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4 sites poised for BIG things in 2010
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Social media and social networks are daily features in the news cycle. Despite what one reads, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google Buzz are not the only services marketers, advertisers and business should consider when deciding to take their message online. There exist many more, but the 4 listed below should receive strong consideration in any mobile or internet based campaigns.
1. Gowalla - Gowalla is a location sharing service (my favorite) that as of the end the 2009, featured check-ins by users at more than 150,000 locations in more than 100 countries around the world, and makes importing friends from other social networks very simple. The global reach is the most striking feature of Gowalla. The service isn't limited to specific cities: the idea being that the service improves its venue listings by crowd-sourcing them.
Gowalla takes location sharing a step further by allowing users to check in a like set of venues they call Trips, to encourage you to explore places a little further, thereby increasing the exposure of one’s business if they are featured in a Trip. One that should be especially appealing to Dallas residents is the Dallas Championship Chase, which involves checking in at Dallas’ three professional sports venues.
2. Foursquare - This location sharing service is growing equally as fast as Gowalla is great. Like Gowalla, users check in at local businesses and earn rewards in the form of badges for frequently visiting participating establishments.
Foursquare recently announced that they have reached the 1 million check-ins per week level, and businesses are starting to take notice. Business owners can get value out of Foursquare by offering incentives for users to check in, such as special offers for repeat visitors.
Foursquare is currently available in over 45 cities in the US and has gained ground internationally. Foursquare has plans to expand further and grow its user base over the next year. It has also signed major partnerships with TV network Bravo and restaurant guide Zagat that will expand its functionality and usage.
3. Loopt - Another location-based social service, Loopt aims to connect its users with their friends by visually displaying their location and availability on a localized map.
Users can connect with friends in the area, see reviews and recommendations of restaurants, and find events in the area that might be of interest. Businesses have tapped into Loopt’s location data to offer targeted promotions.
Loopt is accessible on more than 100 mobile phones, giving it the widest distribution of any of the location-based services. It currently features a user base of 3 million people, which one can expect to grow as the service makes in roads into additional cities. Marketers should explore the possibilities of interacting and promoting their businesses through Loopt, as well as monitoring posts to judge the sentiment of user reviews.
4. Groupon - This site offers “collective buying power” by providing deals to groups of people who buy products and services in bulk from participating retailers. The site uses social networking to get users to share offers with their communities, in order to reach the target number of customers the “Groupon” requires to activate.
Businesses could gain exposure and new customers by making offers on the site—if Groupon develops a large following. While the revenue purchase sharing is helpful, exposing a large group of customers to your product is even more valuable.
Exploring and using these services before they gain more universal appeal can help you get value from them faster once they catch on. Monitoring the innovations in the social media space also gives you an indication of how the market is changing and will evolve over the next few years.
What, if any of the services above do you use and what do you consider the deciding factors when selecting which campaign is right for you? Leave your feedback below, submit any questions to us via Formspring, visit our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.
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