Some salons barely have an operational Web site, let alone having tapped into popular social media tools such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. However, small-business owners who get in on the ground-level of the hottest marketing ideas – especially when the concepts are local, cheap and tech-related – put themselves in a great position to reap the benefits.

Location-based social media (also known as “lo-so”) applications are gaining in popularity among consumers, and they bridge an important gap – linking your salon to customers through their mobile devices and/or their computers (mobile or otherwise).

Some of the latest apps include:

•Foursquare for Businesses

This app brings a gaming element to social media, as users are tracked live as they visit different locations. If your salon is on their to-do list, all the participants will be able to see that these folks just frequented your business (they’re rewarded with points and online accolades for doing so). There is also an opportunity for users to comment on your salon, hence helping to build more buzz.

Earlier this year, businesses in more than 100 major cities participated in a Foursquare Day, where they offered deals to those who "played" that day. A salon could run a special any time, however, and promote it using Foursquare. One plus for salon owners is the app’s free analytics tracking, which shares info on the users.

Foursquare is estimated to be running about a million users strong globally.

•Gowalla

Another mobile gaming option for life is Gowalla. With this app, users share info on their local escapades and receive digital rewards in return. Although much smaller than Foursquare, some users prefer Gowalla’s design and GPS technology. Companies such as Chipotle and Chevrolet have liked it enough to use it, hence prompting Gowalla to concentrate on developing more user-friendly options for businesses.

For more information on other lo-so geolocation opportunities – many of which are free – visit the source link.

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Source:

OPEN Forum: Put Your Small Business on the Map With Location-Based Social Media