Archive for GeoHelp Platform
Mobile Phones Influence Gravity
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OK… bear with me here… this might get a bit technical, but I think I can explain this in a way so everyone can understand what GRAVITY and MOBILE PHONES have to do with each other !
When a store owner is looking to open a retail store in a particular geographic region, they perform an analysis on the surrounding shopping options to determine how many shoppers will potentially visit the proposed location. They use a formula called the “GRAVITY MODEL” ** which calculates the size of the retail area around a specific location based on a comparison of shopping alternatives, driving distance, and population size and demographics. This analysis identifies a “ring” around any given location where potential shoppers reach their “breaking point” (BP) and make a decision to go to store B instead of store A !
For this example, lets assume that one is evaluating a retail location in a densely populated city with evenly distributed customer demographics. In this case, the main factors that get plugged into the “Gravity Model” equation will be:
- Competitors Strength – A popular brand competitor or a larger grouping of stores exert more “pull” and gets consumers to visit from a greater distance.
- Distance to walk / drive – If everything was equal, a consumer will tend to visit the store that is closest.
- Product Offering & Price – Each product type generates it’s own “gravity ring” showing the number of potential buyers in each product category.
SO WHAT ABOUT MOBILE PHONES ?
Well… one thing that is NOT mentioned in the existing gravity equation but should be are MOBILE SALES, MARKETING, and SUPPORT APPS. These APPs are able to put influential store services in the palm of your hand. This is a strong factor when comparing the attractiveness of “store A” vs “store B”. Consumers will shop at a store that is further away if it offers superior OUT-OF-HOME services such as better product information, greater convenience, relevant discounts, personalized solutions, and reduced time spent on non-essential tasks.
In my example city (densely populated), it is easy to imagine that adding mobile services might make your “circle of potential customers” grow from 1/2 MILE to 1 MILE. Calculating the increased area of these circles results in a 400% increase in potential customers ! That is an extremely powerful opportunity for ANY business to increase their revenue. So… I rest my case… Mobile phones really do influence gravity (and have a great ROI ).
** The Law of Retail Gravitation, William J Reilly
New Ad Technologies: The Fine Line Between Creepy and Cool…
Posted by: | CommentsI saw an article about individualized targeting of ads and thought to myself… it sure is a fine line between creepy and cool ! But I guess we experience this every day in movies and even rock bands (KISS !)
Is GPS location tracking creepy or cool ? Is tracking of where you are, what you click on, or what you buy creepy or cool ? That depends…
A professional consumer survey created by public policy and law experts from Univ. of Penn, and UC Berkeley found that consumers are very concerned about these issues. Some of the conclusions of this survey were: 1) companies must take their privacy policies seriously, 2) consumers must be given the right to object, delete or withdraw information collected, and 3) companies need to show respect for their customers. The entire report can be read here.
So… lets say that location and behavior knowledge technologies are going to be a fact of life. How can it be done correctly ? What if you could receive the advantages of “location-based services” while keeping FULL CONTROL of your location data ? Maybe companies will pay you for this info (giving points or discounts) ? What if you had the ability to communicate your interests and needs to your favorite brands so they send you relevant information and incentives ? Can you imagine a potential WIN-WIN scenario ?
GeoHelp is forging a path through this field with real alternatives. Our GeoHelp Platform lets customers be anonymous. We do not share personal data with businesses. We identify all info as being public or private. We let customers delete their own community posts at any time, and much more !
GEOHELP: Private “follow” of Local Brick-and-Mortar Businesses
Posted by: | CommentsThe GeoHelp web site is where customers can safely follow local brick & mortar businesses. Unlike ALL traditional social / advertising platforms, GeoHelp lets you control your communications, and we do not share your private information.
1) RELEVANT NEWS: What if you could get information about a new product delivery, or an upcoming sale, or an event discount ? Or become familiar with the REAL PEOPLE behind the brands that you enjoy.
2) QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: The GeoHelp app lets you get answers to your questions using your mobile phone. Businesses can answer questions such as “Do you carry Gucci sunglasses?” or “Are Goodyear tires better than Firestone?”. These real-time questions (and more) from ALL of their customers are visible for you to read. So a type of business specific “chat session” gives you much more information about that business.
For example: When you are hungry, you can look at the business’s GeoHelp Community as see questions and answers from many customers. To ask your own question, just write a text message (or use our voice entry).
To follow a favorite business, just use the Business FOLLOW checkbox !
The GeoHelp by 2du® platform lets you choose EXACTLY what companies you are interested in communicating with (or receiving info and specials from). The directory is international and can be sorted by name, distance, city, and more.
