How do you make the most of your location to boost your business?
Marketing expert Brett Relander has an answer for that. He wrote a great post – ‘Cut the Competition Down to Size with Location Based Mobile Marketing’ – to help small businesses get found more easily.
Smartphones are big business in marketing, and because your customers carry them around wherever they go, location is a big factor in trying to catch more potential spenders.
“More than 75% of smartphone users make use of location based services to gain information about businesses near their location,” says Brett. This ranges from getting directions to reading local reviews of your company.
“Businesses that are investing in efforts to increase their location-aware audience base are reporting improved conversions,” he added. “Preferred tools include QR codes, click-to-call, coupons, and mobile apps.”
Brett offers some great advice on the latest cutting-edge location-based marketing techniques, including RFID tags and geo-fencing.
You can read more about that on Brett’s blog. But first, let’s go back to basics.
Try these starter tips to help you get a firm footing in the world of location-based mobile marketing:
1. Get to Know the Platforms
The big social media platforms offering location-based services include Foursquare, Loopt, Yelp and Facebook. Try to identify which ones your customers are most likely to use based on age, interests and location. Sign up for the most relevant and download the apps to your phone.
2. Claim Your Business
Fill out details of your business on your chosen apps and maps. Add a badge to your website or on your front counter displaying your platforms – eg ‘We’re on Yelp’ – to try to encourage customers to interact.
Make sure your business is listed on search engine maps too, like Google and Bing, as well as the main service applications like Apple Maps. Check and edit your information to ensure it’s bang up to date.
3. Engage!
Don’t just jump on a platform and forget about it. Using social channels like Foursquare is a great way to engage with your customers. Promotions will help you to get noticed too. For instance you could offer customers a discount every time they ‘check in’ or leave a review. That will help to push more content to your profile and encourage customer loyalty.
Ready to put your business on the map? Try out these tips and let us know how it goes. We’d love to hear your feedback.
And if you’re looking to get noticed in a new location, a virtual office is a great way to get there. You can bag an impressive business address virtually anywhere in the world from Wilshire Boulevard to Wall Street, Champs-Elysees to Piccadilly.
It’s just one of the many ways Alliance Virtual Offices can help your small business grow. And grow. And grow…
Check out www.alliancevirtualoffices.com to find out more.