LabWork Beacons, GeoFencing and Mobile App Location Based Marketing Starmark Innovation Lab

Marketing with native mobile apps and location based technologies is an important part of any integrated marketing program. Often written about and discussed, technologies like push notifications, Beacons and geo-fencing are a lot easier to understand when you can have a demonstration of them in action.

Before developing any mobile app, at its core it needs to be useful to the users who you want to download it. If the app is not compelling, it will be difficult to expand adoption. So, the Starmark Innovation Lab brainstormed and outlined a mobile app that is not only packed full of cool tech that’s easy to demo, but also a useful marketing reference guide as well.

One resource that Starmark has been building upon for over five years is our library of eTips. Creating an app that could include all of the eTips as a searchable reference helps our technology demonstration app meet this requirement. With over 200 tips, and new ones added every week, we decided to build the Starmark eTips App and make a useful reference guide. 

We also wanted the many location based technology demonstrations built into the app to be useful. 

To demonstrate geo-fencing we created a “Directions” tab in the app to for users to get directions to our office. When users are outside the geo-fence, the app provides driving directions Maps. When users enter the geo-fence – which is about 2 blocks around our downtown office – the app alters the content on the Directions screen to focus on nearby parking, the valet, and the location of the office front door.

To demonstrate beacons, we installed several around the office which are configured to compliment a tour of the office. Not only did we want to demonstrate how beacons work, but also some of the possibilities of marketing via beacons. One is setup to drive users to video content, an example TV commercial produced by Starmark. Another is setup to demonstrate a social connection by driving users to check in to Starmark on Facebook. The third is setup to prompt users to download an App. 

And, if you have not yet downloaded the Starmark eTips app while you are on an office tour, we also setup a demonstration of Smart Posters which have an NFC antenna built into them. This allows Android users to hold their phone over the poster and receive a prompt to download our App. Another demonstration of location based marketing technology that can be applied to any piece of paper, from a poster to a name badge.

Lastly, a feature most people are familiar with but still has a wide variety of marketing applications is push notifications. With the Starmark eTips app we can notify users when a new eTip is loaded, or for other announcements and event reminders. 

The Starmark eTips app is available in the App Store for iOS and on Google Play for Android. Download today and keep up to date with the latest developments across all things marketing.