Pokemon GO Business is a guide on how to utilize Pokemon GO as a viral marketing platform for your business. If you’re unsure on how Pokemon GO works, don’t worry – we’ll explain the main game features and the way you can use them to promote your business and earn more money.
Pokemon GO is an Augmented Reality game, meaning that the game world is overlays our world – the game map is your typical road map, the Points Of Interest in the game are your local attractions and Pokemon spawn in your neighborhood.
Pokemon GO Business Points of Interest
There are three main types of POI in the game you can use to attract customers:
- PokéStops – “refill” stops for players, gives nearby players free in game items every 5 minutes, can be enhanced with a “Lure Module” that attracts nearby Pokemon to the Stop
- Poke Gyms – battle arenas that are controlled by one of three in game teams (Red, Blue or Yellow team), usually attract players in intervals and in bigger groups as it takes a group of players to fight for a gym efficiently
- Lure Module – an in game item that can be purchased and activated to attract wild Pokemon to a nearby PokéStop, costs 100 PokeCoins per module ($0.99), very popular with players
We are going to discuss and explain how you can use these items and points of interest for your promotion. This guide is almost only applicable to businesses that are near by a PokéStop, but there is a section dedicated to businesses that are not near PokéStops.
Use Lure Modules on nearby PokéStops
PokéStops arepoints of interest that were created and added to the game at launch, spread across the streets and cities. Players interact with PokéStops by coming near it and clicking on it inside the app, but the key point is to come near the PokéStop.
This means that if your business is located near a few PokéStops, players can us the PokéStop from your location and you can sell more. Here’s how to identify if you have PokéStops around your businesses location:
- Go to your business location with your mobile phone
- Download Pokemon GO on your device and set up an account
- Open the app and wait for the map and nearby attractions to load
- Check if there are any PokéStops near you – PokéStops are blue pillar structures with rotating blue cube /circles on top of them
If you have PokéStops near your business location, the easiest thing to do is to buy 10-20 Lure Modules from the in game shop and use them daily at the PokéStop.
Using a Lure Module at the PokéStop will “boost” the PokéStop and attract wild Pokemon, which almost always attracts near by players as well. If your business is in range of two or more PokéStops, you may considering activating Lure Modules on both PokéStops.
Do note that each Lure Module lasts for 30 minutes, after that you need to activate a new one, so if you’re planing to run a “Pokemon GO Happy Hour” for 3 hours, you’ll need 6 Lure Moduls for 1 PokéStop.
In general, this strategy is a increasingly popular way to attract customers as PokéStops with activated Lure Modules are the best way to catch Pokemon and obtain items at the same time.
Promote your business as Pokemon GO Recharge hub
This strategy is perfect for local coffee shops and restaurants. Simply offer your guests the option to recharge their phones and power banks while they unwind at your coffee shop.
Players often go on extensive Poke Hunts, lasting anywhere from 1 to 4-5 hours, which means that they sometimes run out of battery power. Using your cafe as a recharge point can remedy that issue and become a vital check point during every Poke Hunt in your area.
Combining this strategy with “Use Lure Modules at near by PokeStops” is a sure way to attract a lot of players.
Pokemon GO promotion strategies when there is no PokéStops around your businesses location
If it happens that you don’t have any PokéStops around your businesses location, there are still some promotions / competitions you can run for Pokemon players:
- Organize a Poke Hunt
- Use Pokemon GO to organize a timed “who can catch more Pokemon event”. Your will be the organizer and the one to reward players who participate in your Poke Hunt.Pick a location near your business location, set up a time frame (2-3 hours is invite) and invite players to catch Pokemon at that time. The best player is the one that caught the most Pokemon during that time frame.You get people visiting your business and they get a competition with small rewards to participate in.
- Offer discounts to players from different Pokemon GO teams
- Each Pokemon GO player has to pick a team when they hit Level 5. There are three teams currently in the game: Team Mystic (Blue), Team Instinct (Yellow) and Team Valor (Red). Offer discounts to players from different teams who bring friends over. For example: “20% discount for Pokemon GO players who bring 5 Team Valor friends with them”
- Organize Poke Walks to your business
- Hatching Pokemon Eggs in game can be really boring as it includes walking with the app opened and in foreground. Organise a walk from somewhere to your business location and offer refreshments when tired players walk in.There are 2 KM, 5 KM and 10 KM eggs in game, so choose the route carefully and try not to discourage your perspective customers.
- Use in-game achievements as reward criteria
- There are various achievements that can be obtained inside the game, so using these as reward criteria is easy. You can, for example, use the Jogger achievement (walk X kilometers/miles) to reward players who are eager joggers, etc…