By Carl Weiss
Courtesy of intoGo.com |
When it comes
to using apps to promote a business, the first thing that comes to mind for most
business owners is Google Adwords or Facebook.
That’s because Google has 71% plus of the search traffic and Facebook has
more than 2 billion users. They also have
an advertiser interface that’s is relatively easy to use. A manager sitting at a bar can literally control
and Adwords Express campaign or tap Boost on Facebook to advertise and after entering
their credit card number, their advertising starts running. Whereas with other apps, like Yelp, you must claim
your business, then you have to contact an account representative and do more labor
to spend money on ads. This goes for other
apps as well.
Is What
You See, What You Like?
While there
are a number of ways to use the apps mentioned above
to incentivize existing followers,
the most common way used is to target new prospects with pay-per-click ads. However, this isn’t always as successful. That’s because while a follower who likes you
might be interested in an offer or coupon, a complete stranger may not. Get this formula right, and it’s off to the races. Get it wrong, and you can burn through a pile
of money without seeing much in the way of results. In fact, it isn’t uncommon with businesses that
have a substantial social following to be unable to convert that audience into customers,
even on their own social nets.
Courtesy of Flickr |
So, what’s
a business to do?
The first
thing a business owner or manager needs to do is determine which of the social networks
work best for their business model. Facebook
might not be the best marketing channel for a local restaurant or retail establishment. On the other hand, an e-tail business could prosper
there. Let’s face it, nobody goes to Facebook
to look for fine dining. Even if a Facebook
user sees an ad for a local eatery, they may choose to ignore it, since that’s not
why they are there.
For businesses
that do use Facebook’s PPC ads, you need to know
the platform, and you need to know
your prospective customers. A supper club
is more likely to succeed if they post their ads at 5 pm. Likewise, a lunch
spot is more likely to succeed by posting their ads at 11 am. Regardless of that, in order to succeed, an
offer has to be compelling enough to warrant action. This means an offer for a free soft drink is less
likely to cause customers to stampede to your eatery, whereas a Buy-1-Get-1-FREE
on entrees or a “Free Glass of Wine” with every meal is more likely to compel a
customer to act.
Courtesy of Flickr |
Show Me
the $$
The other
thing that deters many business owners from playing the PPC game is the cost. While boosting a post on Facebook costs only a
few dollars, if you are going to test the water in any PPC arena, you really need
to spend at least $500 per month. For many
small businesses, this is a tough pill to swallow. Especially when you realize that all you are paying
for are clicks, not results. Still, any business
that does door hangers or buys into coupon magazines realizes that promotion doesn’t
come cheaply.
If your business
has a tight budget and it is located in North Florida, there is an app in town that
offers advertising that works by focusing on consumer interests. It’s called intoGo .
The platform works by allowing users to swipe through fun things to do and places
to go in the greater Jacksonville area. More importantly, the system is designed
to learn what a consumer likes. For a business
owner, this means they can better target consumers who like what they sell.
Watch - How to use the intoGo app
Whereas Facebook
is built to help you connect with friends, intoGo is designed to help locals find
things to do fast. That’s because intoGo
has partnered with Visit Jacksonville to become “Jacksonville’s Official Destination
App” - Visit Jacksonville.
Building
an App that Works is No Easy Task
Speaking
of apps, businesses that have tried to develop their own
apps many times find that
it is an expensive and not always successful endeavor. That’s because while building an app can be fairly
straightforward, developing an audience who use the app is not. That’s another place where intoGo shines as they
have legions of consumers who use the app daily.
Courtesy of Pixabay |
For businesses
that offer food, entertainment, and events, "intoGo " is a match made in heaven. Instead of spending thousands of dollars to develop
their own app, for as little as $69 per month, these businesses can promote themselves
on an app that’s designed to match consumer wants with businesses that provide the
very things they want. ( Watch the video below to learn more about how the intoGo
advertising platform works.)
Watch - How the intoGo app Advertising platform works.
There are
several other features on intoGo that businesses should take advantage of such as
adding coupons to bring people in the door. It can even notify your fans whenever
you upload a new coupon. Want to add a call
to action, or a “Buy Now” button to your page?
No problem. intoGo also has a complete
suite of analytics that allows you to monitor and improve your page’s results in
real time.
Best of all,
unlike typical coupons or pay-per-click ads, intoGo matches businesses with consumers
in their locale who are looking for their products and services. Hosting an event? You can not only let all of North Florida know
when and where it is scheduled to take place; you can sell tickets in-app. How cool is that?
Using intoGo for Events in Jacksonville Fl
The beauty
of online technology is that it is constantly evolving. That means there are ever more ways to promote
your business. When it comes to using the
Internet to help you generate more customers, all I can say is “There’s an app for
that” and it’s intoGo !
This article
discusses how apps can be used to drive consumer traffic and grow a business
following using the Official Destination App for Visit Jacksonville called
intoGo . This article provides information on how businesses can geo target
consumers interested in their product or service for as little as $69 per
month. Videos and other reference links are included.
Get your FREE Copy today. |
If you found this article useful, please share it with friends, family, and co-workers. I recommend checking out the links in the blog, along with checking out other related articles on our Show Notes Page. Don’t forget to listen to the BlogTalkRadio show on this subject. If you have a related useful comment or opinion about this article, leave it in the comment section of this blog. Also, don’t forget to plus us, on Google+ and share us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as well.
Carl Weiss
is CEO of Working the Web to Win, an online marketing company based in Jacksonville,
Florida. He is also co-host of the weekly
Working the Web to Win radio show that airs every Tuesday at 4 pm Eastern.
Some useful info but really most of what you said is old way and apps been on a decline. Seo with local incentives by using free tools is better for small business. Http://www.tridence.com
ReplyDelete