Walmart Launches 3,500 Local Facebook Pages

Walmart launched more than 3,500 store-specific Facebook pages on Monday, allowing their 9 million fans to receive offers and updates via newsfeed from their local stores and allowing Walmart to make their stores more locally relevant.

Encouraged by customers asking for access to more local deals, the retail giant created the “My Local Walmart”  Facebook application, which will keep fans informed of new products, rollbacks and events in their hometown stores.

“Our innovative approach with Facebook allows us to bridge the gap between local and social, giving millions of customers the personalized shopping experience they expect from Walmart,” said Stephen Quinn, Walmart CMO, in a statement.

Customers can access the application through the Walmart Facebook page where they will  type in their zip code, and then “Like” their favorite stores. Once the customer “likes” a store, their newsfeed will be updated twice a week with specific offers.

"My Local Walmart" will also allow fans to download maps of their favorite stores to their smartphones, something Walmart wanted to launch before the holidays so that shoppers could use the maps to find discounted merchandise in-store come Black Friday.

Walmart hopes to use the application to grow its site-to-store e-commerce program into an individualized marketing program, but right now it is allowing the company to "make stores relevant locally at scale," said Quinn, according to AdAge.

To Stay Global or Go Local

Many marketers are debating whether they should take their social media campaigns local, like Walmart, or keep them global, asking whether local pages will really be a more effective and efficient in communicating with consumers.

According to research by Syncapse, a provider of social media technology and strategy, local Facebook pages drive 36% higher engagement than single global pages.

On that fact alone, many may decide to test the local waters, but there is more to consider when choosing between global and local campaigns.

An organization like Walmart that has physical stores with different promotions and offers lends itself to the local campaign, but a larger brand like Campbell’s or American Airlines may not since their products are the same whether you are in Iowa or Florida.

But even if your business structure lends itself to this kind of targeted local campaign, it may not be the best choice. Marketers must really think what they are hoping to achieve with a local campaign, and whether they have the human resources to power it, before they embark on one.