Make Money with Location Platforms

Click here http://bit.ly/igny5X for full article.Written by Katya Small

There are multiple programs that customers can use to check in at locations. The three best known and popular applications are Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places. (Although Facebook Places has the same concept as the others, it is part of Facebook as a whole.) They all incorporate a system of checking in and posting locations for others to see. The prospect of showing others where you are is an ingenious development in the social media world.

Think about this: John Smith enters Pop's Café, orders a small coffee and sits down. He pulls out his smartphone and "checks in" through one of the many applications. About three minutes later his friend, Mike, texts and asks if he wants to study for the big test. Mike shows up and checks in, as well. From there, three of John's friends show up at the coffee shop after seeing on their own accounts that John is there with Mike. They all order some sort of menu items and spend time at the café.

It is a subtle but extremely efficient way to bring clientele to a location. This sort of scenario happens at businesses all over, with people checking in, notifying friends and starting a chain reaction.

If the friends have not been to the store, restaurant, office, etc., before, it gives them the idea to try out new places. Think about it: if you see your friends checking into a place multiple times, you are going to think it is a good place and you should try it out. You are going to believe their word-of-mouth over some billboard, TV or radio commercial or magazine or story.

This influential marketing employs a medium that is extremely easy to use, and is dramatically less expensive than traditional advertising, marketing or public relations.

Other applications are popping up all the time, but one that has a different twist on check-in concept is SCVNGR.

SCVNGR has taken the check-in and turned it into a game. Instead of just checking in at a location, you complete a challenge that the business or person has set up for you. Once you complete it, you post the completion and earn points towards real rewards such as discounts or freebies.

Facebook and Foursquare have systems so any business can offer specials where a check-in on a certain day or time equals a discount or a free product, as well.

Foursquare has a specific system that maintains the number of check-ins and awards a "mayorship" to the person with the highest check-ins at a location. These mayorships can be set up to be accompanied with special incentives from the business, from free upgrades to special discounts.

Other campaigns can be created surrounding your own particular business, and even be used to generate the kind of additional publicity that PR firms charge thousands of dollars for. (To find out more, contact NewMediaPlus.)

As a location administrator, you might be asking yourself, "If I'm giving away free products to the mayor and other people, what's stopping people from checking in from their couch and just becoming the mayor?"

These applications all utilize smartphones' GPS functions to assess if a customer is really in the area or if they are checking in from across town.

These all take little effort and are free. Put your business on the map and let people check in!