GoWalla might be much smaller than foursquare in terms of the number of users, but it still is considered as a social media leader. For one, it has 2 million users using it and has a database of millions of Spots. For another, Gowalla actually allows users to check into their foursquare account and still keep their mayorships there, while also getting their Facebook and Twitter updated all in one go.
As a business, you could do well by having a GoWalla Spot.
1. Claim your Spot!
Anybody can set up a spot on GoWalla, but as a business owner, you should take time to claim your Spot. This would allow you to put up more information about your business and even welcome Gowalla users with a customized message as they check into your Spot.
Claiming your Spot also allows you to monitor check-in activity and gives your customers special offers!
2. Pin your customers!
As a business, you can create a “Trip” that your customers can finish. A trip can be anything from a series of similar spots or different related spots. If you own a chain of stores, you could have your customers check into each one of your branches as part of your own Trip.
Once they finish the trip you have designed, you can reward them with a Pin. You could make use of Gowalla’s 16 ready-made Pins or you could talk to their business development team to come up with your own.
You could also offer pins for customers who complete Challenges. Challenges call for your customers to exhibit the desired behavior such as checking into your store 10 times.
3. Get Highlighted.
Probably one of the biggest difference between Gowalla and foursquare is that with Gowalla, users could assign a “highlight” to your place. This is basically a tag or award that users could give you. A user could highlight you as “Tasty, Tasty Meat” if you have great steaks at your restaurant, or if they hate you, they could put up the “My Personal Hell” highlight.
As a business, you can aim to get some of the highlights provided by Gowalla. For example, making your store kid-friendly can help earn you that highlight. If you have products that cater to vegetarians, you can easily get the Herbivore highlight. If you are lucky enough to have a great view then aim for the Picturesque highlight or the Scenic at Night highlight.
The trick is to have people categorize you under the more positive highlights while avoiding the negative or ambiguous ones.
4. Get on Gowalla Guides.
Gowalla has recently released its Guides platform to help differentiate it from foursquare. What the new feature offers you is community-generated content, which includes your friends’ stories, tips and check-ins, as well as tips from locals and professional experts.
Being a guide can help you establish your credibility in the community. By tying your business to a more popular spot in your area or locale can help people discover you.
This post is brought to you by SEO Inc, a Search Engine Optimization Company located in Southern California specializing in creating Location Based Marketing Strategies, SEO/SEM, and Social Media Marketing solutions for businesses of all sizes. Check out SEO Inc. on Facebook!