If there is anything to be learned from Apple’s failed attempt to “map the world” it is that the human experience at a local level cannot be ripped out from the mapping equation. Without the precise local data, maps become incomplete and inconsistent, which is squarely the problem Apple is currently facing. Consumers orient themselves around familiar places and local landmarks, they test a maps usefulness and trustworthiness based on being able to find such things. Apple forgot, it seems, to harness this local knowledge which is essential in creating accurate maps. The data missing from Apple maps is causing great inconvenience for consumers and businesses alike. In some cases, IOS 6 users no longer see certain locations from their maps – businesses are invisible. IPhone users are not likely to switch to other mobile devices, so it is up to a business to mold around users. It is now a business’ responsibility to make sure their local data is submitted to Apple’s Maps, that being be the only way to become visible again.
Screenshot from parody Twitter account, @ iOS6Maps, quickly removed by Twitter.
Visibility on iOS 6 for a business means that they need to get local data to Apple, and quick. Attaining local information is not the simplest of tasks to accomplish, it is a dirty job. It took Google about a decade to perfect their maps and add tailored features for local users. Google early on knew it needed local knowledge, Apple… well they almost had it. A noteworthy feature is it’s deep integration with Yelp.
Yelp content has been integrated into the iOS 6 Maps allowing iPhone users to access reviews, pictures, and check-in without ever leaving Maps. With millions of iPhone users with i OS 6 systems this massive Apple community will no doubt be accessing Yelp via Apple’s maps and so it is important, now more than ever, for businesses to have accurate and active information on Yelp.
Having accurate information is easier said than done. This Yelp integration will prove to be a double edged sword. On one side, the collection of a user’s input via Yelp for Apple will mean better quality maps, great! But then businesses have to make sure their information is on Yelp. Is that information accurate? Does it send out brand continuity? These are the questions that need to be answered before and after businesses become visible. Data, the use and manipulation of a business’s data is where all these questions begin to get answered.
Immediate steps businesses need to take to become visible include claiming locations on Yelp and publishing their information on Axciom and TomTom all whom are data providers to Apple. The visibility Where 2 Get It’s clients receive is an example of such a process, the sooner a business activates their broadcast signal the sooner they again will become visible on Apple’s maps. Data and claiming have the power to make a business visible, but it is more than that. Accurate and monitored data answers post-visible questions, it generates brand continuity throughout all channels of communication, Apple maps now being one of those.
Apple, while it might have fumbled a bit in rolling out a product that was not thought out completely, still set up some basic foundation to improve their maps content…however, they will not be able to do it alone. Everyone needs to act fast, especially those who have a lot more to lose from being invisible in their maps. Cleaning up this dirty mess begins at a local level, data needs to be published, claiming needs to happen, and businesses need to turn on their broadcast signal… quick.
