Marketing With Google Local Maps
Yesterday, on NPR‘s All Things Considered, Mike Pegg, who runs the Google Maps Mania blog that tracks Google Maps "mashups," was interviewed about the phenomenon.
"Mashups" are value-added Google maps that are overlaid with useful–nor not–information. An example cited in the piece was the Beer Mapping Project, displaying breweries and brewpubs accross the US on a Google map.
While the location of breweries and brewpubs may be useful only if you’re a beer afficionado, there are some obvious practical applications Google maps mashups can have from a marketing persepective.
One that I find particuarly useful is a map of free wi-fi hotspots near my office. You can see from the map that most of the hotspots are provided by coffee shops. So, if I need some quick wireless access, as I often do, am I going to Starbucks and their T-Mobile for-fee wi-fi access, or do I go to my local Dunn Bros coffee shop and get access for free? That no-brainer drives my business to Dunn Bros.
You can see then, that the ease and usefulness of Google maps can provide businesses with numerous stores not only a useful tool for your web site visitors, but a great local marketing vehicle.
