email to say they'd just got round to it. Sit tight.

Comment by Simon — October 21, 2010 @ 7:56 am

My business is in Denmark, where Places hasn't come to yet… is there any way of adding my business now, before Places comes to my country?

Comment by henriette — October 26, 2010 @ 5:03 am

So I got the message to merge (it seems if someone checks in to your business using 4square the owner gets notified) and did but damn do I hate what it's done to me my fan page!!

How the hell do remove that map, or at least make it optional? It also seems like the main page dies nothing new apart from add a HUGE map and make far more space for sponsored ads. Is there any way to unmerge or at least get rid of that map? Better still is there any way to just make the Wall display the first thing that you see?

HELP!!!

Comment by Tom — October 28, 2010 @ 8:40 pm

I merged our Places and Fan page, however now when I do status messages, I'm unable to tag events or people – or other pages using the '@'. Furthermore, our map location is off. I searched the help and didn't find a way to submit a new map, or if Tagging is different using the Places.

Anybody having the same issue?

Comment by Kevin — November 1, 2010 @ 12:56 pm

There's no way to un-merge that I've found.

Tom – do you utilize the tagging feature for your merged page for status messages? I used to tag events or fan pages for our other outlets and now since the merge, I've been unable to get that '@' feature to work.

Comment by Kevin — November 1, 2010 @ 12:58 pm

I havent merged but my info on the map is wrong as well I havent found out how to correct that either

Comment by @jlinos — November 1, 2010 @ 4:44 pm

How do I unmerge. I do not want this on my page. It is hiding my FBML.

Comment by Staff at Penny Lane — November 1, 2010 @ 5:23 pm

I merged the Places and Page for one of my clients, but now I've lost all of the tabs. Boo. Anyone know how to get them back (or even if it's possible)?

Comment by Jim Tome — November 3, 2010 @ 2:54 pm

You can't. We're in the same boat with one of our pages, due to a new admin taking the "initiative" to claim the place. Less than 500 fans on that one, so we're probably just going to start over.

Comment by Courtney — November 4, 2010 @ 11:11 am

The FBML pages should still show up on the left hand side, but the names may be different. That's how it is on one of my pages. After the merge, "Tabs" are gone, and gone for good. There is no unmerge. (yet?) We can only hope that Facebook will realize that they should have pulled Places info into the existing Business Page, rather than the reverse. Basically, for the people like us that actually spent time building a nice looking page, they screwed it up.

Comment by Courtney — November 4, 2010 @ 11:14 am

If it's still not done, you may want to rethink it, anyway. If you've spent time adding FBML tabs to your pages, you may not want to merge them. It takes away a lot of the functionality of them. Do a little more research, because once you merge them, you can't undo it. Good luck!

Comment by Courtney — November 4, 2010 @ 11:17 am

Cedric, one of my page admins got a little click happy and merged the page with the place. We hate it! We had built FBML tabs, custom landing page, etc, and it's all gone. If you don't have FBML on your page and want that map at the top of your business page, then do what you'd like. I suggest a little research into what the page looks like, before merging. You can't undo it once it's done.

Comment by Courtney — November 4, 2010 @ 11:19 am

[...] claiming your business within Facebook Places (as described here), you’ll have to create a Deal. You can accomplish this by clicking on the “Create [...]

Pingback by The Complete Business Guide To Facebook Deals — November 4, 2010 @ 11:41 am

I understand the Merge, but if I have custom Facebook tabs, it seems I've lost the option to direct 1st time "likers" to my custom tab. Any word on this? Thank you!

Comment by stephanieburt — November 4, 2010 @ 5:48 pm

How can I change my map to accurately display my location? The address is right, but Bing maps has not updated our location since we moved…I have sent in multiple requests as the business owner. I claimed the business long ago, but Bing still will not verify the changes.

Is there a way to just delete the map? I hate having the wrong location shown at the top of our Facebook page…
Please help!

Comment by Jessica — November 8, 2010 @ 11:50 am

how to use facebook places for desktop/laptops please do reply as early as possible

Comment by Akhil Kumar — November 9, 2010 @ 8:20 am

I too merged my business page with a places page. The user now lands on the 'Profile' page with a HUGE map at the top. I can't seem to adjust it so the user lands on the 'Wall' page and they can click the 'Profile' option if they'd like to check in.

