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Using Pokemon Go to Bring in Foot Traffic

Using Pokemon Go to Bring in Foot Traffic

Written by enCOMPASS Agency

Even if you have no particular interest in video games, you’re probably familiar with Pokemon Go, a mobile app that was released in July and became a global phenomenon almost instantaneously. While there are many popular games and apps out there, Pokemon Go is uniquely powerful in blending the “real world” with the fictitious environments of the game. That’s because for all intents and purposes this is an augmented reality game, one that cannot be played simply by sitting at home, phone in hand. To play Pokemon Go, players actually have to get up, move around, and visit different real-world locations where they can find and “capture” different Pokemon creatures, making for a game experience that is distinctly interactive.

It’s also distinctly relevant to business owners. It’s not difficult to connect the dots here: Pokemon Go requires its players—already several million of them—to visit different spots around their towns and cities. If one of those spots happens to be your business, then you can effectively leverage this game to bring in new foot traffic. And that’s just one of a few different ways in which business owners can leverage this mobile phenomenon for their own purposes.

Pokemon Go and Local Marketing

Here are a few particular strategies to consider as you seek to harness the Pokemon effect.

Offer Pokemon-themes promotions. You can provide small discounts or freebies to Pokemon players who visit your salon, your restaurant, or your retail store and show you their in-game profile—or, who show you that they have “checked in” to your place of business via Facebook, Instagram, or some other social site. Something as simple as 10 percent off for anyone who brings their phone and shows their Pokemon Go profile, if well-advertised, can have a big impact.

Accommodate Pokemon Go players. If your place of business is near a “Pokemon gym”—usually, a historic site or a landmark—you’re sure to see an influx of players. Make them feel at home by providing charging stations or branded merchandise for them. Being known as a Poke-friendly business has its advantages.

Invest in lures. One easy way to use Pokemon to boost foot traffic. If your business is near a Pokestop then you can Lure more Pokemon to your store, and watch as players follow them in! You can purchase a Pokemon “lure” for less than five bucks within the Pokemon Go app itself; when activated, the lure will attract a bunch of Pokemon to your area for about half an hour. Announce, in advance, when you plan to use a lure, and maybe even run a sale or promotion at the same time. Some restaurants, in particular, have reported huge upticks in foot traffic when they use these lures.

Tap into social media. Of course, another easy way to leverage Pokemon Go is to implement the ever-trending #PokemonGo hashtag; simply tweeting or posting about Pokemon in your area can be a good way to build buzz.

How long the Poke-craze will last is anyone’s guess, though it’s worth noting that the game has been adding millions of new users each week, and the franchise itself spans back to the 1990s—so it’s clearly got legs. And even if its moment is fleeting, it’s a moment business owners may want to be a part of. To learn more about these strategies, give us a call at enCOMPASS.

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