Businesses Benefit from Using Foursquare
By Guest Blogger: Lynna Pham
Understanding Initial Apprehension
With so many different sites that already exist for social media advertising, it’s understandable that people feel skeptical about something new. Foursquare is now a little over one year old but has been taking the social media world by storm. If you haven’t heard, Foursquare is a social networking site that integrates location based services for mobile devices. By using the application on your mobile device, you can check-in and let other users know when you’re at a certain location. This unleashes a world of possibilities as businesses can discover the potential of geo-location services that really works to the advantage of small and local businesses.
Why Your Business Should Care about Foursquare
1) Gain insight directly from customers – Check what customers are saying about your business. There’s always room for improvement and you can use these comments for a better understanding of how customers view your business.
2) Focus on relationships – Reward loyal customers with promotions and bring in new customers with special offers. You can also check out your competition and see what they’re up to.
3) Track your progress – Keep a tally of weekly/monthly check-ins from Foursquare. Whenever you offer a promotion, you’ll be able to accurately keep track of how many customers you bring in through this channel.
The Social Aspect of Checking In
Foursquare is about more than just showing off your mayorships and badges. Sure, it’s fun to collect new titles and show your friends where you’ve been. But marketers are also learning about ways to use it for self-promotion. You can also add your friends and see where they’ve been. The application recognizes your location and can instantly check out tips from places nearby locations from other users. This is a great tool as restaurants and local businesses get free word of mouth advertising. I mean, who better to ask for recommendations than people you’re actually friends with? A bakery can advertise fresh baked goods and eateries often offer discounts for checking in through Foursquare. There are so many possibilities!
Photo credit: Foursquare website
Lynna Pham is project coordinator at emarketed, a Los Angeles web design and search marketing firm.