1. Are we able to modify the landing page?
2. Or, can we at least remove the giant map?

Also, when I pull up my facebook page on a Blackberry the only thing I can see is the map and nothing else.

3. Does this even work with a Blackberry?

Comment by Matt — November 9, 2010 @ 6:06 pm

Exactly! This seems opposite and I hate the way it looks. Deleted my page out of frustration with FB. Almost 1000 business fans that can now connect with me the old fashioned way … in person.

Comment by Matt — November 10, 2010 @ 12:33 am

I've discovered a new drawback to merging a business' Facebook page and place– I can't seem to upload a new photo album to the merged business page, it only shows up on the administrator's PERSONAL Facebook account.

Anyone else encounter this problem and know a way to work around it?

Thanks!

Comment by Kelly — November 10, 2010 @ 11:51 am

Everyone seems to want to merge, but I HATE the new porduct from merging! All I want to know is how to get rid of the giant map that is at the top of my page. This has completely ruined my fan site. No one cares about the map, if they need to find us, they will look at the info page. I want people to see the content first!! That's what I work hard on! Plus all the pictures are squished now DONT MERGE!!

Comment by MCM — November 10, 2010 @ 3:40 pm

LOOK BEFORE YOU MERGE…then don't do it! Check out http://www.facebook.com/unmerge and read up on this before you merge. I merged and am regretting it because it is so negative for the layout and functions of a site that I've not only stopped growing but also started loosing fans. Arrgh! Save yourself while you can! Don't merge.

Comment by mishe — November 11, 2010 @ 1:28 pm

Don't Do It! The merged page is awful and most users (me included) are petitioning facebook to allow an "un-merge" option. You will destroy your page if you merge and you can't reverse it.

Comment by wesleychapeltoyota — November 23, 2010 @ 5:10 pm

DON'T MERGE! You will regret it. Hours spent building a good page, then gone in a couple of hours with no undo. Luckily fans are low so I will only offend a hundred or so by deleting the page and rebuilding!

Comment by Dan — November 24, 2010 @ 1:40 am

I also am trying to add my businesses using a computer rather than a touch mobile device. I have an iPhone and I tried attempting to add places but it seems that you have to physically be there to claim it as your place when using a mobile device.

Comment by brand name — November 24, 2010 @ 2:35 am

Le sujet de plus que merveilleux

Comment by ??? ???? — November 29, 2010 @ 2:06 pm

I have also merged my business and the map is so annoying! There are no tabs or landing page! Why did they change the format? It's not what I wanted at all and now I want to unmerge my page but can't figure out how. Frustrated! I wish Facebook would just make another tab or box for the "Place" instead of changing the entire merged page.

Comment by Crystal — December 2, 2010 @ 12:48 pm

I have tried and tried and tried to merge. I go through the process, it says it's in process but nothing ever happens. This has been for over a month or so. Any suggestions.

Comment by John — December 3, 2010 @ 3:07 pm

If your thinking about merging your page with the place. DON'T DO IT
It is a disaster, nothing works right

Comment by bill — December 4, 2010 @ 2:48 pm

How do you undo merging your business page with a place? We succesfully merged the two but HATE the new layout. We want tabs back. Do you know how to undo this damage?

Comment by Erin DeMont — December 4, 2010 @ 6:53 pm

My place and page have merged but I am very unhappy with the results. My custom landing page no longer works and my tabs across the top are now small icons on the side. I don't see any benefit to the place page other than the map… however I would prefer the map to be at the bottom of the page. I big map doesn't exactly display my page the way I want it. It's not appealing. You can offer incentives to people who visit your place, but how knows how beneficial that will really be… depending on your industry.

Comment by joshuajlyons — December 6, 2010 @ 5:28 pm

How do I get the tabs back at the top of my business page? I think my co-worker may have merged it with a "places" page. I think "places" pages are intended for people with physical locations, right?

Comment by tony — December 12, 2010 @ 12:09 am

We merged and lost our fan page! Apparently this is happening to everyone who merges. The places page does not upload into the newsfeed and we don't like it at all. How do we unmerge to get our page back? Whay can't places be a subpage within the page we had.