Just Like Max & 99… Mobile Consumers Want Control
Posted by: | CommentsNew research by the consumer research company Communispace (http://communispace.com) shows that connected consumers want control over the cadence and content of messages sent to their mobile phones. 
This conclusion is contained within a report entitled “Connecting with the Connected Consumer” which is the exact opposite of what is currently being done by most mobile marketers. I know of very few brands that give their customers a way to express their preferences and give them the ability to edit or modify how they are contacted.
Other conclusions in the study were:
1) Companies MUST respect the privacy of consumers. Treat people like you would want to be treated. Instead of YOU tracking your customers, why not enable customers to track you!
2) Offer something of value - Mobile consumers are ready and waiting for contact with familiar brands on mobile devices; awareness and willingness is there, but few brands have cracked the code for providing consistent value via mobile technologies.
3) Hand over the reins – Mobile users want control over when, where, how, and how often they interact with brands on mobile platforms — the more personalized, the better.
4) Create custom, relevant experiences – Untargeted and irrelevant content will be shunned by mobile consumers. Specialized, personalized and exclusive rewards suggest an aptitude for giving customers what they need and want.
As a part of our GeoHelp Platform, we included a USER PORTAL FOR EVERY CUSTOMER so everyone can control how they are contacted, and when it is ok to contact them. Our system gives businesses the ability to send relevant information and rewards IMMEDIATELY to customers at the exact time when they want to engage. Perhaps adding customer control portals might be the secret to creating a lasting relationship with your connected “followers” ?
Click here to read the full study.
Benefits of Business Engagement
Posted by: | CommentsWhat are the Benefits of Social Engagement for Customer Service ?
- BRANDING – establish expertise and build awareness of what your business does.
- EXPOSURE – communicate with existing customers and expand your customer base
- SPREAD NEWS - Tell about new product deliveries, new sales initiatives, etc using less time and less money than traditional media.
- PROMOTE ALL TOUCH POINTS – drive traffic to all media initiatives (newspaper ads, blogs, web site, flyers, etc).
- PROVIDE FAST SUPPORT – answer customers questions instantly
- MARKET RESEARCH – get instant feedback from your customers.
- EMPLOYEE or TEAM COMMUNICATIONS – enable communications between employees or between project teams.
- BUILD LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS – both learn from and teach your fellow business owners. Identify co-op opportunities.
2du’s GeoHelp Platform lets you use leverage these benefits, and these apply to ALL TYPES of businesses including manufacturers, retailers, non-profits, religious organizations, and many more !
Please click here to see an example.
Click here to read more about our GeoHelp Platform.
A “Next-gen” Loyalty Platform Combines REAL-TIME ENGAGEMENT and MOBILE REWARDS
Posted by: | CommentsBy adding a GeoHelp Community to your website, you can have FULL CONTROL of your brand, the ability to capture leads, promote customer loyalty, offer superior service and capture valuable customer data to a hosted SQL database. Here is an example of a customized GeoHelp by 2du® Help Community that is added to an existing website:
LOYALTY features include:
- POINTS for participating in the conversation !
- CUSTOMERS get their own PORTAL
- REWARDS can be given INSTANTLY to conversation participants
- DELIVERY method is chosen by the consumer (Mobile, Email, Portal)
- Customer inquiries can be initiated via MOBILE SMS
- Individualized or group promotion targeting
- REDEMPTION tracking using linear & QR Mobile barcodes
- LOCATION, mobile position statistics
This combination of features is bundled in a very easy to understand consumer and admin interface that makes it FUN for everyone involved ! Social engagement + loyalty rewards is a WIN-WIN !
Click here to see the example above.
Click here to see the GeoHelp Portal
Click here to see the GeoHelp ADMIN portal.
Personal Marketing – Inexpensive, Easy, and Consumer Friendly
Posted by: | CommentsRemember the days when retailers knew their customer’s names and preferences when they walked in the door ? Well… neither do I !! I think I’ve seen this on an old “GUNSMOKE” rerun !
For many centuries now, retail marketers have been directing their messaging towards broad categories of customers (mass marketing). This is now changing due to the application of technology into the retail space. Recording of purchase history and identifying buyer behavior is common now-a-days, but REAL change is just starting to happen… mass marketing is changing to personal marketing.
MASS MARKETING changing to PERSONAL MARKETING
Put yourself in the shoes of a business owner… you don’t want to take advantage of anyone, you just want to make a living… a completely normal urge to provide value to customers AND feed your family (ok build your business) ! How would you do that with the least amount of pain ???? In short, the least expensive and most effective way to build a business is to influence customers at the EXACT time that they are making a purchase decision. So how do you do this ?
