Location Based Marketing, Part 2
| October 20, 2010 | Posted by admin under Business |
This is a continuation of my last post, Location Based Marketing, as part of our ongoing efforts to promote social media among Florida’s agriculture-related businesses.
So why do you want people to “check in” at your location? Just a few reasons off the top of my head…
- It’s word of mouth marketing. These services are part of social media because people can see where their friends are, what they’re doing and what they think about the places they frequent. I’ve found it particularly good on a personal level to find new restaurants and special sales at retail locations.
- It’s an easy way to get repeat customers (see Foursquare Mayorship wars). It’s funny, but it’s true – people love being the “Mayor” of places. It’s how they mark their territory and show everyone that they love a certain location.
- Easier promotions and deals than couponing. Compared to traditional coupons, special deals and promotions on a phone are much easier to “cash in” for consumers. Think about how often you’ve said, “I had a coupon for that at home!” Well, that’s not really a problem when it’s all done via phone because most people don’t forget their phones at home. These services also show special deals to users in the area when they are at other locations nearby, making it easier to bring them in since they are already close.
- Learn what your customers like and dislike. Users can leave tips for future customers or even make comments via other social networking platforms (like Twitter). This is a great way to get inside their heads. Examples?
- “Try the seared scallops- they’re to die for. This is THE place to dine on fresh seafood in town.”
- “The wine tastes awesome, but the winery tour was my favorite part! Jim was an awesome guide.”
- “They are always out of eggplant at this market.”
- “The bathrooms are disgusting, and the service is awful.”
I apologize for using mostly Foursquare references, but it’s the one I am most familiar with. I encourage you to research and add your business to all of the major location-based services and keep up with the tracking on all of them. Once you are familiar, try out a promotion! I’ll post some promotion ideas on here later, but feel free to share your own.
