Especially if you are in a city, it’s definitely not too late to capitalize on the latest augmented reality game that has made it seem like the apocalypse is nigh with zombie-like Pokemon Go players walking around town, heads in their phones. Many businesses have shunned the players, but others who were a little more quick thinking have capitalized on the trend and captured their share of revenue from the crazed fans.
In this article we are going to share a quick how-to on how you can catch your own share of the trend.
If you aren’t aware yet, the premise of the newest installment of the Pokemon franchise has players walking around their towns and neighborhoods in search of the cute little monster that are hiding in real life areas. While it has been great for getting people outside, it’s been a bit of a nightmare for the non-players who just want to go for a walk through central park in peace. If you are a local business however, there are a few fun aspects of the game that you can take advantage to drive some extra walk-in sales today.
Step One- You’ll have to download the app. I know, I know, but you don’t have to actually play the game – just have it installed on your phone.
Step Two- You’ll have to login with a new account and then go through the basic set up. This should only take a couple minutes at most.
Now that you are set up, take a look around your screen. You should notice lots of blue icons around your area that are spinning and glowing, these are called PokeStops. If you get close to one they will spin up into a larger icon that you can tap on. Players will flock around these areas hoping to get some good items. Hopefully there is one right near your business!
Step Three- Click on the Red and White PokeBall at the bottom of your screen and tap ‘Shop’.
Scroll down the screen until you find the purple, box-like, ‘Lure Modules’. That is what you want to purchase. These will attract pokemon to your nearest pokestop for 30 minutes at a time (And with them, the players trying to catch them!)
For about $100 you can purchase 84 hours of lure modules. (You’ll actually have to purchase PokeCoins, the in-game currency, which you can then buy the lures with).
Step Four- Click on the nearest PokeStop and then tap on the white, pill-shaped button just below the name of the PokeStop. It will be near the top of the screen, around 20% of the way down from the top. When you tap on this, you will be asked if you want to install a Lure Module. Do so.
Step Five- Make sure that you have a special offer displayed prominently near your shop to catch the attention of the players. Something like a buy one, get one or X% off deal tend to work the best with this crowd.
Kick back and watch the players meander by! Don’t forget that you’ll have to go and replace the module every 30 minutes.
For an added bonus, walk around your immediate area and install lures in several of the near by PokeStops as the more lures are in an area, the more players will want to congregate there!
Not sure if marketing using Pokemon Go will work in real life? Check out this article of a local pizza shop in New York who claims that their sales have jumped 75% due to Pokemon Go traffic.