• Before You Start: You use social media for your business. Your business needs local customers.
• Learning level: 4 | Creating Solutions
• Article Last Updated: Sunday, December 4, 2011

Finding New Local Customers on Social Media

The internet allows businesses to connect with potential customers around the world. It bursts the boundaries of neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries. But what if your business relies on local customers? Can the same internet help you find the people who live and work in your business neighborhood?

The answer is YES! And many of the tools that let you focus on people near your location are social media tools. Here’s the run down of things you can do to make your business more visible online to your neighbors.

• Get listed on map services. Does your business show up on the mapping services (Google Maps, Mapquest, and Yahoo! Maps)? You can add your own business. And if your business does appear, does your listing have all of the information that makes it easy for people to become a customer? You can customize your listing!
• Add your business to the check-in services. Are customers already checking in at your business on Foursquare, Gowalla,  or Facebook Places? Did you know that you can add your business, update your listing, and even offer promotions to customers when they check in with their mobile phone.
• Use Twitter to find local people. Did you know that Twitter and many of the Twitter tools allow you to locate people who tweet in a specific location? Spend a little time each week looking for people who tweet near your business and add them to your Twitter community.
• Add location to your tweets. Twitter allows you to add a location to your tweets, so why not add your city, neighborhood, or even cross streets to your tweets?
• Advertise a public business events online. Is your business holding an event that is open to the public? Why not create a Facebook event to spread the word? You can also advertise it as a tweetup on Twitter. Don’t forget about the local event listing sites like Meetup to help spread the word online.
• Fill out your business profile on local review sites. Many people check the local review sites like Yelp and Citysearch when they need services. Make sure your business is listed and your profile gives potential customers enough information to find you.
• Add geography information to your blog posts. If your business has a blog, do you talk about your location and neighborhood? Talking about your location is a great way to increase your search engine results ranking for people looking in your community.
• Encourage your customers to make referrals. The most effective marketing for your business is a word of mouth recommendation from one friend to another. Why not use your social networks to offer an incentive for existing customers to refer their friends?

Before you pay for local customer services, make sure that you are doing everything you can for free to promote your business online.

Related Articles:

• Social Networking Check-In Services
• Local Review Sites
• Think Global, Tweet Local
• Getting On Google Maps
• Naked Pizza: The Power of Twitter
• What Do You Expect From Social Media?

• 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.

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• Social Networking Check-In Services
• MyTown And Your Business
• Use Facebook As Your Page

• Before You Start: You have a business that relies on walk-in business.
• Learning Level: 2 | Getting Started
• Article Last Updated: Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Note: On April 18, 2011, Pelago announced that they would discontinue the Whrrl check-in service on April 29, 2011. They were purchased by Groupon. This article remains on the site for historical purpose.

Whrrl Basics

Whrrl is one of the geolocation services that combines social networking and location-based services. Launched in October 2007 by Pelago, Inc., it was revamped and re-released in spring 2010.  What makes Whrrl different from the other check-in services is its emphasis on storytelling. Whrrl is designed to record different people’s experience of the same location or event through uploaded photos and notes.

As users check-in, they join or become eligible for membership in societies. Societies form around business locations, and private societies can be defined and created by users. This builds a sense of community around a business, event, or a shared interest or activity.

Whrrl allows iPhone and Android phone users to check-in when they arrive at your business. It also can be used through text messages (SMS).

Whrrl has a unique place in the check-in services realm. They recently partnered with St. Edward’s University (Austin, TX) for the 2010 graduation. Whrrl provided a way for graduates to record and share their commencement experiences with the group. Imagine the power of this feature for promoting an event at your business.

Your Business Details And Activity

You don’t need a Whrrl account to access information about check-ins at your business. On the home page, do a search on your business name. In the search results page, add your city and state (near box) to narrow down the results. Skim through the search results to find your business. Click on your business name to display a page about your business. The page includes a list of the people who have checked in at your business, along with visit statistics. You can also click to see information about the society forming around your business.

The most valuable information here are the check-ins 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 Whrrl customers when they arrive.

If your business details are not correct, you can email Whrrl (feedback@whrrl.com) with the updated details. Whrrl also lets you add specials for your visitors through the Whrrl Merchant Program.

The search shows only businesses with check-ins. If no one has checked in at your business yet, you may find your business details through the directory of places listed in the footer. The larger metro areas are listed, but you can also see a list of more places that is broken out by state and then by city.

Your turn: Have you been monitoring customer check-ins at your business through Whrrl? Have you created a special for your customers? Share your experience.

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• Before You Start: You have a business that relies on walk-in business.
• Learning Level: 2 | Getting Started
• Article Last Updated: Sunday, December 4, 2011

Note: Facebook purchased Gowalla on December 1, 2011. As more information becomes available, I’ll update this article.

Gowalla Basics

Gowalla is one of the up-and-coming services that combines social networking and location-based services. Launched in spring 2009, it includes businesses in more than 7,500 cities across the United States and around the world. Unlike some of the other similar services, Gowalla uses precise GPS positioning to locate users on the planet. Gowalla allows iPhone and Andorid phone users to check-in when they arrive at your business. By checking in, Gowalla stamps the user’s passport and provides them with rewards in the game. Gowalla’s game also includes a virtual geocaching where users can pick up items and leave items for others. In addition, users can create an itinerary of places for others to try that Gowalla calls trips.

