Location-Based Services: Be Where Your Customers Are<\/p>\n
Google has just incorporated a new location marketing feature into Google Latitude: people can check into the locations they visit and earn points, which can land them on a leaderboard. Yes, it sounds familiar, but as always there is an advantage to buying into Google’s new system: it’s Google, master of your most important search engine rankings. The new system is also where all your customers already are- it’s fully integrated into Google Maps, Google Latitude, and Google+.<\/p>\n
It may not be time to ditch Foursquare just yet, if your company utilizes it, but this is definitely a project to consider getting in on. Location-based services (LBS) are great for businesses of all sizes, particularly (but not exclusively) business-to-consumer (B2C) locations such as restaurants and stores. It’s basically a free level of mobile advertising, and if you invest some time and effort it can pay off.<\/p>\n
The idea that a company should offer bonuses to its regular customers is an old one- just take a look at all those loyalty punch-cards in your wallet. Systems like Google Latitude’s new leaderboard provide an easy way for businesses to not only reward these customers, but to single them out for extra attention (and, ideally, extra prizes). An advantage to Google’s new version over Foursquare is that instead of seeing only the top check-in (the “Mayor”) of your location, you can see the top four (for now)…and reward them all appropriately. Maybe the #1 spot gets a free item, and #2 through #4 get a discount coupon or a photo on your wall of regulars.<\/p>\n