It makes sense for online markets to use Twitter for a variety of reasons, but why should a local small business, a shop or restaurant for example, use Twitter?
Twitter is a very strong platform for location based marketing. Foursquare or Gowalla would be considered "primary" location based marketing platforms, while Twitter is more of a secondary location based marketing program. However, Twitter can be a vital tool and take your LBM campaign to the next level.
Twitter builds on the idea of "permission marketing." Twitter can be used to create a follower list of customers who are passionate about your brand and your business. This Twitter follower list can be used as a "permission asset" of customers who want to see what specials and deals you are offering. Once you build up a significant twitter following (that is a whole different article!) you can market to those customers using Twitter.
What can you do with Twitter to juice up your LBM campaign and make some sales? Here are a few suggestions to consider for building your Twitter base and using that to leverage your LBM campaign.
Tweet about one-time specials and deals available through other location based platforms - send out a tweet to your followers and let them know to come check-in and unlock your special.
Use Twitter to get new followers onto your LBM platform - get followers to sign up for Foursquare or Gowalla and come in to your store for specials, discounts and deals, once they are on the platform - you can offer them more specials in the future.
Offer check-in specials exclusively for your Twitter followers - this is a great way to reward your twitter followers and encourage more of your customers to join twitter - this creates a virtuous cycle where you get more followers on both twitter and your location based service of choice.
Give your customers a small bonus for becoming a follower on Twitter - 10% off or a free beer will do - something simple but meaningful- this creates a win-win situation for both you and your customer because you are both providing each other with something of value.
Advertise in your store - let customers know if they follow you on twitter they can get access to free deals and specials that you will only post on Twitter - this creates a great incentive to get your customers on the platform, once you start offering them specials and deals then you can drive concrete and measureable foot traffic into your venue using location based services like Foursquare.
Use Twitter as part of your arsenal and you can unlock the real strength of your LBM campaign. What are you waiting for? If you already have Twitter followers, this is even easier as you can start to monetize your follower base and use your followers to drive foot traffic and ultimately sales into your business.
Matt Bodnar is a restaurant entrepreneur with a passion for social media. He offers tips and strategies for using location based marketing to grow your business with a free how-to guide you can download right now at: http://www.locationbasedmarketing.biz
(C) Copyright - Matt Bodnar. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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