Tools

If you’ve recently seen people out wandering the streets with their faces in their phones, then you may have heard of the latest digital craze sweeping the nation: Pokémon Go. Developed by Niantic, Pokémon Go is the newest member of the Pokémon franchise.

Working in conjunction with a phone’s camera and Google Maps, the mobile app uses augmented reality to transform the player’s world into a real-life Pokémon universe. Since its release, Pokémon Go has been the most downloaded app in U.S. history. With over 60% of its players using the app daily, it has surpassed social media giant Twitter in user engagement.

Needless to say, businesses and organizations are jumping on the opportunity to ride the mobile app into marketing heaven. So how can your small business get in on the action? Check out these tips on how to utilize Pokémon Go so your business can catch ‘em all!

Use Pokélocations.
If your small business has a physical location, then it’s likely there is a PokéStop or PokéGym nearby in the game—an incredibly useful tool to take advantage of when marketing to Pokémon Go users. Pokélocations are physical buildings or areas such as museums, parks and historical markers that users can go to and fill up on supplies or meet other players.

Find the PokéStop or PokéGym nearest to your location, then share it with your social media followers. This offers an incentive to lure players to the area for more foot traffic, introducing your product/service and possible lead generation. And while still not possible to create your own Pokélocation, Niantic says it’s in the works, so keep watch for new game developments.

Offer social media challenges.
Your small business can take advantage of Pokémon Go by offering prizes to customers who get involved in social media challenges. Post a picture on social media of Pokémon at the location and ask consumers to do the same. Set a specific end time for the challenge, then pick a winner from those who submitted pictures using a hashtag created by your business.

The business will grow its social media presence while marketing its products/services, engaging with customers and increasing potential lead generation.

Drop a lure.
For businesses that want to really drive Pokémon Go traffic, consider dropping a lure on the game. You can bring in cheap foot traffic by purchasing through the game either with PokéCoins or with real-world money. Lures attract Pokémon to the location (the geolocation of your smartphone) for 30 minutes, in turn attracting users to find the Pokémon.

Choose a specific time to market the lure, then spread it across all social media platforms. For example, “Hey Pokémon Go players! We’ve got Pokémon all over the place! We’ll be dropping a lure tonight at 7:00 at our Pokéstop. Stop in & catch ‘em all!”

Talk about Pokémon Go.
If your business doesn’t have a physical location to drive traffic to, it can still be involved! The most important rule of marketing is stay current, and Pokémon Go is current. So take advantage and talk about it. Encourage players to share their pictures with your business on social media, coax users to come to events with Poké-incentives and get involved with the action.

Talk about Pokémon Go on social networking platforms like Facebook or Twitter, but try taking advantage of other outlets as well, such as Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest.

Pokémon Go offers a new and exciting opportunity for your small business to capitalize on. With an incredibly diverse user base, marketing options are limitless. Leverage Pokémon Go for your business and you can be the very best, like no one ever was. Gotta catch ‘em all!