Assuming you’ve had access to the outside world for the past few weeks, you’ve surely heard about Pokémon Go. This mobile game has captivated the nation, leading otherwise sane individuals into real dark alleys and real sketchy neighborhoods in search of imaginary monsters.
Since we’ve touted capitalizing on “trending topics” time and time again, we figured we should follow our own advice. But because you’re here to read about marketing, and not monsters, we have a little more to offer than where Pikachus are spawning.
Here’s how Pokémon Go translates into small business marketing:
Lures vs. Incense
If you’re a Pokémon Go player, you clearly know the difference between lures and incense. Incense draws Pokémon to you — whether you’re sitting on your couch, standing in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge or devouring a Blizzard at your local Dairy Queen. A lure, however, can only be used at a Pokéstop, and plenty of people can take advantage of it.
Marketing Language Translation: Marketing “incense” makes your customers come to you; this includes methods such as sales, promotions and giveaways. Meanwhile, “lures” involve reaching out to your customers and hitting them where they live, via tactics such as social media and blog posts, as well as targeted ads.
You don’t have to choose between the two, nor should you. Every small business needs a mix of both lures and incense to win.
Common Pokémon vs. Rare Pokémon
Common Pokémon are everywhere, as you’d imagine. You can probably catch one without even getting out of bed, but they don’t add much value. To catch rare Pokémon, you’ll have to go out of your comfort zone and track them down, but in the end, your efforts will be worth it!
Marketing Language Translation: Don’t spend your time chasing after the people who don’t provide value to your small business — even if they’re low-hanging fruit. Instead, take the time and effort to develop a targeted approach that sends your message to the people who are ready, willing and able to receive it!
Hatch Your Egg
Every once in a while, you’ll find a Pokémon egg. You can hatch it – but not without a ton of work. Some eggs require you to carry it a couple of kilometers, while others need you to walk a 10k before they’ll hatch. The longer the distance, the better the Pokémon!
Marketing Language Translation: If marketing a small business was easy, everyone would do it. The more you “walk” (read: spend time on your business), the further you’ll go. Spend some time re-evaluating your marketing strategy — how far do you have to carry that egg to make it hatch? Is there a way you could get someone to do the walking for you, like outsourcing your marketing to an established company?
Pokémon Go has revolutionized the world of mobile gaming — now it’s time for you to revolutionize your small business marketing strategy.
Do you need help to “catch ‘em all”? Mischa Communications has everything you need! Give us a call or email us today!