Predictions 2012: Location Based Marketing and Facebook by Josh Ellsworth (Part 2)

Here’s part 2 of Predictions 2012 from Josh Ellsworth of Stahls’ CAD-CUT Direct.  If you’re like me, you may have to read this several times in order to familiarize yourself with some of the vocabulary. Online marketing has buzzwords all its own. Like I mentioned yesterday, keep in mind that online marketing is just one side of your marketing coin. But it’s one you can’t ignore too much longer if you want your customers to know that you are doing everything possible to make it easy to do business with you.

Predictions 2012 Part 2 by Josh Ellsworth

Distributing Your Content….

Prediction: Location based marketing and mobile commerce will continue to trend upwards in 2012.

• Google Location Based Adwords allow marketers to draw on potential mobile commerce.  Basically rendering an ad based on a particular users location. New advancements in the ad platform allow advertisers to include a  click to call phone number as part of the ad, citing data that mobile internet searchers sometimes prefer to call instead of visiting the website on their phone.  The ad tool also allows for a user to expand the ad into a Google map with the advertiser’s retail location pin pointed, with the “get directions” option to prompt  your mobile phone to deliver the GPS route to the store.  Apparel decorators and businesses in general can take advantage of this targeting and bring foot traffic or phone calls into the store.

• Likewise, Groupon has steadily emerged as a legit option to bring group buying power into your store.  One of a host of  daily deal websites, this service allows users to select their city (only major cities currently) and receive daily deals in their inbox.  The most powerful part of this program has to be the app for smart phones, allowing users to draw up deals from advertisers close by to their phones GPS location at any given time.  So if you’re located near a shopping plaza, mall or tourist area where consumers may be searching for deals – rendering an offer for a customized t-shirt, embroidered throw blanket, personalized teddy bear etc. can prove beneficial.  If you like this concept you should also research Living Social (backed by Amazon) and Google Offers.

Prediction:  Facebook will grow and so will its ad platform

• Social integration and Hyper Targeted Marketing – If you’re business doesn’t have  a Facebook page yet, you are missing out. If you’re not investing money  in Hyper targeted advertising you’re missing out.  Facebook will drive customization business across the country.  This advertising type is the best friend of anyone with the ability to customize for specific niche markets (think bridal parties, regional interest, car enthusiasts etc).  Smart business folks will invest time into this social media platform by building a company page and recruiting people to “like” the page.  Every “like” is someone that you can engage not only with wall posts but also with targeted advertising that shows up when they are logged in.  You can also build targeted ads based on  criteria each Facebook member has entered in their profile, rendering ads based on a relationship status, anniversary, birthday, age etc.  Think “Bridal Party T-Shirt” ads to the  woman who has just updated her relationship status to “engaged” or “Love Established” items with an anniversary date to those who are approaching their anniversary.  You can do the creative, but understand that there is no other form of social media that generates this type of opportunity on the return of time invested.

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