Social media is here to stay – the earlier you realize it, the 
better it is for you. Location based social media is a more recent
and interesting aspect of social media. Targeting as well as branding
new places to prospects has been a constant struggle for marketers.
A lot of people are using smart phones to constantly
connect to GPS services; this means that it is now possible
for marketers and mobile providers to obtain vital information
regarding a potential customer’s location.
It has become possible for marketers to tell the exact arrival time of guests,
the way they are interacting and what they are saying. In essence,
there is no limit to the benefits of these applications –
this would also lead to brand loyalty and improved customer experience.
3 Top Location-Based Applications
Foursquare
Using this mobile application, it is easier to navigate cities; also, cities
become more interesting to explore. This location-based application is a friend-finder
and offers games that challenge users to explore something new and get rewards for it.
It is also a social city guide. Using Foursquare, you can ‘check in’ to a place as you are there;
you can also tell your friends their location as at the moment, and you can also track
where your friends have been and the person(s) they’ve been with, using the history feature.
Facebook Places
Although relatively new, Facebook Places has become a powerful location-based
network that enables users to show to their profiles, their present location as well as
where they have been. Using Facebook Places, users can also leave feedback regarding
the location, enabling others to see and subsequently comment on the post.
Facebook is able to reach huge number of users, which gives it a huge plus as result
oriented location-based social network. While Foursquare and Gowalla reach less
than 5 million users respectively, Facebook Places is capable of reaching over 500 million users.
Gowalla
This is another popular location-based service that enables users to stay in touch with friends,
explore the world around them, and also share their favorite places. It is possible for users
to use their Blackberry, iPhone, Palm smartphones as well as Android to connect with friends
as also to connect with their friends on the web.
Explore these applications today and find out what others are saying about your offerings
(your business). You will also be amazed at what people are commenting about on where you go daily.
The end
The TIB Team