Your Business Details And Activity

You don’t need a Gowalla account to access information about check-ins at your business. On the Spots tab, do a search on your business name (include your city and state). Skim through the search results to find your business. Click on your business name to display a page about your business. The page includes a list of the people who have checked in at your business, as well as the ten people who have checked in the most often. Your business listing also includes your web address and a shortened URL for your business page.

If your business isn’t listed in Gowalla, you need a free account to add it. If you want to check-in at your business and it isn’t listed, you can add it. The new business form is simple and  collects basic location information.

The most valuable information here are the check-ins 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 Gowalla customers when they arrive.

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• Yelp For Business Owners

• Before You Start: You have a business that relies on walk-in business.
• Learning Level: 2 | Getting Started
• Article Last Updated:  Sunday, December 4, 2011

MyTown Basics

MyTown is the newest and now the largest service that combines social networking and location-based services. Less than a year old, MyTown has surged to have over 1,000,000 users, putting it ahead of Foursquare and Gowalla.

MyTown is different from the other location-based services because of it’s game emphasis. While the other services have a game aspect, MyTown was developed as an augmented reality game, a game that attempts to blur the line between reality and the virtual world. MyTown is developed by the same team behind the popular online game, World of Warcraft, and turns your city into a virtual Monopoly game.

MyTown allows iPhone users to check-in when they arrive at your business. Customers can “buy” your business, upgrade the property, and collect rents from other customers based on the Monopoly game metaphor.

Your Business Details And Activity

You need a free MyTown account and an iPhone to access information about the check-ins at your business. Of the location-based services reviewed so far, MyTown offers the least amount of information and support for business owners. The most valuable information here are the check-ins that show you the number of people who have checked in at your business and the names of these users. These are their game names, and usually are not their real life names, making this information less helpful to you than the other similar services.

If your business isn’t listed in MyTown, you need a free account to add it. If you want to check-in at your business and it isn’t listed, you can add it. The new business form is simple and  collects basic location information. When someone adds your business to the game, MyTown links to Citysearch to provide your business address, phone number, link to a map, and access to reviews about your business.

As a business owner, you can participate in promotions to bring more MyTown customers to your business. Contact Booyah, the company behind MyTown, by email: merchants at booyah dot com.

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• Before You Start: You have a business Twitter account. Your business relies on local customers.
• Learning level: 3 | Building Skills
• Article Last Updated:  Sunday, December 4, 2011

Naked Pizza On Twitter

In spring 2009, a small pizza joint in New Orleans has made a splash in the technology news. Naked Pizza (@NakedPizza) identifies itself as an all natural pizza with no preservatives or additives, which makes it a healthier pizza. The moniker “naked’ describes it and catches your attention. But the unusual name is not the reason why everyone started talking about Naked Pizza. What really sets Naked Pizza apart is the way they use Twitter to impact their business.

Naked Pizza was one of the early businesses to figure out how to use Twitter  to grow their business. Naked Pizza focused on finding Twitter users within three miles of their restaurant, and use Twitter to  engage their customers and neighbors. In a scan of their Twitter timeline, you find them joking with customers, and including pictures of customers in the shop. They mention their specials, but it’s a small part of the conversation. Discounts are not their primary message.

In the last year, Naked Pizza began franchising their healthy pizza concept and local business model. Naked Pizza is starting to show up in cities around the US thanks to investors who recognize the business savvy of the founders.

Borrow These Ideas

Naked Pizza does offer an outstanding example of a small local business that figured out a smart use for Twitter. If you run a small business, check out what they did and borrow some of their brilliance for your own Twitter strategy.

One key element of the Naked Pizza success is finding local Twitter users. If finding local Twitter users would help your business, there are several tools that help you find them.

Another really smart strategy is the way they engage their customers in conversation. Look at the photos of customers picking up pizzas,  tweets about the local New Orleans community and rebirth, and the strong sense of personality you get from reading just a single page of tweets. All of this with a slice of (healthy) pizza. What’s not to love?

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• 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.

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

Foursquare Basics

Foursquare is currently one of the most popular service that combines social networking and location-based services. Launched in spring 2009, it includes businesses in more than 100 cities across the United States with more than 300,000 users. Foursquare allows customers to check-in when they arrive at your business. This becomes a game as users compete against each other to have the most check-ins at your business to become the mayor of your business. In addition, Foursquare users earn badges based on their level of involvement and consistency in checking in. Foursquare has mobile applications for the iPhone, android phones, and the BlackBerry, and allows other users to check in using their mobile website.

Here’s a short video that explains how Foursquare works.

Your Business Details And Activity

You don’t need a Foursquare account to access information about your business. Do a search on your business name. Skim through the search results to find your business. 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).

If your business isn’t listed in Fourquare, you need a free account to add it. One of the options for a place search results allows you to add a new business. The form is simple and collects basic location information. When you add your business, you can add your Twitter account, a smart idea for reaching your mobile customers.

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 Foursquare customers when they arrive. You can also see your current mayor.

Foursquare wants to help your business advertise to its users. They will help your business set up a special badge for your business that users earn by meeting a criteria you set (number of visits, etc.) They will also advertise your current mayor promotion to people checking in at your business or at nearby businesses.

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• 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

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• 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.

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