Attract More Traffic To Your Business: Use Pokémon Go

If you haven’t been hiding under a rock, you would have noticed the latest craze to hit the country is a rebooted  franchise brought back as a mobile phone app. This is no time to cringe, as opportunity knocks for the savvy business owner.

Pokémon Go could be your ticket to drive more traffic to your local business. We have all heard of the game and chances are you have seen people in your town and in your neighborhood walking around looking at their phones, catching Pokémon.
Just the fact that people are walking around is good news for your business. The bad news is that their eyes are looked on their screens. The challenge that we have as businesses owners will be how to take advantage of this increase in foot traffic and turn it into more paying customers for your business or service. The solution is engaging in the gaming craze in a smart way.

 Lure That Foot Traffic To Your Front Door

One of the most relevant functions of the game are Poke’ stops and if you are fortunate enough to have one close to your business, customers will walk into your door happily. Poke’ stops appear on the game interface as blue landmarks on a map which allow players to collect in-game items. on these landmarks players can place lure modules which as the name suggests, function as a lure for nearby Pokémon.

Simply drop a lure module on your nearby Poke’ stop, let people know about it and watch the customers pour into your premises. This seems to work particularly well if you’re a food and drink establishment where customers can grab a quick snack or cold drink before heading back outside to catch that elusive Pokémon. That being said, since almost everyone is playing Pokémon Go, how would you like to make this work for just about any product or service?

Here’s 5 steps to help this viral game work for Your Business.

1. Download the app and go to the store inside the interface.
2. Buy a pack of lures and drop them one at a time at the nearby Poke’ stop. They last for 30 minutes each and with your new income of Pokémon, trainers will follow.
3. Announce what you’re about to do on Social Media.
4. Grab an A-frame or a blackboard and let all the street traffic know what you are about to do, this will help grab their attention as well.
5. Make sure to make your Pokémon Go username the same as your business name.

Time to be Fun and Creative with your Marketing – Engage in The Social Craze

Marketing your business is all about engaging with your potential customers, building a trust factor that allows them to have an emotional connection with you, your staff and your products.

Here is 4 more ways to start a frenzy of chatter about your business.

• Use Pokémon as a way to connect with your customer or client.
• Start playing and share the Pokémon you find on your store’s social media outlets.
• Ask customers to share screenshots of Pokémon they have captured in your store.
• Promote popular hashtags like #pokemongo #yourbusinessnamego.

Bonus Traffic Lure

Something else that will entice a following to your business is to get creative and offer special discounts and offers for fans of the game. If you know of a Pokémon character that’s fairly rare in your area, offer a discount to any customer that comes in and can show you that they have been lucky enough to catch one.

Or Try This:

Create a lunch or drink special, put together a “Pokémon Go Survival Pack”, or start offering Pokémon merchandise as prizes for the best new product ideas for your business.
The important part is that you become part of the conversation and engage with your audience. It will make them remember you long after this latest craze is over.

One More Opportunity

Hit The Pokémon Gym and Pokémon Stops if it makes sense for your business.
There are plenty of Gyms and PokéStops where players will congregate. They will be easy to find by the crowd of people gathering around staring at their screens. You can also find them with the app on your phone.

If you notice a particularly busy spot, consider opening up a pop-up shop there. Take your merchandise on the road (checking with local regulations of course) and peddle your wares to fellow gamers in those areas. If that’s not an option, create some promotional material that ties the game and your store together (with a special Pokémon inspired coupon for example) and head out there and distribute it to players.

You could even create a Pokémon inspired event at your store and advertise it locally at the busy Gyms and PokéStops along with social media and your usual advertising outlets. Hold a Pokémon party where you offer discounts and promise to lure plenty of Pokémon to catch.

Get creative and take advantage of this latest gaming craze to grow your business. Have some fun.