LBS marketing tips–where are you?

Tip #9:   Think of LBS as a bridge between online and offline worlds. Use location based marketing to tie digital marketing to your overarching sales promotions. LBS marketing provides the opportunity to enrich your interactions with key audiences.  An example would be eliciting product/ service feedback from consumers while they’re at various locations.

Tip #8:    Identify and reward brand supporters by creating special promotions around LBS marketing. Give product/ service reviewers discounts and coupons to encourage key users that promote your brand beyond LBS channels and outside of physical locations.  Make them evangelists.

Tip #7:    Engage with users who use location based services that sync to other communication channels like Twitter. If someone posts a tip about your business on a LBS service like Four Square, follow them on Twitter and extend the relationship and the impact of their review.

Tip #6:    Claim and manage your LBS platforms without being overpowering. It’s important to be present on LBS channels, but you don’t want to take control away from users. For example, if users create a page for your business on forums like Gowalla or Facebook, you should claim it, but do not flood existing communities with marketing and promos. Be considerate of the existing balance.

Tip #5:    Partner with content creators or distributors to encourage users to check in to your locations. For example, the WSJ badge on Four Square highlights businesses as a walking tour and users earn a badge as they check in to various locations.

Tip #4:    Make sure information presented on check-in forums is accurate (Google Maps, links, tags). Since most are user-generated or created automatically, it is important for marketers to check its accuracy. For example, to see if your business is already listed on Four Square, continue here.

Tip #3:    Use location based services as a way to manage your reputation on a granular level. Monitor reviews and feedback to gauge how brand awareness and perceptions vary from location to location. After claiming a business on some LBS forums, you will have access to tracking provided by their interfaces.

Tip #2:    LBS can serve as a social media entry point for new users. Think of these forums as a channel to interact with consumers in real time, which is a luxury not afforded by most other marketing initiatives. If someone checks in to a location and posts a positive review, you could follow up with a special promotion to encourage a repeat visit.

Tip #1:    New LBS platforms are opening a new world of hyper-targeted and geo-targeted ad serving capabilities for marketers. Employ new targeting capabilities to improve your targeted offerings. Facebook Places will increase the relevancy of ad targeting, for example, consider geo-targeting Facebook ads to key audiences for each of your venues.