Can your business make money using Location-Based Marketing?

• jswitzer's blog

After our July Lunch and Learn, Karl Sakas posted a great recap on his website. As always we'd like to point you to his full article with a short teaser from his full story. 

If you didn't make it, this is a great read, and a great way to keep up with what you missed.

Top 4 Local Marketing Lessons from the TIMA Panelists

1. People browsing online reviews are very close to making a buying decision — and 70% of consumers refer to online reviews — which means local businesses should make the effort to engage customers on sites like Yelp! Events and promos through Yelp give businesses the opportunity to get in front of the region’s most influential consumers, aka the “tastemakers of the Triangle.” (Christina Gates)
2. A group buying service like Twongo sends customers to a local business that’s not running at capacity. Because 30% of consumers are brand-agnostic “shifters,” the goal is to capture people willing to change vendors after experiencing great service during a trial. There’s value in reaching hundreds of thousands or millions of users with one offer a day. (Brad Halferty)
3. Being a “recommendation engine” instead of just a location-based check-in service keeps platforms useful beyond the usual 60-day honeymoon period. TriOut has to take time to educate local business owners about the need to engage customers via technology, so the small business can stay relevant. Ultimately, companies committed to customer service and engagement tend to get good reviews online, and uncaring companies get bad reviews. (Lawrence Ingraham)
4. Mobile-based services on consumers’ phones aren’t yet widespread, but they’re growing fast. If you’re not doing mobile, you’re going to miss out. (Wayne Sutton)

Get the whole recap at KarlSakas.com