Your Customers Are Looking For You Online...
Can They Find YOU?

Michael Bennitt
Editor
October 2015
Volume 5, Issue 10
 Download .pdf version
Where Are All of Your Customers? 
 
You might be startled the first time you're out and about running errands, and your phone notifies you of a special promotion going on right now in a store you're about to enter. How did someone know you were right there?

Location data settings on people's phones - embedded in their GPS-enabled apps and gathered from online transactions - might seem obtrusive to the most private among us. But some consumers are not just okay with sharing that information wherever they go; they actually want to share that data because they know that many businesses will use the information to make special offers when they're nearby.

As a business owner, you can leverage location-based marketing tactics to get more feet through the door of your shop with a custom-designed app. Here are some tips that will help you get more sales while also building a stronger connection with your customers.

Personalize Your App

Learn what you can about your app users so that you can provide the sort of content and special promotions they're most likely to appreciate. Consider adding features to your app that allow you to address your users by name. You might even want to make it possible for them to build and curate a shopping list as well.
 
Reward Their Loyalty

Look for ways you can incentivize your customers to use your app. Maybe they'd appreciate a special discount only for app users. You might also get good results by gamifying their experience of doing business with you. If your incentives are timed well and delivered to users who are nearby, you could easily nudge them to make a buying decision they had not planned for that day.

Go with a Mobile Wallet

One challenge that stands between you and the next sale you make is the pain of payment. You may have noticed that convenience stores, gas stations, and other retail shops now offer mobile wallet options. With a mobile wallet, a customer can save coupons as well as being able to pay more quickly and easily than traditional payment methods.

Don't Be Creepy

The options and opportunities that come with using location-based data and apps are constantly expanding. As with any tactic that hinges on using what you know about your customers to entice them to come spend more money with you, you're going to have to walk a fine line. You don't want to add any function to your app that would annoy or unnerve your users - but you also want to be sure you leverage this technology to get more customers coming in more often, buying more on each visit, and interacting with your business in a way that brings new customers your way.

If you haven't yet deployed an app for your business - or if you're not even sure how it would work for you, be sure to ask us for details. The technology is here! If you can use it for good, it can do wonders for your bottom line.


I'm Social Now
IM Social Now
About Us

We work with business owners (like you) to grow and increase their profits by doing their online marketing for them.

Our specialty is making sure future customers can find you online and choose you over your competitors, even if they don't know your name - with Social Media, Search Engines and Mobile devices

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Quick Links
 What About This Periscope? 
If you cross Twitter with YouTube, you'll get Periscope, a user-friendly live streaming app available for iPhone and Android. The name of the game is to build a more powerful connection with your customers and prospects. Here are just a few ways companies are using it:
  1. Live product demos
  2. Breaking news and trends
  3. Behind the scenes glimpses of your business
  4. Answer frequently asked questions
  5. Build your email list by giving away a free report or discount.
Always be sure to end each broadcast with a strong, simple call to action.

Network Like A Natural      

Some folks make networking look so easy - it's like you could plop them down in any situation and they'd leave with a handful of friends (and orders!). If that's not you, you could probably use some tips to help you do what doesn't come naturally to you - as if it did. Here are a handful of tips even the most introverted among us can use to turn networking into a highly effective marketing tactic. 

Forget About Safety in Numbers

Even though it's tempting to bring reinforcements along for the event, it might not be a good idea. After all, the whole point of bringing a friendly face is to ensure you've got a comfort zone. However, you're more likely to stick together than to branch out and meet new people that way, which defeats the purpose.

Become the Host

Feel nervous about that first idea already? If you approach the event with the goal of helping other attendees connect, you'll feel better. Rather than aiming to make sales, aim to find customers for the other people attending the event. Genius!

   

Sell the Meeting, If Anything
 
You're really not aiming for a sale when you attend a networking event - you're there to build awareness of your business and of yourself being a helpful member of your business community. That should take the pressure off! If you find yourself talking with a prospective customer who shows real interest, ask to meet together for coffee another time.

 

Use that Meeting to Serve, Not Sell

 

You'll feel more comfortable - and get much better results - at the follow-up meeting if you approach it with the goal of finding out how you can help your new business friend rather than trying to sell your products and services right away. Even though this person may not ever need what you sell, chances are they know lots of people who do.

Great networking starts with simply introducing yourself and making a new friend. If you'll go to the next event in your community with that goal, you'll find your time is well-spent and so enjoyable you'll want to do it again.