Social Media DIY Workshop » Mobile

Facebook Places and Your Business

Charlene Kingston — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:30:53 +0000

Facebook, the most popular social networking site in the world, recently added a check-in feature to its mobile phone application. Now, customers can check-in at your business on Facebook using a mobile device. It provides you with valuable information about your customers and offers many advertising opportunities.

Before You Start: You have a business that relies on walk-in business. It helps to have a business Facebook business (official) page, but that isn’t required.
Learning Level: 2 | Getting Started
Article Last Updated: Sunday, December 4, 2011

Facebook Places Basics

Facebook Places is the new location-based service from Facebook that combines social networking and location-based services. Launched in late summer 2010, it brings check-in services to many of its 500 million users. Facebook Places allows customers to check-in when they arrive at your business. They can share their check-in as a status update on Facebook, and can see when Facebook friends check in at your business.

Facebook has mobile applications for the iPhone, and all mobile users can use it with access to their mobile website (touch.facebook.com).

Your Business Details And Activity

Facebook ties check-ins at your business to a place page for your business. A place page is generated by Facebook when others mention your business and is separate from your business (official) page. However, if people check in a your business using Facebook Places, you can claim the place page.

If your business isn’t listed in Facebook Places, you need a Facebook account to add it. While you are physically at your business, start the Facebook Places check in process from your mobile phone. You can only add a new business using your current location. The new business form is simple and collects only the name and a brief description. You cannot edit your business information on Facebook Places.

The most valuable information here are the statistics that show you the number of people who have checked in at your business. Facebook doesn’t share the names of the people who check in unless you are personally friends with them or if they have set their privacy settings to allow anyone to see their check ins.

Like many Facebook features, Places is geared toward the individual Facebook user and not the business owner. Over time, you can expect Facebook to address more business owner questions and benefits and begin to incorporate check-ins with your other business page features.

Your turn: Have you been monitoring customer check-ins at your business through Facebook Places? How does Facebook Places compare to other check-in services? Share your experience.

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Is Foursquare Becoming Mainstream?

Charlene Kingston — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:00:41 +0000

Check-in services are becoming very popular with big brands, especially Foursquare. If your business has a physical location where customers visit you, there are many advantages for incorporating Foursquare into your social media plan. Here’s some ideas for how big brands are using Foursquare.

Before You Start: You use social media for your business. You are considering using a check-in service with your storefront business.
Learning level: 4 | Creating Solutions
Article Last Updated: Sunday, December 4, 2011

Big Brands Using Foursquare

Foursquare, one of the most popular check-in services, has been in the press a lot lately. There are many new business partnerships they have announced, along with enhancements to their product and services.

Here are just a few of the recent tidbits (April 2010):

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger uses Foursquare to let his constituents know about his activities.
Jimmy Choo is doing a promotion in London to promote their newest shoes.
Foursquare now makes it easy for businesses to claim their business on the service and add promotions.
Wall Street Journal has created three badges for financial related check-ins in New York City.
Foursquare offers window clings and stickers for businesses to promote that they are Foursquare friendly.
VH1 is adding tips to Foursquare locations to provide pop culture background about specific locations. Also, Foursquare tips are starting to show up in on-air programming like What Chili Wants.
Zagat has created special foodie badges for 5 American cities.
Bravo! television has created a series of badges and a special partnership with Foursquare.
The History Channel is providing tips for special locations to support its new series, America, The Story of Us.

I have used Foursquare, Whrrl, and Gowalla, and of these three, Foursquare has the best business owner support (so far). I’m not surprised to see them adding more business owner services or getting public attention.

If you are ready to take advantage of the check-in craze, this is the perfect time to start using Foursquare to promote your business. Learn more about the check-in services the mobile internet revolution, proximity marketing, and Foursquare on my site today.

What are you waiting for?

Your turn: Have you tried Foursquare or any of the check-in services? Are your customers checking in at your business? Share your experience.

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Hooray For New Consumer Tools!

Charlene Kingston — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:50:08 +0000

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Photo credit: RedLaser.com

I am a relatively new smart phone owner. A few months back, I ditched my texting phone for an iPhone. I wanted to see for myself what the fuss is about. I wish there was a way to say this without sounding like hyperbole, but that small device has changed my life dramatically.

