In the advertising world, best practice standards never urge retailers to include the names of competitors in their ad copy.

And in the world of online reviews, no business owner would ever feature an unflattering consumer review from a third-party source on the home page.

Yet every time a retailer defaults to an online Google map to call out the location on the company's website, they're doing both: inadvertently promoting like-minded businesses or nearby competitors, and raising the possibility that customers will encounter negative consumer reviews from third-party sources beyond the company's control.

Digital maps: a solution for the leaky "location marketing funnel"

It's what my colleagues and I have described as a leaky "location marketing funnel" and it means that all of the time and effort invested by businesses into their websites, branding, promotions and products to attract customers and boost sales can turn counterproductive as soon as retailers rely on a Google map for addresses and location. Why?

- Google maps can highlight information about nearby competitors and similar businesses
- Google maps can feature sponsored ads and URLs that direct visitors away from the intended location to other businesses and interests
- Some Google maps also include content and reviews from third-party review sites, where consumers' opinions are not always flattering nor are they assured to be 100% authentic

"Own" your location by owning your digital map

The solution is to fix the leaky location marketing funnel by fixing your digital map. By claiming 100% ownership of the map's features, content, links and branding, businesses can assure that the funnel will direct customers to the front door, without distracting them with information or opinions that might send interest elsewhere.

This can be accomplished through new online map-creation platforms, such as MapJam.com, MapBox.com or ikiMap.com. These mapping platforms enable users to create customised, personalised, fully branded and fully "owned" online maps that can be embedded on websites, in blogs and/or shared readily on various digital and social media channels.

With the ability to own the map from concept to creation, retailers can rely on easy-to-use drag-and-drop interfaces in order to build, brand and customise a map in minutes – without the need to know programming code or use graphic design software.

Intuitive interfaces walk users through the process of choosing a location, adding branded colours and logos, dropping in markers, uploading content (including URLs, images, videos and sound links) and providing descriptions that are unique to the business location(s). Some provide the option of switching from street-based mapping grids to photo grids or other layers, depending of what's being illustrated.

Retailers and businesses can also benefit from maps featuring markers that add context and detail, such as nearby landmarks, parking, public transit, gas stations, Wi-Fi spots, pick-up and loading zones, restaurants, entertainment, even one-way streets and traffic watch-outs. Specific maps also can be created for business-sponsored events or individual locations of a franchised operation.

Business simple: create, embed & share

Most alternate mapping platforms make it fairly easy to create, embed and share maps across websites, blogs and social media platforms and channels, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, text message, perhaps even Pinterest.

State-of-the-market digital marketing should include a fully owned, branded and customized map, an asset that's now easy to create and personalize via online platforms with drag-and-drop functionality. And a key component of that digital marketing strategy should include the ability to "own" the content on a map.

An effective online map, in fact, can be a key factor in a retailer's success, but only if it does what it's supposed to do, which is to attract customers to a specific location, not send them elsewhere or make them think twice.

 

By Jack Gonzalez, co-founder of MapJam.com, a next-generation map publishing platform for creating personalized, customized digital maps.

 

PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.

comments powered by Disqus