7 location based networks to elevate your business

Check-Ins, discounts and sharing to boost local sales

Mai 18th, 2011, 3:39 pm

15 years ago mobile devices with sms functionality were considered a life changing technological achievement and people who owned one belonged to the avant-garde or were simply yuppies. Nowadays almost 80% of the world population are connected by mobile phones and available everywhere and every time. This progress is a great opportunity for small and large businesses. We show you how to use it.

Bring your business to the social frontline

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes: you’re in town and want to grab some nice and delicious food. You just log into a location service on your mobile and it shows you how nearby restaurants were rated, what your friends think about it and if there’s a voucher to pick up for free. This is where your company has to take the initiative. The more active you use the possibilities of location based social networks e.g. by offering discounts, the more likely it is that people check-in at your location next time.

Quality beats quantity

The realm of location based networks has become rather extensive lately. However, you should not engage on all services randomly, but concentrate on the ones which work best for your business. This always comes down to a bit of trial and error. To make the decision a bit easier we introduce you to the 7 most relevant location-based online services.

1. Facebook Places

facebook_places

We don’t need to mention the popularity of Facebook. Last year the network launched its own location based functionality and it picked up quite nicely with more and more users getting into sharing their location. Besides creating and claiming a place for your local business you can link this place to your existing Facebook page, which opens quite some marketing opportunities. Here is how it works.

2. Foursquare

foursquare

Foursquare is probably the most famous location-based network, even though Facebook has started to roll up substantial market share. The gaming aspect is quite dominant as people can earn various badges (awards) by checking into venues or accomplishing various other goals. The menu for business owners is well designed: Activate your account in a few steps and „take possession“ of your venue. Now you can easily change your data, create special offers and discount campaigns. There are some detailed instructions for the sign-up, examples for special offers, tips on implementation and evaluation of promotions.

3. Gowalla

gowalla

This service is based on the notion of collecting stamps of the places you visited. These stamps are visible on their profile. Users can also create sightseeing tours and share them with others. Your chance is to make your business part of such a tour, which other users might take or recommend. To draw attention to your business you can purchase a professionally designed custom stamp. They even ship the stickers to attach to your store front so people know they can check in with Gowalla.

4. Qype

qype

Qype is primarily a website to rate businesses and share “likes” and “dislikes”. The mobile app finds your location and gives restaurant reviews, nightlife suggestions and information about the surrounding area written by users who checked-in at places. As Qype is a very active community with about 20 mio. user a month it is recommended to provide some helpful information about your business. Qype offers a number of price plans ranging from free listing to premium web and mobile promotion. The service is based in the UK and more relevant in Europe than in North America.

5. Friendticker

friendticker

The German start-up friendticker currently offers one of the most interesting options for businesses. Like on Foursquare users can earn gaming awards for checking in. Friendticker, however, goes a step further and active users can redeem their awarded points to get real world discounts and products. Cooperation with businesses works on an individual base. Here you find the request from.

6. Google Places

google_places

This is only technically a social network (yes, you can create a social profile on Google) but the relevance for business makes it hard to ignore. Especially as your place listing will include user ratings from other services. Log in your Google account, claim your place and create the listing, which should be comprehensive and well-arranged. It is also possible to set time-limited vouchers. Google also offers a professional photo shooting of your office, but this is currently a service for businesses in larger cities only.

7. Groupon Now!

groupon_now

We know that Groupon isn’t a social network in any conceivable way but their new service Groupon Now! appears to be a great way to get a local deal online on short notice. If your restaurant could need a few more customers between noon and evening simply set up a coupon to get people in filling all these empty seats. Groupon Now! deals aren’t group deals, so people can take advantage individually. To see how it works you best watch the short introduction video.

The future looks good

Some of these location services like Groupon Now! are fairly new with more and more entering the market. This is a good indicator of the high potential lurking in location based marketing. As technologies like QR codes and NFC (near field communication) are spreading and gaining acceptance even more opportunities will emerge. Just think of sharing individual deals and products to the big networks above. To be in the frontline when this happens you should starting engaging now to gain an edge on your competitors.

Do you already use one of the above services for location based marketing? Tell us about your experience!

LS/SdP

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