Great post from www.examiner.com

Geotagging and use of location sharing services dominates most of the headlines at SXSW, where Foursquare and Gowalla both made their debut a year ago. With marketing going mobile, and the importance in location sharing to Foursquare, Gowalla, and soon Facebook and Twitter, geotagging is a powerful tool for local businesses.

Geotagging in its simplest form is attaching geographical information to websites, status updates, emails and other forms of social media. This allows your target audience to not only receive you pitch of a service or good, but also provides them with exactly where they can go to get the service or good based on the call to action your message contains.

Gowalla and Foursquare are social networks that also include game features that anyone can engage in at any time, regardless of their location, location sharing being the primary item of note for businesses, marketing and advertising professionals.

Both services allow users to “check in” to locations they venture to, unlock badges or pins, and in the case of Gowalla, collect virtual gifts. Further, both services provide options for users who also venture to the location to see what others recommend trying, buying or other, while at the business.

Geotagging is important for business use for the simple reason that by using Gowalla or Foursquare, you are able to create buzz for your products and/or services, which incentivises people to visit your business, which leads to increased brand awareness and larger revenues.

The best features of both Gowalla and Foursquare are that 1. they are free to use, and 2. extend beyond use of the service by allowing users to post where they are to Twitter and Facebook when checking in.

To make the most of your experience, sign up at Gowalla or Foursquare’s site, and then:

• Create materials that advertise your use of the applications, such as widgets on your site, information at your place of business, or promotion of your use via Facebook and Twitter.
• Engage users who visit your business. Thank them for checking in and let them feel noticed and appreciated for what they are doing.
• Finally, offer incentives to frequent visitors, either the Mayor of your business on Foursquare, or the top visitors to your business on Gowalla. Create loyal, avid fans who will represent your brand at all times.

Geotagging and participation in location sharing services lie at the root of a great advertising and marketing strategy, those being engagement, compulsion and loyalty. Do you use either service or geotagging for your business?

Original link here http://bit.ly/bxitlb