eBook - Silverpop

How Location-Based Services
and Email Can Play Well Together
My business is listed on
Q: Foursquare. Is there any
way I can leverage those checkins
and recommendations in my
email program?
In today’s mobile, multi-channel world,
A: it’s more important than ever to be
where your customers are. Most often today
that means on smartphones and tablets, where
more and more people are checking in at retail
locations or business events.
Foursquare, for example, is reportedly adding a
million customers a month. A recent Digital Omnivores
report indicated that in the last month nearly
half of tablet users used location-sharing sites.
Location-based check-ins offer marketers an
opportunity to deliver astonishingly relevant
messages that engage customers and prospects
based on where they are, build loyalty
and drive revenue.
They also present exciting opportunities to
integrate with other channels such as email
and Twitter.
What Are Check-ins?
Check-ins are location-based sharing via
mobile device, performed most frequently via
services like Foursquare, Facebook Places and
Google+ Latitude.
Once users “check in,” their location is broadcast
to friends in their network (if they choose),
and the user can view tips, offers and other
information about nearby places.
For users, check-ins provide a new social outlet
as well as a chance to gather valuable information
about the location and, in some cases,
special offers. For marketers, they offer a valuable
opportunity to reach customers in the real world,
gather data and increase brand awareness.
For example, let’s say one user checks in to a downtown
fast-food restaurant for lunch four times a
week, and another checks in to an upscale bistro on
the weekend. These check-ins tell you volumes about
their lifestyle and what services or goods they might
want. This in turn helps you to tailor your marketing.
Check-ins also have a distinct social aspect, with people
sharing tips and leaving reviews for their friends
to read. For you as a marketer, adopting locationbased
marketing has an added benefit: Your customers
actually do some of your marketing for you.
This adds a human voice and “social proof” that even
your best promotional copy will have trouble matching.
For digital marketers, there are many different ways
to work check-ins into your messaging mix, but here
are four that clients have found particularly effective:
1. Sweepstakes
What They Are: Prizes based on when or how often
someone checks in to a location with Foursquare or
Facebook.
How They Work: Participants opt in to the sweepstakes
using their Foursquare or Facebook accounts,
and then your marketing platform confirms their
sign-up with an automated email confirmation.
Participants then check in via Foursquare and/or
Facebook, and you monitor the results and select a
winner based on the check-in criteria you’ve established.
Benefits: Creates excitement around your brand,
increases store and venue/event traffic, provides new
opportunities to grow your email list.
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