Here are some Frequently Asked Questions and Answers.

During this launch we've come across some questions from customers that continually popped up. Because of that we are addressing them here.  Be sure to read the entire ebook before launching a campaign.

• Q.What about IOS? Can apple phones get the notifications?

  A.The answer is Yes & No. Over time we will see more IOS based exposures. Right now Apple phones can get the notifications but not as much as the androids. Here’s why. If the IOS user has the chrome browser – they may get the beacon notifications. Many IOS users are loyal to safari, but chrome is still gaining market share with this. So give it time and things will eventually turn.

  With that said, androids make up more than 60% of the market. Not bad.

• Q.How close does the beacon need to be to receive the message that it is to transmit?

  A.The notification receiving mobile devices need to but within 100 meters(+- this also depends on whats around like steel buildings, brick, etc).

  I believe many of the suppliers claim 70 meters because of this.   You can adjust the proximity range to conserve battery life if you want(batteries last anywhere from 6 months top a year and half)

• Q.How does this work once a person has received a message and then they leave the proximity range?

  A.Yes, When the person is in proximity and they receive the notification/message.  When they leave, the message disappears. When they are back in proximity of the beacon, they will get the notification again.

• Q.I'm sure the retail business- or store-owners I talk with will undoubtedly be able to do this themselves. So, how do I deal with that?

  A.The answer is yes, they will sometimes do their own research.  My answer is pretty simple. They can either do it themselves or hire it out.  I already know from experience that most business owners do not have the time or even want to take the time to configure these devices and deploy marketing campaigns(even though, once you get the hang of it, it’s not hard to do).  And, what IS the alternative?  They either have to take time away from their business to do it or they can hire another company to do it for them at a price.  If they want an all in one solution – they will end up paying $69/mo plus $29 – $200 per month for a dashboard(on the LOW END)… and, may I add, still manage everything themselves.

  I think the value you provide is more than worth the small price difference.

• Q.I do not want to go to places of business like malls, strip centers, restaurants, etc and beat the pavement?

  A.In the book I give you a source of New business owners.  These are good leads because they need this. and 60% of the phone numbers go right to them.  I tend to steer away from door knocking.

• Q.Other than retailers and restaurants, are there any other good niches?

  A.In the book we give you pages of ideas. Store locations are a tiny part of this.  There are so many other business owner types that need this. Food trucks, contractors carry them in their pocket as they go to different neighborhoods to do work, realtors at open houses, churches send announcements to the congregation, dentists, attorneys and sooo much more.

• Q.How can I do this without being "spammy"

  A.There are two trains of thought when it comes to this.  1- Broadcasting messages to whoever… where ever without any specific reason for targeting that specific proximity group.   2- Broadcasting messages to a target proximity group which is relevant to your offering.

  The latter is the best practice for deploying this method.  Some beacon providers will state that “Google wouldn’t have made mass broadcasting feasible if they did not want people to send spam-like messages”.  This is what one supplier actually told me.

  On the contrary Google actually prohibits this in their policy.

  It’s really very simple.  Make sure the intended messages are relevant to that specific location.  Good Example:  “10% off Harry’s Real Beef Hoagies today only” is sent as a coupon to thousands of attendees of a local food fair. 

  Bad example:  “Make money from home by just posting to craigslist” as a message to random shoppers at a department store.

• Q.My phone is not picking up my beacon notification. Why?

  A.This can be because of several reasons.  The targeted mobile device is outdated or the version of android installed is old.  Maybe the type of message created is not approved by googled.

  The mobile user has to have nearby enabled on their phone.  The good news is, most newer androids come with nearby enabled as a default setting.  Some older phones may have to have this enabled manually to get messages.  Nevertheless, the numbers will improve over time.

  Here’s a link to take a closer look. https://developers.google.com/nearby/notifications/developer_faq

• Q.Can I add pictures to my beacon messages?

  A.Currently messages are just in text format. The landing page/squeeze page/middleman page before hitting the owner’s site is there for this purpose.