Five Points Association Map Goes Digital

Posted: June 13, 2011

Five Points Association announced a new online, interactive map feature that aims to bring local advertising into the digital age.
Five Points Association is taking the next step into the digital age and hopes area businesses will follow along. Five Points Association announced today that it has contracted with CrossPointe Interactive to create an online interactive map of area businesses that are members of the Five Points Association.
Merritt McHaffie, Executive Director of the Five Points Association, said the effort is a way to get area businesses to "understand the power of technology," with digital advertising space that incorporates social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter into a businesses' online profile.
Mike Baskerville, a managing partner with CrossPointe Interactive , said the company currently has about 15 clients using interactive maps and the list is growing quickly.
"In another 60 days we'll probably have another 10 [clients]," Baskerville said, "and the bulk will be organizations like Five Points Association because they see a need for this."
Baskerville said that the interactive maps will give business owners and advertisers detailed information on who is clicking and how they're clicking — showing how many users requested turn-by-turn directions, or how many simply clicked an ad.
"You have mapstats and can view exactly what's taking place with your ad," Benner said.
Businesses that are currently listed at www.fivepointscolumbia.com will be included for no additional charge with a "basic listing," Baskerville said, which includes a small blue logo and basic details about the business.
McHaffie said advertisers will receive additional ad space on the map, which she likened to digital "billboards," starting at $339.
Baskerville said that the map will take two to three weeks to implement and anywhere from four to six weeks to populate with area businesses and advertisers.
The final product — which uses Google's online map service, Google Maps — will be similar to a completed project at www.mapcharleston.com, Benner said.
For more information on how your business can advertise, call Mike Baskerville at (937) 829-0623.