By: Mahnoor Awan
When a new product makes waves in the market, it’s really hard to miss its impact. Pokémon Go, an augmented reality or ‘Real World Gaming’ app released in July 2016, is definitely one of them. Offered in more than 30 countries within the first month, the game is definitely making its mark.
If you don’t already know, the main focus of the game involves players having to get out and roam the streets, landmarks, and specialized locales, to find and capture Pokémon.
With players in multiple age ranges, many reliving nostalgia from playing Pokémon when they themselves were kids, alongside a new, younger crowd, a lot of businesses are looking to tap into this market to grow their business.
What you need to know about Pokémon Go
Pokémon was first launched on Game Boy in the 1990’s, followed by a cartoon TV show and trading card game, along with numerous other tie-ins. Capitalizing on the nostalgic essence of this popular franchise of the 90’s, Niantic Inc. took it a step further and turned into an augmented reality game, which can now be downloaded as an app on most smartphones. To play this game, players have to walk around their neighborhood, or the entire city, especially to popular areas like malls, parks, and monuments, to search and catch Pokémon, train them, and battle with other teams.
If you want to know what all these terms mean, you can check Niantic’s Pokémon Glossary. And if you still have no idea what I’m talking about and have more questions about the game, you can find answers here.
Here’s how you can use Pokémon Go to your advantage:
- Share on social media PokéStops are landmarks where players can gather items such as Poké Balls, potions, and Eggs, among other things.
- Lure Pokémon… and Patients A Lure module is an item in the game through which Pokémon are attracted to Pokéstops for 30 minutes. A Lure can be bought through in-app purchases and is a great way to attract patients and potential customers.
- Host a Pokémon Hunt Get the local Pokémon community to gather and go around in your neighborhood, starting and ending at your dental practice. You can get your staff to wear branded t-shirts to promote your practice. You can also offer snacks and beverages and turn it into a nice get-together for the Pokémon community and a great way to build your practice’s reputation in the community.
- Offer Charging Stations Since Pokémon Go uses the phone’s GPS and cellular data, it can drain the phone’s battery very quickly. Your dental practice can use this opportunity to offer charging stations, like from ChargeTech, in your reception area, where people can stop for a bit to recharge their phones. This is a great opportunity to interact with potential customers and promote your practice. Promote it!
- Offer Giveaways Another way to use Pokémon Go to promote your dental practice is through offering giveaways to your patients.
Gyms are landmarks where players can battle their Pokémons with rival teams or even train their own Pokémons.
If your office is a PokéStop or gym, or there’s one near your dental practice, this is the perfect opportunity to take a picture through your Pokémon Go app and post on your social media. It will attract patients to visit your location more often, and help in generating potential interactions with your practice.
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| Venonat next to a landmark |
Depending on your location, the best time to drop a lure is between 12 pm to 4 pm - after school ends or when people in offices would usually take their lunch break.
Of course you or a staff member will need to be playing the game to purchase a lure.
For maximum effect you can post and/or send out an eblast announcing your office will be ‘luring’ Pokémon at a specific date and time - refreshments might even be served…. (See the next tip.)
If you want to learn more about how to use a lure, check this great article.
You can even take it a step further and host an after-party in your dental office where the players can discuss their gaming experiences and tips and tricks.
UpOnline can help you send eblasts with the date, time, and location among other things you’re offering once you’re ready to host a Pokémon hunt.
Since playing the game can quickly drain your phone’s battery life, you can solve this by offering prizes like chargers with your dental practice’s branding, which is another inexpensive way to promote yourself.
You can also host mini-contests on social media, like asking people to post a picture of their rare Pokémon catch near your dental practice, and choose a winner to give out these giveaways.
New trends come and go, but if you recognize the opportunity they can create for your business, then you can see the benefits from them. We hope we’ve made it a little easier for you to tap in on this current trend by using any of these 5 easy ways to promote your dental practice with Pokémon Go.
If you need any more assistance into tapping in on these ongoing trends, contact us here, and we will be more than happy to help you out!