(via intomobile)

Check-in services such as Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt, and Facebook Places are bringing a new element to the mobile game, as well as to mobile users.That new element is location-based advertising, which is on the brink of exploding.

Though still a fragmented market, location-based advertising (LBA) is becoming yet another avenue for businesses to reach consumers. According to a report by ABI Research (research firm), businesses will shell out $1.8 billion in 2015 on LBA, as part of their overall mobile marketing budgets. The report went on to explain a suggested process for executing a location-based campaign, which included the following:

• -Define marketing goals
• -Examine customers’ mobile and location habits and develop a location approach
• -Select location partner(s) and determine the most useful technologies for your brand
• -Execute the campaign, study and measure results and tweak the strategy if needed

Case studies, inhibitors and drivers, consumers’ behavior and thoughts regarding location, and forecasts are other included themes within the report.