Hi there now in this post I want to cover a way to market your business, driving customers directly to your door if you have a “walk in” outlet, this can be really powerful. But also consider this from an internet marketing perspective and realise the potential of how you could use this as a marketing tool to create and sell to others in your area or further afield depending on their kind of business.

Let’s be honest many small to medium sized businesses fail to get the marketing opportunities the web offers, or simply haven’t got the time or expertise to develop them – there’s your opportunity.

The best way to market to mobiles is to use their unique capabilities.

These days, all mobile devices come with built-in GPS. This capability gives you the option of reaching your target market at the right place at the right time.

Imagine this – your customer is cruising around town looking for a place to get an oil change. When they’re just a few blocks from your shop (or your client’s shop), a coupon comes straight to their phone offering them a smoking deal on an oil change. The minute they see the coupon, your shop pulls into view.

Geo-local apps use GPS to reach your customer when they’re in the perfect place to get your offer. There’s a whole lot you can do with them. Let’s look at just a few examples.

Offer Coupons

In the example above, I mentioned mobile coupons. This is exactly the same as PC-based email marketing or SMS text message marketing. You get them to sign up for your list and make offers to them. The difference is the geographic factor. You can set a zone, which is a certain geographic area, and when they enter the zone, they get the message. Coupons on mobiles are even more convenient than printable coupons because all they have to do is show it to the person at the counter.

The Social Factor

There are apps that are integrated with social media. For example, when they get close to a restaurant one of their friends liked on Facebook or reviewed on Yelp, it appears on their phone. They’re looking for a place to go and when they engage the app, it gives all of their friends’ recommendations in the area.

Maps and Directions

Some of the best apps you can offer are simply maps. Let’s say your customer wants to buy some bath accessories. They enter this into a search app and it shows all the places near them where they can shop. An enhanced app might give them even more data, like directions on how to get there or average prices at the shops.

Alarm Apps

Create an app where customers can set an alarm to be triggered when they’re at a specific location. For example, they need to pick up the dry cleaning when they’re downtown today. They can set their own zone (downtown) and when they enter it, the alarm goes off telling them to pick up their dry cleaning.

Developing Your Own Geo-Local App

The key to developing a great geo-local app is to put yourself in your customers’ shoes and ask yourself, ‘What could I really use right now?’ It’s all about user experience and creating something that makes their life easier. Turn their mobile into a tool that can find the perfect local service for them with just one click of the app.

Tony Phelps