Make the Most of Your Brand with Geolocation Apps

I am happy to introduce another guest blogger from the SID world: Cassie Gage is the Assistant Athletics Communications Director at the University of Oklahoma and someone I avidly follow on Twitter (@cassiegage). Cassie is a wiz at social media stuff and she has consented to write a two-part series here on the relevance of geolocation applications to athletics. You can follow her musings here: http://cassiegage.showitsite.com/

There’s been much discussion regarding geolocation applications such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places to name a few. While the use of these apps on a personal and business level is common, the question remains how these geolocation tools can be used to benefit athletics. The answer is simple really and lies within functions already provided.

The best way to formulate a plan for using geolocation to benefit athletics lies within business marketing models. Money should never limit you from providing the best customer service experience possible. And while sure, there are options out there to really personalize what you want to accomplish, don’t feel turned off by the notion that you need to throw thousands of dollars into this.


Does it take time? Sure. What doesn’t these days? Is everyone in your department going to jump on board? Absolutely not. Will your fan base take to it immediately? Some more than others. Is everyone going to participate? Nope (and we’ll get into why later). Bottom line is, as with everything else, you have to start somewhere.

Will geolocation be the tool of choice in 10 years? Maybe not. Something better, greater and cooler might come along. So, why jump on it now? It’s all about brand establishment and getting in the game early – before the school across town beats you to it. Let’s face it, in an age where social media can make or break your brand in a matter of seconds, being reactive makes you come across as disengaging or uninterested in your fan base.

Someone who is experienced in the use of geolocation tools is Daniel Gordon (on Twitter: @DanGordon), President of Samuel Gordon Jewelers in Oklahoma City. Gordon is a prominent figure in social media, using a variety of platforms to convey his personal and professional messages.

“I use it as a promotion tool for my business,” Gordon said. “If someone is in the nearby vicinity, say for instance across the street at the mall, they can see that I am adding a valuable incentive to at least stop by and check-in on Foursquare. That attracts people to see what we have to offer.

“Checking in is the next layer built upon the social layer and it helps businesses and venues get endorsed if they are places that add value and are of interest to peoples' lives. It can attract attention to an otherwise unknown event and be a great tool for a person to see something they would like to attend they might have otherwise not known about. It's a win-win for everyone because in the end you are creating more value to your potential audience you haven't even discovered yet.”

Go ahead, search business geolocation tools and see what comes up. Over 375,000 results show up on Google. There’s a lot of information out there, and some of it, quite honestly, is over our heads. So how do you read through all of the technological jargon there and decipher what’s best for your department?

First, you have to develop a plan. What’s your goal? Fan experience and interaction should be at the top of that list. Who should be involved? If you have a marketing staff, they should definitely be on board. When it comes to geolocation and how it’s used, sometimes what you want to accomplish solely falls on the marketing/promotions side, but I’m of the belief that for it to be effective, communications needs to do its part to help promote. How much time are we willing to commit? If you can’t give it the time it deserves, it may not be for you. You’ll lose users if you fail to commit to the project. How should geolocation be used in regards to student-athletes? Very carefully.

While it may seem like a great idea on the business side, you can’t ignore that the other end of the equation is personal. And, that’s where things can get tricky. Why? Not everyone likes the world (or even just their friends) knowing where they are all the time or when they’re not at home. It doesn’t matter if it’s the biggest game of the century. Some people are just not interested in providing such information.

College sophomore Ben Coldagelli (on Twitter: @BenColdagelli) was first turned on to Foursquare in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wis. The benefit of using the tool was great in a city where geolocation apps were used to their full potential – providing business patrons with kickbacks. So, why has Coldagelli’s participation in geolocation declined?

“I’m to the point where I feel like checking in somewhere without a reason is a little too “big brother” for me,” Coldagelli said. “I don’t need people, even my friends, to know where I am all the time.”

This also ties into student-athletes use of geolocation. While most apps provide the ability to turn-off the broadcast function, it’s usually a setting that has to be done with every check-in. I’m of the belief that student-athletes have to make their own decisions regarding social media. Does it cause all of us headaches sometimes? Yes, but as a Generation X-er right there on the Generation Y line, I feel the pros of social media out-weight the cons. Some schools completely ban it altogether, and maybe that’s what’s best for you. But, if not, education is key.

Student-athletes need to know that even with that function turned on; it may still be possible for people to know where they are. At the doctor? No one needs to know. Superstar football player eating out at a restaurant? Does he want to be signing autographs for two hours? There’s a time and a place for checking-in and it applies to all of us (I don’t check-in at home or at the bank or anywhere that I consider extremely personal).

Simply put, checking in is a personal choice.

You also have to remember that much like social media; geolocation usage is based on demographics. In an article on Mashable, one study by Forrester showed location based service users are more likely to be 19-35 year-old, college educated males who are influential among their friends and family. But, don’t just target that age group because there are plenty of people outside that demographic that use geolocation apps.

Part Two Coming: What can geoapps do for you? By the way, how are you using them?

A note from Cassie: Please note most of these suggestions are based on my personal use of Foursquare, which is my geolocation app of choice. The suggestions listed may vary by app and some apps may not offer them at al. For more information on how to setup Foursquare to benefit your school, visit http://foursquare.com/businesses/ or http://foursquare.com/universities.