2010 has arrived with a flurry of anticipation for Location Based Services and prospects for millions if not billions of dollars to be spent on mobile advertising. So how does a local merchant jump in on the ride and take advantage of this next wave of media before it begins to be really expensive. Simple... Google Maps.
As google begins to slowly take over the world, I want local merchants to take full advantage of the free services readily available to them. Googe Maps will be become the most prodominant search friendly mobile data application and GPS tool around. If you have a smart phone look at google mobile apps TODAY. Find out how easily your business comes up in the search of a smart phone, if you dont exsist within that search, you may just miss the wave.
If you are a small business reading this and you havent already do so, you need to look up your business and its address on http://maps.google.com and make sure you exist. Not only that you exist, but that you have rightfully claimed what is yours as a profressional. Peninsula Shop started to customize map data in relation to the Peninsula, but we have now started the development of social media listening tools that will begin to respond to user input based on the location and relevance to Peninsula Shops Business Members.
Look what Peninsula Shops is doing with google maps at this very moment. Hand Entered Map Data for Peninsula Business Members vs Dynamically created Map Data of Peninsula Shops Business Members.
What's even more exciting as the growth rate of Location Based Services increases the more able we are to know who is where and what they are searching for, inturn leads us a small merchants to better understand an dcommunicate to our communities needs and desires in practical real-time. YES REAL-TIME.
If this all doesn't make sense to you, let me put it this way. The next generation of data will be available to anyone who requests it from wherever they are and not only will it come quickly, it will be based on your whereabouts.
Do yourself and the digital consumers of the world a favor and get on http://maps.google.com and search for your business name and if that doesnt come up, then serch for you business address and rightfully claim it yours. This way you can make sure the right people are finding you at the right time and the right place.