Pokemon Go just hit a milestone: 100 million downloads! The thing is, its number just keeps on growing to the point that some businesses turned the gaming phenomenon into a marketing strategy. According to app experts and vendors who sell electronics, many organizations and businesses have found unique ways to turn Pokemon Go users into actual customers.

Gotta Catch Them All

• Retail Stores and Dining Places

Device Pitstop is an electronic trading business that recently benefitted from the Pokemon Go phenomenon. The store offered free charging cables to users who visited the store on a special Pokemon Go day. In exchange of the charging services, the store’s visitors just had to post something on Facebook regarding the event. The marketing strategy was a huge success as there was a massive increase in foot traffic (over 100 people visited the store).

Tasty Burger is a restaurant chain in the east coast. The diner’s location on Harvard Square is a PokeStop. To attract more users, the diner gave away free orders of tater tots to players who captured a Pokemon near their spot.

• Uncommon Businesses

The list of retail shops and restaurants benefiting from Pokemon Go is long, but they’re not the only industries that can take advantage of the craze.

Nerdio, an IT services company, worked with their clients with an ingenious method to get exposure. The company gives clients such as arcades and comic stores a weekly budget (10$) to lure in players. When a user catches a Pokemon at the location, he can post it on various social media platforms and use the Nerdio hashtag. Each social media post serves as an entry for a gift certificate to the store where the Pokemon was captured.

Preply is an online tutoring marketplace. The company had permitted users to register as Pokemon Go instructors, setting up a niche for individuals who want help in learning how to play the game. The tutorial rates range from $2 to $42 by the hour.

Outside The Box, a performing arts festival in Boston, now entertains over 1,000 more individuals each day just by dropping Pokemon Go lures across Boston Common throughout the festival. The organizers post clues and lures on Twitter every half an hour, which makes people go around the grounds searching for Pokemons, and in turn, boosts the festival’s exposure.

Pokemon Go as a Marketing Tool

• If you want to take advantage of the Pokemon craze, here’s what you can do:
  If your business has a physical store, invest in a Pokemon lure. This is an in-app purchase. Ill cost you money, but will give you a positive ROI. A good number of businesses have experienced improved foot traffic because of this.
• Just because you think you’re not making sales doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not benefiting from the exposure. If players are visiting your store, they’ll likely remember your business and possibly turn into actual customers down the road.
• Even if you’re not selling a product or a service, it’s still possible to make money or gain publicity via Pokemon Go. You just need to be creative about it.

With the ingenious ways that these businesses have used Pokemon Go as a marketing tactic, you too can jump in and join their success. Find opportunities for your brand and business and start earning better numbers from this Pokemonm Mania.