WebVisible VP Of Marketing Explains Location Based Services
According to Carla Fitzgerald, VP of Marketing at WebVisible, location based services can pose many challenges as well as many opportunities for businesses. Many people might be asking, “What exactly are location based services?” Basically, a location based service is a term for the new types of online services aimed at bringing information to consumers via their smart phones and other handheld devices. Consumers can use applications such as Facebook Mobile, Foursquare, Twitter and Yelp to find the products and services they need while on the road. Location is everything, as they say in the real estate world, so how do other businesses capitalize on these location based services?
As a business, the challenge is making sure that your company information is available when people use mobile devices to look for the product(s) and/or services your company offers. This is an opportunity your business can take advantage of in your marketing efforts. If you aren’t appearing in these location-specific marketing channels, people aren’t going to find you when they need you. The biggest challenge is the fact that many of these services do not offer traditional advertising or an easy way to get listed. Businesses have to earn their spot on the list by communicating with customers and the online community at large.
There are many ways to take advantage of location based services, as Fitzgerald explained to WebVisible clients in a recent newsletter. Businesses can do things like uploading how-to videos to YouTube, posting 14-character “tweets” on Twitter, building a network of fans or friends on Facebook and encouraging customers or associates to post positive reviews on Yelp. These all take a lot of time, and in the business world time is money, but the payoff can be great when new businesses earn new customers and retain loyal customers.
It is possible to build a solid network of loyal customers using location based services with a little help from a good online marketing expert. It’s worth considering for any modern business.