Social Location Marketing (SLM) connects your site and business with consumers based on their LOCATION.

The History

SLM was born in the year 2000.  That was the year that the US government abandoned "Selective Availability" - basically the scrambling of GPS signals - on the grounds of national security.

The Game 

The game is to use smartphones to reach out to your clients when they are at or near your place of business. 

The world is all "checking in" using smartphones, to Google Maps, Groupon, Living Social, Foursquare, Yelp, Gowalla, and lots of others, to gain rewards of many kinds - discounts, on-line "pins", or just kudos from other consumers.

Google bought Dealmap last week (definitely overshadowed by its purchase of Motorola Mobile, I know) to connect its ubiquitous Places pages with local deal offerings. Google will instantly become a powerful competitor to Groupon (hope you didn't buy the stock), Living Social, and all the rest.

The field is too crowded! "Check-in" exhaustion has even been mentioned by Jim Cramer on CNBC! Shakeouts are coming!

What's next? (I always like this part).  Your smartphone will "check-in" for you! After all, it KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE! And you can earn rewards and freebies just by going about your normal day. 

Here's your favorite web marketer on vacation! 13,500 ft. in the air with no smarphones or computers!