Why Small Businesses Should “Check IN” to Foursquare

Foursquare with almost 275,000 users, has become one of the hottest internet applications out there! For those of you that don’t know what Foursquare is….. it is location-based social networking service, mostly used on smartphones. The idea is that people “check-in” to venues and share it with their friends. They can write reviews and tips, almost like you can on Yelp. Think of it like 50% Social Networking game 50% City Guide. ALL IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND! Be careful not to dismiss it…. instead think of it as the powerful marketing tool that it is!

1) Foursquare appeals to a tech hungry crowd that is ready and willing to share with their friends – Foursquare users are people that really love their neighborhoods and love to leave reviews and tips about the businesses they love the most. Users are tech savvy and have multiple outlets to sing their high praises of your business around cyberspace with the stroke of a button. Encouraging these users to come to your shop is just good business!

2) Make offers – When you check into a business on Foursquare, you immediately received notice of any nearby businesses that have a “special offer”. Currently, Foursquare allows any business to use their platform to offer deals and promotions to users at no charge. I would suggest staying away from offering FREE things and gear your offers to have users buy something in order to get something. Foursquare users like offers to be special to them. So be creative.

3) Track and reward – Foursquare’s gaming functionality allows businesses to create special promotions for mayors and badge earners which sets up a fun competition among their fans. You can offer special promotions to reward your “mayor” (the person that check into your establishment the most) Foursquare can even track frequent customers so you can reward them. So they could receive a special incentive on their 10th “check in”- It’s like the digital/social version of the loyalty card.

4) Making it a game – One of the most intriguing aspects of Foursquare is the game. It’s always fun to compete with friends and you will be shocked at the lengths that people will go to wear the mayor crown.

5) Built in Analytics – Foursquare goes far beyond letting you know how many people have checked in. Foursquare provides business owners with complete stats for users.

6) The Bird’s the word – Like all good social media platforms, foursquare users have the option to tweet or add a Facebook status update every time they check-in.

Contact us to learn how to set up foursquare for your business.