In a very, very short period of time, the app known as Pokemon GO has already been downloaded more than the dating app Tinder, and it is on its way to eclipsing Twitter in the download world. Pokemon GO is a game that uses Google maps and real landmarks as places where players can go to catch Pokemon characters. Whether you understand the popularity of this app or not, you need to understand how you can use it to your business’ advantage.
Pokemon GO is an app created by a company called Niantic that uses real locations as places where players can go to capture a Pokemon character. It is similar to geocaching where people hunt down little capsules with information in them, except that there are no capsules in Pokemon GO. Basically, the player is chasing phantom images they can only see on their phone. Regardless as to how it works, Pokemon GO is wildly popular.
Have you noticed a strange increase in foot traffic to you business lately that is filled with people staring at their smartphones? If you have, then congratulations! Your business is either a gym where Pokemon trainers can work out their characters, or you are a PokeSpot where trainers can buy various accessories. If that is the case, then you could be sitting on a gold mine. The only way you will know is to download the Pokemon GO app yourself, and see if your business shows up as a gym or a PokeStop.
If you are a PokeStop, then you can pay for in-app lures that last for 30 minutes and highlight your business. The marketing power of being spotlighted by an app that is on its way to being more popular than Twitter is not to be ignored.
You should also set up your business to be Pokemon friendly and welcome Pokemon GO players as they arrive. It is inevitable that some players will not patronize your business, but many will. If you are accommodating to Pokemon GO players, then you will see a benefit to being a PokeStop.
Even if your business is not highlighted by the game (gyms and PokeStops are chosen at random by Niantic), you can still use Pokemon GO to bring in more business. Inevitably, people will find and capture Pokemon characters in front of your business. You can put up signs in your window offering a discount to any Pokemon GO player who successfully captures a character in front of your business. Not only are you catering to a huge and growing audience, but you are creating a positive bond between yourself and the players.
Pokemon GO is rapidly becoming a digital marketing dream, and you need to get in touch with a digital marketing agency immediatley to take advantage of this situation. You could be missing out on a great deal of business every day that you are not welcoming Pokemon GO players, and you could be left out of the loop when Niantic starts to sell the chances to be gyms and PokeStops at some point in the future if you don’t get on board right now.