Comment by darek trowbridge — December 13, 2010 @ 6:58 pm

You can verify using an email address

Comment by jDeppen — December 17, 2010 @ 1:50 pm

I created a Place for our business, began the claiming proceedure and then had to exit as I didn't have the appropriate documents to hand. I then had to wait about a week until I could see the 'Is this your business' button again (which appeared yesterday) but now that I have gone on to claim it, this button has disappeared again!

Can anyone help me? I just want to see the button again so I can complete the claiming process.

Thanks.

Comment by Emily — December 21, 2010 @ 7:16 am

[...] The geolocation service debuted in August has since become available on most types of smartphones and helps make the new [...]

Pingback by The 8 Most Important Facebook Features In 2010 — December 28, 2010 @ 9:39 pm

What is better for a business? A place or a page? I am hesitant to merge simply because I cannot control my landing tab on the places. Can I get an opinion on this?

Comment by Kyle Clouse — January 7, 2011 @ 12:13 pm

That is all public info anyways, not much to hide when it is open to view on your states Secretary of State Website.

Comment by Mike — January 18, 2011 @ 12:16 pm

You specialize in Facebook, but your last entry for Facebook Places was in August! Meanwhile, countries have been added, and more. Get with it!

Comment by Steve — February 15, 2011 @ 1:43 am

For over a week now I keep getting the phone verification code and entering it, but all I get is "This place cannot be claimed at this time. Try again later." Not sure what the issue is.

Comment by zowieguy — February 15, 2011 @ 7:21 pm

I need people to click on "Paul Hassell Photography" as business I am the owner of via my personal profile and it go to my "Paul Hassell Photography" fan page. For some reason, I can't seem to link the two.

Any advice?

Comment by Paul Hassell — February 24, 2011 @ 1:47 pm

Got started on "claiming" my business. I am glad I found this post thanks for the great info.

Comment by The Geek Firm — February 27, 2011 @ 12:23 am

Having issues claiming my place as mine. I've provided a utility bill and business license. I keep getting a message saying they are unable to confirm ownership at this time. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Comment by Jonathan — February 28, 2011 @ 9:10 pm

thnkis yuo

Comment by ????? ?????? — March 24, 2011 @ 10:14 am

Comment by ????? ????? — March 30, 2011 @ 8:12 pm

using fireefox download the geolocater addin.
Set your location to anywhere you want
go to http://touch.facebook.com
login

Comment by dee — April 4, 2011 @ 1:04 pm

What about combining 2 pages together. I've combined my place page with my fan page but there is still a fan page I would like to merge with the place/page combo.. Is this possible?

Thanks

Comment by Alex — April 4, 2011 @ 5:42 pm

Nice and simple and easy to follow thanks for the help

Comment by Dave — April 13, 2011 @ 10:31 am

Comment by ??????? — April 26, 2011 @ 6:21 am

Thank you for asking this…..I have the same question

Comment by GGG — May 4, 2011 @ 12:00 am

Is the option to claim your page removed? There is no link to do this anymore.

Comment by dimagios — May 13, 2011 @ 2:24 am

I would like to know the answer to this as well. We have 6 locations…we would like all check-ins to tie back to our one fan page…anyone know how to do this?

Comment by @rebekkarea — May 18, 2011 @ 1:22 pm

make that 3 for wanting to know this

Comment by georgio — May 21, 2011 @ 2:22 am

I'd like to know that too – we have five locations that I'd want (if possible) to merge with one facebook page.

Comment by Anne — May 24, 2011 @ 8:00 am

Okay I have merged business place with actual business page. Now trying to figure out how to add a discount coupon when a customer checks in. How do I edit a place page? Thanks

Comment by artz — May 26, 2011 @ 1:26 pm

Trying to claim local business page but it just keeps processing – I have waited 10 minutes – Am I doing something wrong?

Comment by Sheree — May 26, 2011 @ 5:32 pm

Comment by ????? ???? ???????? — June 8, 2011 @ 8:14 am

How do you do this from a computer if you don't have an iphone? My Fan page doesn't have the "Claim Your Business" link that you are suppose to use. Any help would be appreciated. http://www.mazajcool.com http://www.box-movies.com http://www.ledo.tv http://www.animes-streamings.com

Comment by ????? ??? ???? — June 13, 2011 @ 3:00 pm

I don't see the "is this your business" button? Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Comment by Jaco — June 27, 2011 @ 3:23 am

Yes, another with multiple locations here.

