Location-based media (LBM) delivers multimedia and other content directly to the user of a mobile device dependent upon their location. Recently, a slew of location-based social networks have been creating a buzz including Gowalla, Loopt, Yelp, MyTown and, most notably, Foursquare which has rapidly grown to almost one million members.
As marketers, any time there is a large gathering of people, be it online or offline, our ears perk up and we take notice. Like the little capitalists we are, we rub our hands together and ask ourselves: “how can we use this to promote business growth”?
As it happens, location-based media makes it easy for us by offering several options for businesses and, with a range of levels of involvement to commit to, most businesses can benefit from getting involved. Here is our list of how you can get your hot little hands into the action.
1. Get Listed
Whether or not you plan to fully embrace lo-so (that’s location-based social networking), you really should take a few minutes to make sure your business is listed correctly in the most popular sites. This delivers two benefits. The first and most obvious is that it allows you to be found by people participating in these networks. The other is that it helps you to be found by anybody browsing the web by boosting your SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
2. Do Your Homework
As with any foray into a new medium, if you plan to go beyond the basic step of listing your business, it’s important to take time to understand the community. Spend some time learning how individual members and businesses interact within the platform to avoid looking like an amateur.
3. Leave Useful Tips For Visitors
I’m mostly talking about foursquare here although I do believe other lo-so platforms allow “tips”. Set up an account on behalf of your business (this is important otherwise it could come off as deceptive) and leave some tips at your location that add value for anybody visiting. This could include any interesting facts about your location itself, house favorites on the menu, best times to come it etc. Be creative but just remember that it must enhance the customer’s experience otherwise it’s just noise and will be more of an annoyance to your customers than anything.
4. Reward Loyalty
Again, speaking mainly from a Foursquare perspective so-lo offers what is probably the most cost-effective and easy-to-implement loyalty program around. You can start by rewarding your location’s “Mayor” (Foursquare recognizes the person who most frequently visits one location as the Mayor) but I think this tactic becomes much more effective when you tier your rewards. For example: Get 10% off for your first check-in, 20% for your fifth, and 50% for your tenth. You could also try a points system. In my opinion, this goes much further than just rewarding that one loyal customer per month who makes it to Mayor status. There is a “mayor discount” at a restaurant only a stones-throw away from my townhouse but it really doesn’t get me to visit more often as I don’t think I stand enough of a chance at becoming the Mayor to make it worth it. If however, they offered me a smaller perk for checking in a few times, I would certainly try to make it over more often.
5. Keep Track
Foursquare has released an analytics dashboard for businesses to track their stats and other networks are sure to jump on the metrics bandwagon if they haven’t already. One of the greatest things about online marketing is its extensive tracking abilities when compared to other media. Why not take advantage of this to keep track of the effectiveness of your different location offers and adjust them for optimal ROI? It’s also probably a good idea to keep track of anybody participating in your loyalty program in-house by having your staff track how many people are taking advantage of your offers.
Have any of you tried using location-based media? What success have you seen? What challenges?
- Rosa Meyer
