So firstly, what is Pokémon Go?
If you haven’t heard of it yet or haven’t accidently been caught up in a crowd of millennials chasing down a nearby Diglett, we’ll explain. The smartphone app, that started off as a simple April Fool’s prank, allows the gamer to go hunting through the real world in order to find and capture Pokémon (pocket monsters).
Once the Pokémon have been caught, trainers can breed and train them so that they can battle other players at selected locations. It’s essentially an augmented reality where the digital world meets the real world.
Why is it go great?
The app not only means that more and more people are exploring new areas and socialising with others in what is basically a giant scavenger hunt, but they are lured to real-life locations that they can explore labelled as Pokéstops and training gyms.
Now while it would be a fair assumption to think that these are just children playing this game, it’s actually mostly millennials who grew up watching the cartoons and are finally living out their dream of being a real-life Pokémon master.
How can you use it to get people coming to your property?
The app uses local businesses and landmarks for Pokéstops or Gyms where players can battle, collect items and train their Pokémon. And you can buy a lure model and attach it to a nearby Pokéstop. This is an in-game object that you can purchase for a small hourly fee to attract new Pokémon to the area, thus, in turn, attracting more people too. Many businesses, particularly restaurants, have reported a considerable increase in sales by using these Pokémon lures.
If you are going to do this make sure people know that you’re Poke-friendly. You could make a sign that lets guests know they can come collect Pokémon on your grounds and at your property. You could even create a map showing the locations of Pokéstops and Pokémon gyms in nearby areas, and advertise this information to guests. A simple way of advertising your lure on a nearby Pokéstops is to use the #Pokémon on Twitter and invite users to drop by.
And it can help you build relationships with your guests
You can ask your guests to share the Pokémon that are caught in and around your property or area, which is a fantastic advertising tool, especially if the Pokémon they caught is a particularly rare one. You could even offer a competition or perk to guests using your hashtag when they share their pictures of Pokémon caught at your property.
If you do this make sure that you share their pictures, particularly of rare Pokémon. A rare Pokémon sighting at your property will likely bring a flood of people who are both guests and potential guests.
What does the future of Pokémon Go look like?
Well, at the moment, all of the Pokéstops are selected at random. The New York Times, however, recently reported that the game’s developer is planning on introducing sponsored locations. So this would mean that you could soon pay a fee to become a Pokestop or Gym in order to draw in potential guests.
In the ever-changing world of digital marketing, if you do want to “be the very best” (sorry we couldn’t help it’s important to keep up with the latest craze or fad, and take advantage of its marketing potential for your business.
So good luck and remember – “you gotta catch em all”.