Location-based Marketing for Professional Services Firms

LOCATION-BASED MARKETINGfor

Professional Services Firms

Jessica Levin Leigh George, PhD

Agenda

• Overview

• Check-in services

• Group buying

• QR codes

• Applications for professional services

• Case studies

• Questions

OVERVIEW

What is location-based marketing (LBM)?

Using mobile devices to deliver a targeted marketing message to users in a specific geographic location.

OVERVIEW

What is gamification?

Applying game mechanics to non-game activities

Points

Badges

Levels

Leaderboards

Challenges

Think airline frequent flier programs and hotel loyalty programs

OVERVIEW

CHECK-IN SERVICES

Check-in services

Over 10 million users! 1.6 million users. Most users are 13 to 38 years old.

CHECK-IN SERVICES

Check-in services

Over 10 million users!

Over 700 million users worldwide!

CHECK-IN SERVICES

Check-in services

Who is using them?

• Only 4% of Americans use location-based services• 7% of adults who go online with their mobile phone use a

location-based service.• 8% of online adults ages 18-29 use location-based

services, significantly more than online adults in any other age group.

• 10% of online Hispanics use these services – significantly more than online whites (3%) or online blacks (5%).

• 6% of online men use a location-based service such as Foursquare or Gowalla, compared with 3% of online women.

Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life project, November 2010

CHECK-IN SERVICES

Individual Arrives

Checkin

Alerted of

Specials

Socialize Checkins

Add Tips or Create “To-Dos”

Earn “Social Capital”

Check-in services

How do they work?

CHECK-IN SERVICES

Check-in services

CHECK-IN SERVICES

GROUP BUYING

Group buying

Negotiate Discounts

Deals Advertised

Local Customers Buy

Receive Voucher

Share Deal

Business Receives Proceeds

GROUP BUYING

QR CODES

QR codes

Bridge offline and online with quick mobile consumption

• Provide more information

• Drive to online content: website, social network, video, etc.

• Enable direct calls, emails

• Download an MP3

• Access to coupons or free giveaways

QR CODES

Is it audience appropriate?

QR CODES

Is it audience appropriate?

QR CODES

QR codes

MicrosoftTag

QR CODES

The importance of marketing

Crucial to educate your audience

• Describe the technology and how it works

• Explain what apps they need and how to download

• Promote the timing and details of a campaign

• Prize should be significant enough to drive participation

QR CODES

APPLICATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

How LMB can be valuable for B2B

• Events

• SEO

• Data mining

• Augmented reality


Events

• Foursquare• Create a location to people to check-in• Minimal interaction

• SCVNGR• Challenges• Greater interaction• Organize a trek or just at your booth

• BoothTag• Specifically for events• Scan booth and individuals’ barcodes—

no need for business cards• Multiple ways to earn points: exhibitors,

attendees, sessions, vote on conference awards, donate to a foundation


Events

• Promote it well—education!

• Provide an incentive—great prizes

Keys to success


• Each venue has its own page with a well-optimized, unique title tag

• Keywords are easily added in the form of tags

• The address and location information are prominently displayed and crawlable

• Venue profiles can be linked to Twitter accounts

• URLs can be attached by adding a “Tip”—and it’s a direct, follow link

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Claim your venue


• Use a smartphone to find your place or add it

• From your browser, search for the place, click the "Is this your business?" link. Facebook will now verify your location by telephone

• Should do the same with Google places

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Claim your venue


SEO

Breaking news!Business pages now self-service

Includes:• Page title

• Page description

• URLs

• Links to your other social networks

• Tips


Could inform decisions about:

• Advertising and sponsorships

• Incentives or rewards

• Events to attend, where to present

• New business development, etc.

Data Mining

Let’s you know where people go and what they do, their interests


Real-life applicability

• Enhancing the tradeshow experience

• Helpful for travel and client events

• Assist in inventory checks

• Help on the golf course

Augmented Reality

Creates a virtual world on top of an existing one


• Restaurant Reviews appear virtually using the camera on your smartphone.

• Use it to find dining options when traveling for business.

• Great for other service related businesses too

Yelp


This incredible app can point out bunkers, tell you how far it is to the dog leg, and even remember which clubs you like to use for certain distances.

Golfscape GPS Rangefinder


CASE STUDIES

LevelUp Your Startup

CASE STUDIES


For entrepreneurs with great ideas who could use discounted legal and accounting advice as well as coveted access to premier investors.

Level 1: Foley Hoag attorneys will meet with entrepreneurs to help get their companies incorporated with a startup legal package.

Level 2: A startup accounting package

Level 3: Opportunity to pitch their company to top-notch investors Google Ventures, Highland Capital Partners and Common Angels, Robin Hood Ventures and Dreamit Ventures

SCVNGR is a client

CASE STUDIES


• Only 10 deals available—sold out within an hour

• A share of the proceeds went to a charity

• $2,800 worth of legal services for $250—91% discount

• Goal was not making money but to support the local community of entrepreneurs

SCVNGR is a client

CASE STUDIES


SCVNGR is a client

Takaways

Think creatively about:• Your goals: awareness and community service vs business

development

• Who you are trying to reach: is there an audience in need you could tap into?

• Potential partners

CASE STUDIES

Delivering ads to mobile audiences

Goal: To grow its customer portfolio for small business insurance programs

Audience: Small business owners, many of which are on the go, traveling to and from meetings and accessing the Internet via their laptops, mobile phones, iPads and other devices during the course of the day

Solution: Location-based ads that Integrated with existing outdoor advertising

Worked with a location-based wi-fi ad company that delivers targeted third-party ads in public wi-fi areas

British specialist insurer

CASE STUDIES


Mapped the locations of Hiscox’s outdoor ads to the vendor’s wi-fi advertising inventory. Business people who logged on to public wi-fi in the vicinity of one of Hiscox’s billboards, were shown a correlating digital ad with clear call-to-actions, to encourage them to request a Hiscox insurance quote.

Hiscox ads were also displayed on the wi-fi login pages at the point-of-connection to give Hiscox plain visability prior to users commencing online activity.

Results: Click-through rates five times higher than the company’s average rate for traditional online display ads.


CASE STUDIES


Takaways

Think creatively about:

• Who you are trying to reach

• Their online behavior

• Where and how you could connect with them


CASE STUDIES

Questions? Contact Us:

Leigh George, PhD

Senior Digital Marketing Strategist, R2integrated

[email protected]

410.327.0007 x 1211

linkedin.com/in/leighgeorge

@leighgeorge

Jessica L. Levin, MBA, CMP

President and Chief Connector, Seven Degrees Communications, LLC

[email protected]

908.294.5010

linkedin.com/in/jessicalevin

@JessicaLevin

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/leighgeorge

http://www.linkedin.com/in/leighgeorge

