Pokemon Go. You don’t have to play, but you should be paying attention. Pokemon Go is mobile gaming’s newest obsession and if you are not taking advantage of the opportunity, your business is missing out. We are not going to go over the basics of the game here. There are already multiple articles to help you understand how to play. Instead, we will give you some tips on how to leverage Pokemon Go into a marketing opportunity for your brand/business.
First things first, find out if there is a PokeStop or Gym near your business location. (If you haven’t already checked the app, the swarms of trainers in and around your business may have already clued you in.) If you are one of the lucky businesses “on the map,” there are TONS of ways to capitalize.
- Promote the fact that there are stops nearby! Encourage people to visit or use PokeStop and Gym locations as a business feature.
This Science Museum promotes multiple PokeStops.
You know what they say…location is EVERYTHING.
- Use a lure. If you are near a PokeStop, using a lure will bring in foot traffic from all nearby Pokemon trainers. Lures increase the number of Pokemon in the area near the PokeStop and work in 30 minute intervals. In-app purchases allow you to buy lures with Pokecoins. $100 buys 14,500 Pokecoins. An 8-pack of Lures costs 680 Pokecoins, so each half hour will cost less than $0.60. You can bring additional attention to your lures via social media.
- Offer discounts for customers that use a lure at your location. You don’t even have to use the game to utilize this strategy and you incentivize your existing customers to bring you more customers.
This bar is offering $1 discounts to customers that place a lure for other trainers.
- Hang signs at PokeStops nearby, encouraging trainers to visit you. Entice them with samples or discounts or sell them bottles of water! It’s hot out there!
- Support the “home team.” Keep track of who has control over your nearby Gym and reward them and their team with discounts and freebies. Support this strategy through social media screenshots & hashtags.
Giveaway idea!
- Make an event out of training. Use Facebook Events to promote training or highlight when lures will be utilized.
- If your business is a Gym location, consider putting in the time (or assigning an enthusiast) to take over the gym – Name the trainer the same name as your business. You’ll get some pretty serious street cred for this approach.
Even if your business is not a restaurant or consumer goods store, these strategies can still bring brand recognition and favorability. Sure, a Pokemon trainer may not need a lawyer today, but they will remember when they do!
Best Buy uses Pokemon Go popularity as an incentive to sell?new phones.
Talk about Pokemon Go via your social channels. This is one of those rare occasions where everyone else is doing it and so should you.
Snap some pictures. It’s fun!
Arby’s made a logical choice.
Think about interesting ways to become part of the conversation.
Use the language of the game to relate to the services you provide.
Encourage Pokemon trainers to check-in via social media and tag your business when catching Pokemon in or around your location. You can even call out trainers that catch rare Pokemon!
Woolworths takes advantage of the opportunity to talk to players on Facebook.
Embrace the fun.
Pokemon Go isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you turn players away, you lose the opportunity to convert. Rather than shoo Pokemon trainers towards enterprising competition, try offering them more of what they want!
In this example, one business pushes customers away, while another offers discounts to Team Mystic #GoBlue
While there are tons of ways to get involved now, we imagine that there will be additional offerings forthcoming. M2 predicts that businesses will be able to pay for increased Pokemon presence or to have their business listed as a Gym or PokeStop. Perhaps, we’ll even see in-game billboard opportunities or sponsored items in the shop. As the game evolves, so shall marketers. If you need help, M2 is here to guide you. Email us anytime at info@motivatedmarketing.com.
Happy training!