Many online advertising observers are recommending the additional use of social outlets alongside other techniques such as search engine optimisation. Other online advertising observers would argue that search optimization is now a lost cause, and reactions from social outlets have a more significant effect on a website’s natural search engine positioning than any action performed by search engine optimisation professionals. The newest extension to social outlets is based on location. Facebook is introducing Facebook Places as a rival to Foursquare, a social service that is not as widely known in this country but does already have some followers. It is inevitable that Google will introduce a similar programme.
The basic premise of a location programme is that when a location customer arrives at a location registered in the programme, he “checks in” so that the location operator is aware that a programme member is present. Thus, loyalty incentives may accrue based on the number of times the customer has checked in, or on the number of programme members are present. There is also the assumption that the first thing a customer does on entering a bar is play with his phone instead of using the location for its main purpose. For company proprietors who cannot realise the benefits of such a location loyalty programme, Foursquare includes case histories explaining how businesses have made use of the programme.
The sort of company that could gain from this has to be social location, such as a bar, and it is hard to realise how any other type of company location could building or its catering outlets, and is not even guaranteed use of the location for the coming season.
Some mentions of a business on a social service will have a suitable search engine positioning on a search query, but they are unlikely to include keywords that have been used for the search query – it will probably be a mention of the company name. Similarly, if check-in references appear on a search results listing, how informative will they be? search engine optimisation is more concentrated on the chosen keywords that a new client will use who is not aware of your company name. Using search optimization techniques will make your company more noticeable to anyone using a search regardless of their social service preferences.
Facebook Places and Foursquare appear to represent alternative ways of operating loyalty schemes if your typical client is someone permanently welded to a mobile device and could be attracted to your bar and feels compelled to inform all his social friends where he is at that exact time. By providing incentives to location programme members it could be a way of attracting customers on what would be a quiet night. To many people, these location schemes are just a further invasion of privacy. Online advertising observers have even noticed the possibility for misuse of these systems. To everyday customers who want to stay away from the social outlets for whatever reason, and businesses that can see no justification for a social presence, conventional search optimization techniques will still have a bigger effect through an increased natural search engine positioning on a conventional search engine.
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