So yesterday fellow Steemit user @andydrewie posted a great article overview on the impact of Pokemon Go and its future implications. I commented to point out some additional information, but it got me thinking about one of the biggest points he made: how businesses - especially brick-and-mortar small businesses - can benefit from the augmented reality game, simply by embracing it and encouraging players to come in and hunt for Pokemon in their stores.

As I mentioned in the comments of that article, business owners who have a PokeStop near them (or even right outside their doors) are going to see a lot more foot traffic as a result. Smart owners with a few bucks to spend can download a copy of the game themselves and buy an in-game item called a Lure that plugs into their PokeStop; this will boost the number of Pokemon that will appear nearby for 30 minutes, making the location even more popular. An excellent article from Inc. did the math - it costs around $1.19 an hour to keep your store's PokeStop stocked with Lures for 24 hours - making it a really cost-effective marketing tool.

But marketing using Pokemon Go doesn't have to be limited to that. Smart and creative business owners and managers can really capitalize on the craze. I thought I'd scour the internet for some good examples of businesses that have begun to do so. The game's been out just barely a week - and like Steemit, it's been subjected to a recent hack that necessitated taking the servers down for a while on Saturday according to The Independent - but there's no stopping this Pokemon behemoth anytime soon; it's just going to get bigger and more popular. The following organizations look like they're poised to ride that wave!

Just a note: I don't have any attributions for who took the following images. If it turns out you're the photographer - or you know who they are - please tell me so I can attribute them to you properly!

iconoCLAD

At any rate, here's just a handful of places around the United States that are capitalizing on the Pokemon Go craze. Many of these places are small, locally-owned businesses like iconoCLAD, a secondhand clothing store in Salt Lake City, Utah. Inviting folks in to use the store's PokeStop to get the items they need to catch more Pokemon is a great way to build up business - especially one that doesn't rely on the marketing budget of a big corporate chain or franchise.

Naturopathica Chelsea

Next up is the Chelsea Naturopathica, the New York City branch of the cutting-edge spa that is way out of my price range. While there's no invitation on this sign to come in and look for Pokemon in the store, the signage out front is promoting the spa's "Vitality Bar" drinks by assigning game statistics to them. It's a fun, playful way to incorporate the popularity of the game, and with Pokemon Go drawing players from all walks of life, it's sure to be an effective strategy for drawing people in from the street!

CitySen Lounge

In some cases, there are places of business that are even drawing lines in the sand when it comes to their allegiances! One of the CitySen Lounges in Michigan, part of the CityFlatsHotel in either Lansing or Holland, has shows its true colors right up front by offering 10 percent off your bill for anyone on Team Mystic, one of the three different Pokemon Go factions.

Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery

Finally, you don't even have to be a for-profit business to use Pokemon Go to drive additional foot traffic - or even located in the United States! The Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery in Yorkshire, England posted the preceding picture to their Facebook page, encouraging Pokemon Trainers to enjoy the museum and gallery while hunting Pokemon in a clever, welcoming way.

These are just a few quick examples how real live businesses and organizations are capitalizing on Pokemon Go, using the game to market themselves. With the worldwide popularity of the game taking off like a shot - and parent company Nintendo's stock rising just as much, according to the BBC - Pokemon Go is not gonna go away anytime soon, so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!