Comment by Lee — June 29, 2011 @ 12:15 pm

Facebook has disabled this feature.

Comment by Regina Mize — June 30, 2011 @ 3:49 pm

how do I merge 2 facebook pages that are in one account

Comment by Uwe — July 7, 2011 @ 12:07 pm

Thank you for this magnificent words of the very

Comment by ????? — July 8, 2011 @ 8:10 am

Ditto to this as well! Please let us know if you all hear of a function that allows this.

Comment by Kelsi Guidry — July 17, 2011 @ 11:19 pm

Anyone know how to post a comment on another business page from your business page?

Comment by Tampa Spa — July 17, 2011 @ 11:46 pm

I am having the same problem. Did you ever get a response to your question or solve your problem? I would love to know!

Comment by louisegc — July 21, 2011 @ 8:26 pm

I have a page I set up for my business 18 months ago with 1000+ likes, but although my address is correct, the map location is incorrect. I keep contacting Bing maps to ask them to fix the location but nothing happens. Is there an option to direct the address to Google Maps instead of Bing maps as Google places lists my business correctly so people can check in? Meanwhile fans have set up 2 other pages for my business with the correct location which I have reported as duplicates and also tried to claim as the owner but unable to do either. Does anyone have any advice?

Comment by louisegc — July 21, 2011 @ 8:35 pm

Thanks alot man

I will use this for my business

Another great post !!

Comment by ????? ????? — July 25, 2011 @ 8:30 am

Comment by ????? ?????? — July 26, 2011 @ 7:41 pm

This article seems either outdated or lacking some crucial information. We have several different locations, all of which have multiple places locations (with more popping up every day). We don't get a prompt to merge our places with our page – as a result some of the places we claimed have been automatically associated with our page while others are orphaned. There is the option to "create a page" but we already have a page and there's no option to merge with an existing place page. For whatever reason, these duplicate places don't show up under the "duplicates" option even though they all have the same name and address. Also, there is still a "places" page and a "fan" page, they have not technically been "merged" but rather associated, so that likes and check-ins are displayed on both. It does seem to overlap a bit, but computer users will see the fan page while mobile users should see the places page. We've deleted most duplicates; however some of the automatic associations give us 9 check-ins instead of 2,000. I have no idea where the 9 is coming from, we don't even own a places page with those stats… Clearly FB has a long way to go on this…

Comment by wikiwikiwerewolf — July 28, 2011 @ 12:08 pm

than;s

Comment by ????? ?????? — August 1, 2011 @ 6:11 pm

Thanxxx man

Comment by ahmedphp — August 4, 2011 @ 11:35 am

thanks

Comment by ????? ?????? — August 7, 2011 @ 6:04 pm

hoooooooooooooooooo good

Comment by ????? ?????? — August 7, 2011 @ 6:05 pm

Till last month there was no solution to this issue. But as I figured out through the Starbucks page, there seems to be some kind of solution for large enterprises provided by Facebook. So hopefully they will open this function to all users soon!
Best regards from Germany

Comment by getpublic — August 12, 2011 @ 8:54 am

thanks man but plz can you translate this page so many people will learn more

Comment by ????? ??? ???? — September 2, 2011 @ 3:50 am

thanks for posting but we need translation to arabic

Comment by ????? ??? ???? — September 2, 2011 @ 7:18 am

e. I have an iPhone and I tried attempting to add places but it seems that you have to physically be there to claim it as your place when using a mobile device. I saw that someone else had that same issue. So, can you please help us and let us know: 1. How to merge already existing business pages to their Places page–if they have one. 2. How to claim your businesses without having to use a touch mobile device. 3. How to prop

Comment by ????? ?????? — September 3, 2011 @ 8:51 pm

nice and informative post btw.. thnx
and yeah i found a site to Buy Facebook Likes

Comment by @AngelEyesBill — September 4, 2011 @ 5:36 pm

any word on how to get a locations button of the left side of the facebook page. help!?

