Checking in!
Location-based social networks are controversial but will they catch on?
Social networks are not an evanescence market going away anytime soon. In fact, they are adapting, and changing the way we communicate and even do business today. According to research firm ABI Research, location-based social networks could reach revenues as high as $3.3 billion by 2013. Among the latest and greatest are location-based social networks such as: foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, BrightKite, and Loopt. Locations are based on GPS from smartphones that have installed any of these applications. If you want to grab a happy hour drink; you can simply Check-in and see who is hanging out close by for a meet-up.
Mayor of What?-
Applications like foursquare reward users with badges. The more check-ins a user has, the more points earned to discover new things. Eventually, you work your way up to being an Explorer, Superstar, Super User, or Mayor of locations user’s frequent often. It is a great way to discover new places wherever you go and an easy way to get tips on what to eat, where to shop, or credible professionals.
Change of Venue-
While controversial, the question remains will it catch on and will customers, and business’s take advantage of the application? Social media power-users will be all over it like white on rice, play with it, and then decide if it is something they will evangelize. Nay-sayers will either immediately dismiss or jump on the bandwagon when convinced of its cool factor. Not an early adopter myself, an interesting twitter debate with local agency owner Tony Schlangen had me thinking of it from a retailer’s perspective. When local friends first hopped on the train, I was annoyed with all the twitter and facebook updates about their every step. I am a very independent and private person and don’t really want all 600+ of my twitter friends knowing if I am at home on the couch or picking up milk at Wal-mart. However, as a business owner or marketer, I can’t ignore the value and leads location-based social networks can generate.
Street Cred-
Once again mobile has hit the mark with services that can improve the way retailers; restaurants; professional services, etc. do business. Not only is it improving business but how they are interacting with customers. I spent some time consulting with a restaurant marketing director just today and showed them how to use foursquare on my blackberry. The idea is that customer’s can communicate about the food and the service in real-time. Rewarding frequent customers and utilizing them as your brand evangelist is crucial in competing in today’s marketplace. Applications like foursquare are simply additional tools in communicating and rewarding loyal customers.
Too Legit to Quit-
Privacy issues are obviously a concern to many people who question location-based social networks legitimacy. So with all mobile applications in the space, safety is something you have to be smart about. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:
- Don’t give out your home location- tweeting where you live and then telling people you are not at home is not the smartest move and basically an invite to all felons in your zip code.
- Don’t be too predictable- the same old schedule every single day is pretty much inviting social stalkers. Switch it up and maybe skip some check-ins to throw them off the beaten path.
- Don’t friend every Tom, Dick, and Harry-know your friends or at least whether or not they have a criminal record.
- Don’t be annoying-last but not least keep it friendly…what that means is don’t piss off your friends with step by step check-ins that provide no value to anyone but your own ego.
Some smarty pants who always want to ruin it for everyone think they have figured out fake check-ins to earn points or rewards for promotions, ego, or for whatever reason. Most applications have picked-up on this and have tweaked services to only generate points based on the actual GPS location. So even if a user adds a venue, or checks-in remotely, no stinking badges for you. Only legitimate locations will allow you to become Mayor or World Dominator of everything mobile in the global, digital space we all live in.
Going down the rabbit hole-
Whether you participate in location-based social networking or decide to pass it up, the pros and the cons are for you to measure. The great thing about social networking is you get to decide. For me as a social media power user and customer, I am game. Just remember to protect yourself and your brand and the land of opportunity could help you discover a whole new world. It’s up to you whether you jump or not.
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