A top priority for marketers trying to connect with customers through mobile is accuracy.
National brands have to make sure customer information is updated and accurate or they risk not only losing that potential visit and conversion to a location, but also breaking customer trust when individuals air their frustration on social media.
“This NAP (name, address, and phone number) information is the foundation for a business’s online presence,” says Jeff Beard, President and GM of Localeze, which helps businesses maintain their NAP data. “It must be consistent, accurate, and up-to-date for consumers to find important business location information and online listings when searching for a business.”
Beard emphasizes the importance of data integrity by pointing to Localeze’s work with casual dining chain Texas Roadhouse, which began in June 2010. Texas Roadhouse had each of its 345 locations submit updates and business search listings. Since partnering with Localeze, the company has reported a 40% jump in Web traffic and higher visibility for keywords including “steakhouse, “ribs,” and “barbecue,” which it attributes in large part to the accuracy and consistency of its local NAP data.
SoLoMo marketing hits the spot
Brands are embracing integrated social/local/mobile campaigns to address the challenge of right time, right place, right offer.
Beard adds that consumers tend to conduct local business searches without a specific business in mind, searching for “restaurants” or “dry cleaners” based on proximity. He says this shows that geography tends to be a major influencer in purchase decisions and that customers are willing to trade businesses within a category.
One of the company’s key partners is Amsterdam-based navigation service provider TomTom, which offers a range of smartphone and tablet-enabled navigation systems.
The TomTom programs are integrated with Facebook and Twitter. In addition to the local knowledge drawn from partners like Localeze, it taps into the local data of its Map Share community, which allows all 60 million TomTom users to report a map change or update.
“We envision a future where groups of people are able to share what they find interesting and give them the tools from TomTom to spatially integrate these data within navigation applications,” says Dan Adams, VP of location and live services at TomTom. “Our goal is to make our content and services easy to integrate anywhere…, and to use the power of social media to continually improve the freshness, accuracy, and depth of the content.”
