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Location-Based Services & B2C Communications

By: Ashlyn Brewer | 03/01/2011

This morning I attended a session from the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA) featuring members of Armstrong Teasdale's social media practice group.  Jeff, Craig and Melissa's session "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Protecting Brands with a Social Media Policy," quickly differentiated itself from most social media sessions I've been to.

In fact, I'm not sure I've ever heard terms like "trade secrets" or "non-compete" mentioned on social media panels, and I appreciated the fresh perspective.

In particular, I was really impressed with Melissa's analysis of location-based services like Facebook Places, Yelp, Foursquare and Gowalla.  However, despite the important (and somewhat frightening) implications she mentioned, I have to say:  I think location-based services are still vital for customer-facing businesses.

If you sell a product or service directly to a consumer, you know that word-of-mouth is everything.  Location-based services have massive word-of-mouth potential.  Because consumers use these apps to find nearby restaurants, coffee shops, gas stations, etc., properly harnessing the power of these services can mean the difference between cultivating a priceless new customer and losing someone for good.

Since I'm new to St. Louis, I can't count the number of times I've been in a strange area and relied on Yelp or Foursquare to help me find a coffee shop or restaurant. My final choice usually comes down to two things: proximity and reviews from other users.

The presenters from Armstrong Teasdale are spot-on to point out that location-based applications have some frightening undertones as our culture grapples with privacy and safety concerns.  However, for a small business owner, understanding and using these services can be an efficient and effective new aspect of your marketing strategy.

Posted in Digital Communications