If you’re a local business owner, you have hopefully discovered the value of social media. Beyond engaging with customers through posts, tweets, hashtags, and likes, many social media networks – like Facebook and Yelp – also utilize social “check-ins.” Social check-ins allow users to share their whereabouts with their network and offer tips, reviews, pictures, and more in a single post.
The true power of this social trend comes in an often ignored tool. Some social networks allows business owners to offer exclusive gifts, deals, discounts, and more to users that check-in, which provides an incentive for them to visit and share business information with their network. Another useful aspect of this trend is that most social networks are connected, meaning users encouraged by the incentive to share your business’ information on multiple networks, not just the single one they’re posting from.
It’s safe to say check-in offers are the new coupon because Smartphone users are redeeming them rapidly with no end in sight. There’s much more to social media networking than Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. Though it’s often not seen in the same category, sites like Yelp are very useful for social networking and provide unique opportunities to grow your business. With the continued popularity of mobile, your business’ popularity can also rise with insightful use of all of social media’s capabilities.