Jumping Into The Smart Phone Pool

I work from a home office and I seldom visit clients, so I had given mobility devices like laptops and smart phones a low priority in my business budgeting process. I do have clients who like to text, so I’ve had a phone with a QWERTY keyboard for at least 4 years. But I found the whole mobile internet experience from my phone so frustrating that I gave up trying to check emails, etc. Besides, I’m in my office most of the time and can use my desktop setup.

I went smart because I wanted to have the full social media experience. I wanted to use the check-in services, the local review sites, and the other cool sounding apps that we see advertised on television commercials. I felt I needed the experience of being a mobile consumer to really understand the advantages this trend gives the small business people I’m targeting with my site.

Outstanding Mobile Applications

What I didn’t anticipate was how these tools would completely transform my own consumer experiences! Let me share a few examples.

Red Laser. Last weekend, I went shopping with Red Laser for the first time. Want to know if the store really has a good deal on a product? Use this app to scan the bar code, and within seconds, get comparative prices locally and online (based on availability). Turned out, Target has dishwasher soap at a screaming deal, but the iPhone case was more than double the price other places.
Starbucks. I visit Starbucks about 3-4 times a month, so I wasn’t sure the Starbucks app was aimed for me. What I found is that the store locator, complete with filters for store amenities, has made it very easy for me to find a Starbucks when the urge hits, usually when I’m out running errands outside my neighborhood.
Target. My nephew is getting married this summer and they registered at Target. I have used Target’s wedding registry from my desktop, but now I can have the same information in hand (without printing or taking notes) when I’m standing in a Target store.

All of these apps mimic services already available online from company websites. However, the convenience of having them available when I’m out, when I’m busy being a consumer, is a game changer. Without these apps, I had to do more planning before I headed out. Now, I can let the day unfold, change directions and plans, and still get the things done I need to accomplish.

Changing The Customer Experience of Your Brand

The last time I was this excited about a consumer revolution was with cash machines. Yes, ATM machines have changed our lives. Before them, we had to plan ahead to get money from the bank. Now, we can access our money on a whim in almost any corner of town. No more waiting for the bank to open to get what we need.

If your B2C business really wants to jump into the mobile app market, think about how to improve the shopping experience of your customers. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Perhaps you can mobilize a feature you already offer on your website. Walk a mile in the shoes of your customers and figure out how to improve their experience with your brand with a mobile app.

Your customers will love you for it.

Your turn: What mobile applications have made a big impact on your business? Share your experience here.

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Facebook And SXSW Adding QR Codes

Charlene Kingston — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:56:30 +0000

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Look out! QR codes are starting to pop up everywhere!

QR Codes At SXSW

An example QR code that contains the address of my website.

Just last week, attendees of the highly technical South by Southwest Interactive conference found that their ID badges displayed a QR code that linked to their conference attendee page. The idea was to make it easy for people who meet face-to-face to connect digitally. In theory, you could meet someone, take a photo of their QR code, and through the magic of mobile internet technologies, now you are connected to them on the conference management software. It’s a much better way to manage contact information with the new people you meet than collecting business cards or fumbling to type it in on your cell phone.

However, the crowd didn’t embrace the QR codes with much enthusiasm. Like any new technology, there’s a certain amount of setup required. People thought it took too many steps to set up and scan QR codes, so they gave up mid-way through the process. You must have QR code software loaded on your smart phone, and then you can photograph a QR code to get the information. (For more information about how QR codes work with cell phones, see What Are QR Codes? And Why Should I Care?)

I think the QR code was a brilliant idea, but it wasn’t executed well. People needed time before the event to load the required software and practice reading codes before they arrived. In the rush of activity at an event like SXSW, it wasn’t reasonable to expect people to do the setup and experimentation on the fly. I know this from my years of teaching people how to use software. There’s a learning curve, even with the early adopter set who consider SXSW almost a religious experience.

Facebook Trying Out QR Codes

And now, there are rumors that Facebook is introducing a QR code feature that would create a QR code for your Facebook profile or page. TechCrunch received tips that broke this news, along with some screen shots showing the QR code options on a live page. They followed up with the folks at Facebook and were given a very non-committal response.

With Facebook, it seems that you can create two different QR codes, one for your profile or page address, and the other for your status updates. Reading between the lines, I’m guessing that when you create either QR code, Facebook generates the code and you can download the image file. You could then use the image file on your business cards, your restaurant’s menu, your business front door, etc. Your options are only limited by your imagination and your understanding of your business market.