Personal marketing means offering customers RELEVANT information and RELEVANT offers. Relevancy requires knowledge. You need to know about your customers’ interests and preferences… this is worth money because it lets you stop doing “shotgun” advertising. You can tailor your offers to match the needs of individuals ! This is the concept of the GeoHelp Platform. 2du creates a WIN-WIN system so businesses get relevant information and customers save money.
The chart used here is from: NextGen of Merchandising and Marketing – Customer Insights at the Point of Decision – An ebook written by DemandTec and downloadable from http://www.demandtec.com/
GeoHelp – Advancing the State-of-the-Art in Customer Service
Posted by: | CommentsWe will soon be launching our GeoHelp platform which has many state-of-the-art features. Customers can use our iphone app to ask “How late are you guys open today?”, or “Do you carry Gucci sunglasses?”, or “I bought some paint from your store last year… how can I match the color when I buy more?” Businesses answer these questions using their own iphone app or via a simple SaaS support screen. This IMMEDIATE gratification makes for happy customers !
Now that a “conversation” has been started, why not send something special to that customer so they come to your store ? GeoHelp lets you instantly select from premade messages and send these to one or many customers in less than 30 seconds ! We call these messages “Super Messages” because they contain over 25 pieces of information including a YouTube video, QR code for redemption, links to all social media, and much more.
GeoHelp includes the following features which a business accesses on the GeoHelpAdmin web site:
- GeoRewards - automatically send incentives to customers when they are close
- Mobile Chat - offer VIP service and be “top of mind” when customers have questions
- Instant Mobile Messages – send a mobile video message to any customer in 30 seconds
- GeoMaps - make your business stand out on our location-based business map
- Instant Promotion campaigns - send mass mailing with powerful targeting filters
- Build your database – easily add notes and details to customer files
- No POS redeem system - the GeoHelp redemption system does not require POS integration
- Verify your ROI – track customer behavior from initial contact to in-store purchasing
So, hopefully, you agree that… location-based customer service has arrived !
Worldwide Mobile Ad Projections – Lets Ride the Wave Together !
Posted by: | CommentsI don’t think of myself as terribly materialistic, but I enjoy being where the ACTION is and would also like to make enough money so I can do what I want for the rest of my life. I think I found a subject that might fit the bill…
This graph is a little out-dated, but I’m sure the shape is still similar !
So where is this $$ coming from?
• Text ads to opt-in customers (VIP Clubs)
• Display ads on mobile web sites (scaled down to work on your phone)
• Display ads on mobile search results
• Display ads in mobile games or in TV-like guides
• Video ads that come with streaming video, or mobile TV
I know… that sounds like a LOT of ads on my little phone display. 2du is doing something to address that issue… we have created GeoHelp (web + SMS + email messaging) that lets every member manage their own messaging. You get your own account where you select exactly what local businesses can send information and discounts to you. You decide who can send messages, how many, and how often ! We are just getting started, so “pardon our dust”… I hope you agree that this is the most powerful messaging system you have EVER SEEN ! Click here to see GeoHelp
Grow Your Business and Add Customer Value Using New Media
Posted by: | CommentsPhase 1: Identify your Customers
Promotions, interactive games and loyalty card programs all have the goal of identifying both new and existing customers. You offer rewards in exchange for customers telling you who they are. Once you know exactly who your customers are, you can start a dialogue with them… for example LISTENING to their opinions and preferences, and offering products and services which meet their needs ! These identification efforts should be running AT ALL TIMES or you are missing an opportunity to grow your business.
Phase 2: Exchange Value for Info
Now that you have a raw customer list, you can start to exchange value for more information about them. It isn’t really that important to know the basic details (name, address, phone, etc.)… it is needed for the process to work (contacting them), but basic details are NOT the goal !!! The goal is to know what people like and what motivates them to visit your business and purchase your goods and/or services !! What do they buy ? Why do they buy it from your business ? What can your business do differently so that person wants to buy more ?
Phase 3: Optimizing the WIN-WIN
Now that the business has more detailed information about individual customer preferences. The business can now create and monitor targeted VALUE OFFERS to individual customers and see if they perceive a meaningful benefit ! Since customer “perception” is an ever changing variable, the value offerings need to be changing to take “real-time information” into account (such as new product deliveries, previous offer reactions, even current weather conditions !!). So start experimenting and see what REAL-TIME value-added mechanisms cause customers to visit more, spend more time per-visit, spend more money per-visit, and tell more people about your brand !
NEW MEDIA and database technologies enable this process. The GeoHelp platform is designed to combine these technologies to make REAL-TIME experimentation easier so businesses can create a non-intrusive WIN-WIN for the community. We value your opinion !