Comment by DSSK — September 9, 2011 @ 10:39 am

This is a fantastic site and very engaging too. Excellent work! That’s not really much coming from an amateur publisher like me, but it’s all I could think after enjoying your posts.
<a rel="new tab" href="http://www.splicemarketing.co.uk/">web design agency southampton

Comment by Neon — September 10, 2011 @ 12:44 am

please facebook get your head out of your azz, very poor design and navigation. Sell now while your worth something…

Comment by fuk — September 10, 2011 @ 9:06 pm

why is it awful?

Comment by elizzabear — September 12, 2011 @ 11:11 am

Hi, I have a business page and can't get the address to show up for check in's/places.. I've changed the address numerous times then deleted it for 24hrs and was prompted on the business page to enter a correct addres to allow check-ins to occur, when i entered it, facebook told me check ins should be available within 1 hour. 3 days later still nothing… Yesterday Bing Maps was showing us at our correct address, but today it is a km a way… but i can't check in at either location,. The address i have entered is the correct address for our business in Google Maps, i'd assume this is how they verify it…. does anyone have a suggestion?? I don't want to create a place then merge because people appear unhappy on here about it, and then i don't want to end up with 2 places later on…. Cheers

Comment by Andrew Korsch — September 14, 2011 @ 8:15 pm

Thanks Nick, that was very useful!

Comment by Benchmark ad — October 2, 2011 @ 10:56 am

Merging my page and place went well… and I could even change the business category to "attractions & things to do"… but since the merge, my "rank" has dropped. My place is no longer on the first page of the check-in list, and guests have to scroll to page two (sometimes even page three) before they find me.

My place has also got the highest amount of check-ins in the area, so I seriously doubt that that defines who is placed at the top of the list.

Does anyone know how to ensure that my place comes up as one of the first?

Comment by Henriette — October 4, 2011 @ 3:14 pm

e business to Places but there is no notation on claiming or merging the two spots (I have a Fan page already set up). Need to do this

Comment by iraq29 — October 9, 2011 @ 4:17 pm

to add my businesses using a computer rather than a touch mobile device. I have an iPhone and I tried attempting to add places but it seems that you have to physically be there to claim it as your place when using a mobi

Comment by iraq29 — October 9, 2011 @ 4:18 pm

wow great article
allfacebook is just getting better and better

Comment by NBA 2k12 cheats — October 9, 2011 @ 11:11 pm

ette mentioned above that they are requiring a Federal Employee ID # to verify you are who you say you are. This seems a bit over the top, when anyone can create a Page..

Comment by iraq29 — October 11, 2011 @ 6:34 am

Another great post reall, thank you allfacebook

I think I should read more about facebook places anyway..

Comment by WizIMS — October 11, 2011 @ 8:52 am

Help, I have the opposite problem. When setting up my fan page, I guess it somehow got set up as a place page. I don't want it to be a place page. Is there a way to edit to make it a fan page. I was told (by facebook) I would need to remake the page and have my fans switch over (only 22 fans right now, so not a big deal) but then wouldn't the user name already be taken by the place page? Would love any help on this!!

Comment by Megan — October 13, 2011 @ 2:24 pm

Great post really
thanks alot

Comment by WizIMS Marketing — October 14, 2011 @ 1:07 pm

that's odd, I had it just call the phone number and verified with a pin

Comment by Guest — October 23, 2011 @ 2:38 pm

I'm not sure if this is going to work now. FB keeps changing things so much. If it works it is a pretty cool deal. Thanks for sharing!

Comment by Round Rock dentists — October 27, 2011 @ 10:15 pm

Hi, I tried the same by clicking on claim ur page, but i m not getting any link such as "Is this your page".
How do I claim & merge the same then.

If tried on a mobile browser I get the Link "is this your page" but it doesn't take me any further.

Please help.

Comment by Rishi — October 29, 2011 @ 7:02 am

I know a lot of business people who want facebook pages, but I have had one and they are hard to get followers. I know there are things to do to increase followers but it seems so time consuming.

Comment by security officer — November 8, 2011 @ 8:58 pm

I have the same question also. Is it possible to do this from your existing business page?

