#geolocal

[ooold]

Posted by Alessandro Mininno

[perchapp]

There is an "analytics gap" facing professionals in local marketing:

Analytics on local presence in desktop search are pretty well established, with a range of offerings from free lookup tools to deeper analyses of listing accuracy, reviews, social mentions, and the like.

But we have no equivalent today for mobile search, though I imagine there are startups working to solve this problem as we speak.

I’ve been paying attention to a few focused offerings that show promise for growth in this space, such as the new Perch app from Closely which lets businesses track the promotional activity of local competitors."

The gap between consumer adoption of mobile and availability of tools for merchant participation is indeed a sticky problem, and a primary a source of inspiration for the Perch team.

[samuelsundek]

[youcantfakereal-blog]

Likes lie, Friends lie, Followers lie, Geo-local is Real

I am a big believer in geo-local.

I don’t know exactly how it is going to be used or who is going to win that space.

I just know that there is nothing more real than where you have been. 

I can tell my facebook friends that I love yoga, or gallery hopping, or supporting co-ops.

However, if I don’t go to yoga in two months or have only been to a co-op once, then I am just trying to be cool.

We are where we go. 

To know where a person spends their time is to know them.

This knowledge combined with the social graph give companies a profound opportunity to win potential customers.

We follow our friends, the people we trust.

If my friend Giacomo goes to a spot a lot, I am much more likely to try it.

If I am a brick and mortar establishment I want every person who walks into my door to foursquare or facebook place that they are in my spot. (And I would give them every incentive to do so).

I can fool you by liking your facebook page. I can fool you becoming your friend. I can fool you by following you on twitter.

I can't fool you by checking into your shop, by visiting your restaurant, by going to your event.

Now I am real advocate for what you do and not just a meaningless number.

I have done something.

I have shared it.

I am involved.

Always remember you can't fake real.