Location Based Marketing

Location-based marketing delivers content to a consumer's mobile device depending on their location, which allows businesses to deliver a targeted message that is unique to a user's current location.

Location-Based Applications
Foursquare: This application is primarily used for letting your friends and family know where you are or vice versa, along with collecting points, badges and coupons for being a frequent customer at your everyday locations. Foursquare acquired approximately 275,000 users in 2010 alone.

Gowalla: This application is very similar to Foursquare: you are able to check in and let your friends know where you are or vice versa. With Gowalla you can earn pins for accomplishing different tasks, and there are items you can drop and pick up for discounts.

Yelp: Similar to Gowalla and Foursquare, Yelp now provides an application that allows you to check in and notify your friends of your location. You can also share your location on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms through the Yelp application.

Facebook Places: As a new application from Facebook, you are able to check in, connect with friends nearby, and also have access to local deals. Your check-ins will appear in your friends' news feeds and on your own wall.

Location-Based Coupons

Adrizon: A website where businesses promote daily deals and special coupons based on your location. The website also includes customer reviews so that you can research the company before your purchase a deal. The website also offers a reserve purchase allowing you to pay the remainder when you arrive to redeem the deal.

Groupon: A website where daily offers are given through email based on your location. This lets consumers get the deals that are relevant to them, and businesses are able to focus on targeted consumers who are more inclined to purchase. You can share these deals with your friends and family on other social media platforms as well.

Living Social: Another online coupon site, similar to Groupon, where daily offers are provided through email based on your location. You can share these deals through Facebook or Twitter as well.

Why? Location-based marketing enables users to share, interact and recommend places to others based on their geographical location, which can increase your number of probable customers and exposure as well as create more foot traffic to your business location(s).

How? First, put your business on the map! This will ensure that your business is not missing any potential customers who are utilizing these location-based services. Secondly, offer coupons and special deals to users who have checked in or are nearby, offer incentives for a consumer to return to your business, or even provide detailed product information when someone is standing in front of a particular product in your store.