LocalSocial is all about the bridge between mobile and proximity marketing. Targeting business owners, retailers, merchants and venue owners, they’re trying to make it easy to create offers and loyalty points rewards that can only be unlocked on the premises.
The goal of course is to drive footfall, repeat visits, and provides deep insight and social context for new and existing existing visitors. It turns anonymous walk-ins in to real people, enabling merchants to better engage with your customers in a way that’s convenient and fun for them.
What they’re doing is not new, but it is relevant and it is tapping into a massive market, one which a ton of players are banking on the fact that the power of proximity and location mapped with interests and culture will be a goldmine for brands.
LocalSocial’s proximity framework uses Bluetooth and other technologies to detect physical proximity to other people and devices to enrich user experiences using multi-player games and marketing apps, presumably useful ones that will provide value to consumers not detract.
Here’s How it Works:
Say you run a pizza takeout restaurant, a hair salon, coffee shop, pub or convenience store, LocalSocial allows you to create custom special marketing offers, ads and deals customers can ‘grab’ on their phones in real-time, so you can better engage with new and existing customers nearby.
The business model is pretty simple and makes sense. There’s obviously inherent value in customer data, particularly data on a customer when they’re close to your shop. Data this ‘targeted’ and ‘relevant’ can increase your customer base and turn existing ones into extremely loyal and “sticky” fans.
Essentially, businesses pay a monthly fee to participate in the network and a little extra for premium analytics.
Brands and Advertisers are already paying for this kind of data and analytics yet may not have the most accurate “proximity” and “behavior” figures. LocalSocial has a compelling “GridView” so you can see deals arranged by shop. What’s most useful here however is that “proximity” is flagged, so that as a user, you know which shops are “right here, right now” and have offers of interest and value to you precisely at the time you’re nearby.
If you’re a retailer or small business, the service seems like a no brainer to check out, particularly if you have locations in various regions. are simply trying to drive more traffic to one of them or your only one.
If you’re a Foursquare user or a “social media app” addict, it seems like you could just get hooked. After all, deals just might be more interesting and lucrative than what is being offered in the “fluff” pipeline today. If you’re not an early adopter but just thrive on a good deal, it’s also an interesting concept.
Remember that the company is still small and hasn’t yet expanded to global cities, so give them time to expand their network before you get frustrated that they’re not yet available in your country or city yet. The idea however holds a great deal of promise so keep an eye out for their updates and ‘new market announcements.’ LocalSocial is a very promising start-up with a mobile solution that offers something of value to both customers and small business.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