If you don’t understand QR codes or why they are going to be so popular in the near future in the United States, check out these articles:

Brightkite And Your Business

Charlene Kingston — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:00:52 +0000

Brightkite was one of the first location-based services that allows customers to check-in at your business using a mobile device. It provides you with valuable information about your customers and offers many advertising opportunities.

Before You Start: You have a business with walk-in customers. It helps to have a Twitter business account, but that is not required.
Learning Level: 2 | Getting Started
Article Last Updated: Sunday, January 23, 2011

Note: Starting 1 January 2011, Brightkite will no longer be a location-based service. This article remains to explain their check-in service features for historical purpose.

Brightkite Basics

Brightkite was one of the first location-based services to join the social media toolbox. Started in 2005, Brightkite allows customers to check-in when they arrive at your business. It lacks the game aspect common to the newer location-based services, but it allows customers to post photographs and comments about your business. Brightkite has mobile applications for the iPhone, android phones, and the BlackBerry.

Your Business Details And Activity

You must create a free Brightkite account and log in to access information about your business. Locate your business through a place search, or simply check-in at your business on your computer. Click on your business name to display a page about your business. The page includes a link to Google Maps but doesn’t provide access to your Place Page (if your business has one).

The most valuable information here are the statistics that show you the number of people who have checked in at your business and the names of these users. Most people have a photograph avatar, so you can start to identify your Brightkite customers when they arrive.

The Brightkite Wall allows you to create a dynamic page for your location (or an event at your location) designed for you to display on a monitor in your business. The wall includes every Brightkite transation at your business and includes related tweets from Twitter.

Your business listing also includes a QR code for this page and an RSS feed of check-ins and posts about your business.

Brightkite has a business advertising program designed to help you with free local promotions and has partnered with several major brands to drive traffic through its Ultra Targeted marketing business. In fact, Brightkite has a large number of advertising options that might help you build traffic.

Your turn: Have you been monitoring customer check-ins at your business through Brightkite? Have you used any of their advertising or promotion services? Share your experience.

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Social Networking Check-In Services

Charlene Kingston — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:00:15 +0000

The popularity of location-based services, social networking sites that allow customers to check-in at a business, provides a great opportunity for your business. You can use these services to draw in new customers, reward your loyal customers, and connect with these customers on other social networking sites.

Before You Start: You understand how people use cell phones to connect with the internet (mobile web). You have a business that relies on walk-in customers.
Learning Level: 1 | Social Media Basics
Article Last Updated: Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Social Media Location-Based Services

There is a category of social media tools that allow people to use their smart phones and other mobile devices to check-in at different locations as they move around town. This might seem odd to you. You may wonder why people would want to do this. But people are doing this, and people often get quite competitive about who checks in the most often at places. And you can harness this phenomenon to get attention for your business and increase your sales.

Many of these check-in services incorporate a game aspect with social networking to entice your customers to use their services. For example, with Foursquare, people compete to become the mayor of your business, the person with the highest number of check-ins.

Proximity Marketing

People are drawn to these services because of they are a fun way to connect with friends. You can easily tap into the popularity of these services to help draw new customers to your business and encourage your existing customers to return. The challenge for your business is to become one of the desired meeting places for the people using these services.

All of these services allow you to see information about who is checking in at your business, some with a great deal of information about your customers. You can use this information to identify your tech-savvy loyal customers when they arrive at your door. You can also use it to connect with them on other social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook. This allows you to tap into the power of proximity marketing, connecting with customers who are located near your business.

In addition, some of these check-in services help you with local promotions and can help you advertise to potential customers located in your neighborhood. Many businesses use these check-in services to provide discounts and rewards for their loyal customers. The cost of the reward is minimal compared to the positive word of mouth advertising your business gains not only through the specific check-in service, but often across Twitter and Facebook as people share their check-ins across multiple social networking sites.

Photo attribution:http://www.flickr.com/photos/dpstyles/ / CC BY 2.0

Your turn: Are you currently aware of the check-in services in your area? Do you participate in any business promotions with these services? Share you insights and experience.

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Google Maps And QR Codes

Charlene Kingston — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:00:57 +0000

Thanks to Google, more then 100,000 businesses now have a sticker with a QR code (2D bar code) at their door. This code links a person with a smart phone to the business’ Place Page on Google Maps.