Comment by TGH — November 14, 2011 @ 4:57 pm

sdsfreg tg trh ythyt

Comment by ????? ?????? — November 16, 2011 @ 7:51 pm

Really like this post, Facebook is such a great way to contact with your clients/ friends / people of interest. I have a hard to getting people to friend though.

Comment by guard Harlingen — November 16, 2011 @ 10:17 pm

Great post

Facebook places is cool

Comment by Wizims SEO — November 17, 2011 @ 12:54 pm

been having so many issues with my business page, no one adds me. im thinking of doing some facebook ads, what do you thing?

Comment by computer repair — November 23, 2011 @ 7:51 pm

OK I figured out how to merge the page and the place but havent done it. Does anyone know if you lose all the wall posts and pictures from the existing Page if you merge the newly made Place into it??

Comment by Chris — November 29, 2011 @ 4:41 pm

Such useful information! I am thinking about doing this for our business, thanks for the help.

Comment by Hutto painting — December 1, 2011 @ 10:25 pm

no longer works…

Comment by becks711 — December 6, 2011 @ 9:26 am

Good posting, im subscribing to your rss. Many thanks once more

Comment by ?????? ????? — December 10, 2011 @ 11:00 am

If you don't have an iPhone, just go to http://touch.facebook.com via Firefox on your computer, and you'll be set.

Felix,
SotoWebTechnologies.com

Comment by Felix — December 12, 2011 @ 11:58 am

Thanks
Thanks
Thanks
Thanks

Comment by ????? ?????? — December 26, 2011 @ 6:14 am

"I am really confused …. Add the business to Places but there is no notation on claiming or merging the two spots (I have a Fan page already set up). Need to do this via computer. Can someone help?"

Can you please explain so I can help you?

Comment by internet marketing — December 31, 2011 @ 8:11 am

I started a new page and added the address of the location where our martial arts class meets. I'm the admin of the page and I'm trying to figure out how to check in. I'm confused because when I try to check in on the computer, the place doesn't pop up. Is this only doable via phone? Or is it just the fact that it's not letting me check in because I'm the admin?

Comment by Rosa — January 2, 2012 @ 1:39 am

. 3. How to properly make a Places page when using a COMPUTER not a touch mobile device. Thanks in advance

Comment by iraq29 — January 2, 2012 @ 8:08 am

I have 'claimed' a place page of my company's site and have been trying to 'merge' our fan page to it. I managed to find the option to allow both pages to merge but when I click on it, the message pop up that I am not allowed to merge them because the locations of both places are too far away. I realised that the bing map on my fan page is not showing the right place even though I have 2 exact same addresses on both the fan page and place page.. I have also tried deleting the address and retyping it but it just doesnt seem to work. Really annoying and I dont know who/where to turn to. Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Comment by Connie — January 10, 2012 @ 10:39 am

Hi Darren, thanks for the info. I submitted the info to verify my Places page and now I can't make any changes. I was wondering if they were ever going to get back to me?

Comment by Jim — January 18, 2012 @ 11:32 pm

Use firefox and go here: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/geolocation/

let firefox know your location. in another tab go to the other site the last person said and check-in. it worked for me!

Comment by regina — January 21, 2012 @ 4:32 pm

Welcome New Reader!

How To Use Facebook Places For Your Business

Step 1: Create Or Claim Your Place

Step 2: Claim The Place As Yours

Step 3: Merge Your Place & Page

Done!

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Welcome New Reader!

How To Use Facebook Places For Your Business

Step 1: Create Or Claim Your Place

Step 2: Claim The Place As Yours

Step 3: Merge Your Place & Page

Done!

Recommended Articles

Announcing The AllFacebook Marketing Conference 2012

17578148 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.allfacebook.com%2Ffacebook-places-business-2010-08How+To+Use+Facebook+Places+For+Your+Business2010-08-20+16%3A36%3A06Nick+O%27Neillhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.allfacebook.com%2F%3Fp%3D17578 »

Leave a comment

Follow AllFacebook

Send us a Tip

Social Media Jobs

Let your next job find you!

Featured Company

Jobs of the Day

3D Artist

Healthcare Editor

UX Artist

See all jobs

Upcoming Events

17578148 Comments2010-08-20+16%3A36%3A06Nick+O%27Neill »