| Kurt,
Once again, you have hit the nail on the head. When you said, "It's the people who've never heard of you that you're really trying to reach via Google." If your target market does not know who you are and you are not SEO'ed quite well with some keywords about what you do, you're really quite invisible on the Internet. This is where Social Location Gaming enters into the picture. This is the third-party referral going to bat for you courtesy of technology.
Social Location Gaming uses crowd psychology from people who DO KNOW YOU. It is these folks who can go to bat for your business. All a person has to do is "check in" with Foursquare and immediately everyone in that person's circle of influence knows who you are and where you are located. How amazing! Foursquare connects locations and rewards people simply for "showing up." While one might not think this has any worthwhile business applications, it really does.
Social Media is an amazing mix of technology and humanity. It is profoundly changing the world as we know it. But, what exactly does that mean? It means the way the whole world works is changing. The Rocky Mountain News went out of business last year. It's public simply was not purchasing enough ads to keep the publication solvent. Meanwhile, the New York Times let the world know its newspaper had to borrow money from a wealthy Mexican just to stay in business.
Why is this happening? It's happening because we have given ourselves so many more options for promotion that the effectiveness of the traditional media is no longer the powerhouse it once was. The days of the traditional media monopolizing the public consciousness are over. Today, even a child can create a video and self-promote himself online. I see it on Youtube all the time. I don't think it is any coincidence many of our traditional marketing resources are incorporating Social Media into their mix to stay afloat. Just try and find a major newspaper, radio or TV station that is NOT on Twitter.
Social Location Gaming is simply an evolution of movement into the Social Media Space. Rather than simply watching this parade take place from the sidelines, why not join it? That's what the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra decided to do. And why did they do it? Simply to play a game? Absolutely not. They did it to increase their revenue. They have the same bottom line as your scooter business. If the orchestra cannot fund its own survival, there is no orchestra. Many other nonprofits organizations are looking to services like Foursquare, Booyah and Gowalla for help. But, you don't need to be a nonprofit to play in this venue. Commercial businesses are taking advantage of it, too.
Various Ryze moderators have suggested that their members share their Twitter address. Well, I suggest you go them one better. Simply visit Foursquare and follow me. Go to Foursquare and look me up. Then, click on all the folks in thumbnail pics who are following me. You will find some well-known Ryzers there - like Paul Stephen Finkelstein, Walter Bebirian and Angie Baker. Through Foursquare, you can also connect with these folks on Twitter and Facebook. So, membership in Foursquare gives you a possible connection with folks in three different venues. But, keep foremost in your mind here, the real magic behind Foursquare - and Social Location Gaming in general - is not online. It's offline. It's about drawing traffic to local businesses. Believe it or not, this may indeed be one of the "magic bullets" for increasing the local tax base so desperately needed by bedroom communities around the world.
Go for it!
Lamar Morgan
Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901 (new win) |