Before You Start: You have some experience using Google Maps or a similar online mapping service. You understand QR codes.
Learning Level: 1 | Social Media Basics
Article Last Updated: Tuesday, April 5, 2011 (no longer updated)

Update: On March 30, 2011, Google officially stopped supporting QR codes in Google Places. They have moved to near field communications (NFC) which involves using a chip embedded into an object. This article remains as written for historical purposes.

Google Place Pages

Photo attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpende/ / CC BY 2.0

In 2009, Google launched its Place Page program to give every place on the planet it’s own web page. When you add your business to Google Maps, or claim it, you update your business Place Page. A Place Page for a business includes information about your hours, services, products, and other relevant information for your customers. You can also include photographs and videos to give even more information about your business to potential customers. It also includes a place for customer reviews, so people can see how much your customers love your business.

Google Maps And Favorite Places

Recently, the smart folks at Google Maps sent out a door sticker to 100,000 businesses identified as the most popular on Google Maps. The sticker identifies the business as part of the Favorite Places program. The door sticker include the Google logo and a QR code that hardlinks the business to it’s mobile Place Page on Google Maps.

So it’s too late for your business to make the first 100,000 in the Favorite Place program, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from the Google Place Page program and QR codes. You can add your business (or claim it) on Google Maps and build out your Place Page with all of the details your customers might want to know. Next, use one of the online sources to create a QR code with the address of your Google Place Page and add it to your business front door. While you are at it, why not add it to your business card and other marketing materials.

QR codes are just starting to show up in the United States, but are common in Europe and Japan. Check out this Flickr photo group of real life examples of QR codes in the wild to get a glimpse of the future in the US.

Your turn: Have you seen a QR code on a business? Or did your business get one of the Favorite Places stickers? Share your experience.

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What Are QR Codes & Why Should I Care?

Charlene Kingston — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:00:21 +0000

QR codes are a shorthand way to represent information, commonly used to store special website addresses. Mobile internet users use their smart phones to capture the code, and special software interprets the web address. There are many business uses for this flexible mobile marketing tool.

Before You Start: You are curious about the mobile aspect of social media. You may have seen a QR code on a business door.
Learning Level: 1 | Getting Started
Article Last Updated: Wednesday, August 17, 2011

QR Code Basics

Have you noticed these weird spotty square images showing up on business doors? They are called QR codes (for Quick Response) and you are going to start seeing a lot more of them.

These codes, also known as two dimensional (2D) bar codes, came from Japan where they have been used to quickly scan parts in automobile factories. They are called 2D because they can be scanned either side to side or top to bottom. Normal bar codes can only be scanned side to side.

They quickly became popular when people realized they could be used to create a hardlink, a link from the physical word to the internet. They spread to Europe and are just now starting to appear in the United States.

How QR Codes Work

Smart phones can read these bar codes with specialized software (apps) installed on the phone. You take a picture of the code with your cell phone camera, and the QR code software interprets the website and uses the phone’s network to take you to the internet address hidden in the code. This process is also known as mobile tagging.

How a cell phone processes a QR code.

Business Use of QR Codes

QR codes can be used to hold other types of information, such as your contact information, but the most popular use today is a hardlink to a special website page. For example, you could put a QR code at your business front door, on your business card, in a print ad,a mailer, or on even on a billboard that takes people to a special coupon or promotion page on your website.

You can create your own QR codes from several websites, and you can download the QR reader software for your smart phone from your phone’s software application store.

With the number of mobile internet users on the rise, you can use QR codes to tap into the mobile advertising market. It’s really easy once you understand these few basic concepts.

Your turn: Have you started seeing QR codes on businesses in your town? Can you think of ways that you could incorporate QR codes into your advertising for the mobile internet market?

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The Mobile Revolution Is Coming

Charlene Kingston — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:00:12 +0000

The number of people in the US who use the mobile internet for social networking sites is expected to increase five times between now and 2014. Here’s a look at the mobile internet and what people are doing there to help you prepare your business marketing plans for going mobile.

Before You Start: You are curious about the mobile aspects of social media.
Learning Level: 1 | Social Media Basics
Article Last Updated: Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Mobile Internet

In general terms, the mobile internet uses a hand-held device like a cell phone to access the internet. From your cell phone, you can access the internet using your cell phone provider’s network. Just like your computer, you use a variety of software applications (apps) to reach the internet. You might use a mobile version of the same browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or Opera) to reach the entire internet, or use a specialized app to reach just one website. Some of the most popular mobile apps in the last year include:

Facebook
Wikipedia
Google
TweetDeck (for Twitter)
Yelp

This means that anywhere you have cell phone coverage, you can use the internet from your cell phone.

Growth Of The Mobile Internet

One of the most important trends for 2010 is the growth of the mobile internet. The mobile internet has been around since 200o and has grown rapidly since then. There are several factors that work together to make this the year for mobile, including:

Smarter phones that make it easy to access the internet from your cell phone.
Faster networks that allow large amounts of data to travel to phones.
A wide range of mobile applications that make it easy to get the exact spoonful of data you want.
The rise in popularity of social networking sites.

How Many People Use Mobile Social Media?

The popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Foursquare are feeding the growth of the mobile internet. People want to stay connected to their friends and community, even when they are away from their main computer. Thanks to the mobile internet, they can stay connected.

Recent research indicates that the rate of growth in mobile internet use and specifically for accessing social networking sites make the mobile internet and social networking sites important for small business.

Predictions say:

By 2013, 56.2 million people in the US will be using their cell phones to access social networking sites or 45% of all mobile internet users.
By 2014, the number of mobile social networking users around the world will grow from 141.4 million today to 760.1 million. That’s a five-fold increase.

This means that your customers are moving to the mobile internet and social networking sites quickly. It’s an important trend that you need to start thinking about for your business.

Your turn: Do you use the mobile internet? Have you started to tap into the marketing power of the mobile internet? Have you considered building a mobile app for your business to tap into this market? Share you insights here.

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Getting On Google Maps

Charlene Kingston — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:00:41 +0000

Many people use Google Maps to find businesses and get directions online. It’s a great place to list your storefront business. If your business is not on Google Maps, you can add it quickly and easily. If your business already appears on Google Maps, you can take charge of the listing and update it to include additional information for your customers. You can put your business on the map with Google Maps.

Before You Start: You have a storefront business.
Learning Level: 2 | Getting Started
Article Last Updated: Monday, August 22, 2011

Google Maps Business Listings

Online maps have been a popular feature for many years, with MapQuest in the lead position. However, in 2009, Google Maps beat Mapquest as the most popular online mapping service. Google Maps offers many services, including:

View a map, street view (video), or satellite image of a destination.
Search for places and businesses on the map.
Save locations you visit frequently.
View a list of businesses located near a destination.
Mobile access to mapping information.

Google Maps business listings include a wide range of information. Some of these may not be appropriate for your business. Take a few minutes to line up these resources before you start adding your business to Google Maps.

Daily hours listing.
Payment options.
Up to 10 business photos.
Up to 5 videos listed on YouTube.
Additional information, such as parking, services, and email address.

You can add this information when you create your business listing, or you can add them later.

Add Your Business To Google Maps

Is your business on Google Maps? Do a quick search. If your business is not already listed, here’s how to add it.

Go to Google Places (Local Business Center).
Click List Your Business.
Select your country, type your business phone number, and click Find Business Information. Google searches for business based on your phone number.
Fill out the business information form.
Click Submit.
Google asks for your preferred validation method. You must verify your business listing either by phone or mail. Select your validation method.
Click Finish.

Claiming Your Business Listing

If your business already appears on Google Maps but you did not add it, Google gives you the option to claim the listing. This allows you to edit and enhance your business listing. You can update your listing with hours, payment information, photos, videos, and any additional information appropriate for your business.

Locate your business on Google Maps and click More Info (in the pop-up or the description).
Google displays a full page business description.
In the blue bar at the top, click Business Owner?
Google takes you to the Google Places page for claiming your business listing.
Choose Edit My Business Inforamtion and click Continue.
Google displays the business information form with the existing data. You can edit or add to this information.
Click Submit.
Google asks for your preferred validation method. You must validate your business listing either by phone or mail. Select your validation method.
Click Finish.

After the validation, you can update your Google Map listing at any time.

Your turn: Is your business listed on Google Maps? Did you list it yourself, or did you claim the existing listing? Share what you have learned here.

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