This article will describe the site and provide you with some tips to promote using this medium.
Foursquare: A Brief Introduction
The Foursquare social network is in a category known as Location Based Marketing. Foursquare is an application designed for the web and mobile platforms. It allows users that are registered with the site to hook up with their friends and update and get updated as to their whereabouts. The application is not for everyone, as it is designed for those with a brick-and-mortar business. It has proven to be an invaluable way to promote a venue.
To encourage users to “check in” at venues, the application awards points. Users are also given the option to tie Foursquare in with other Social Media networks such as Twitter and Facebook by having their check-ins posted to their accounts. Foursquare awards users that have checked in at a venue a certain number of times within a set time period. For example, a user with the most check-ins in a 60 day period is awarded the title of “Mayor” of that location until he or she is dethroned.
Set Your Goals
Prior to optimizing your business for Location Based Marketing, you should take a step back and decide what you want to get out of it.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you want to increase the amount of traffic to your venue?
- Do you want to increase sales of a specific product?
- Is there a slow period at your venue where you would like to increase foot traffic?
- Do you want new customers?
- Do you want repeat customers?
Sure. You want all of them. But, by specifying your goals, you will be able to build a more effective strategy. A primary goal for any business is for it to be easily found on every social network. When you create your own website you should figure out the best way to tie in this application to increase your physical venue's foot traffic.
Build a Following
Have your check-ins tied to your website by placing a foursquare button on your home page. People are interested in seeing what venues the owner of a website frequents. It is a great way to establish commonality with your site visitors and drive traffic.
Make Your Presence Known
A key component of ensuring that people know about your venue is to provide correct info as to where you are located and contact information such as phone and email. Do it right the first time, as many networks do not give you the opportunity to edit. If you are stuck, try contacting the site directly and see if they will change it for you.
Make stickers or magnets with your business name, website, and a foursquare logo as a reminder to customers to check in on the site and spread the word about you.
Create a promo and let Foursquare do the rest
Location based social networks such as Foursquare provide you with the opportunity to conceive of a promotion and sit back and reap the benefits. This is the perfect situation to use your website as a vehicle to spread the word about your promotion. Some businesses offer specials such as “check in 5 times” and get a free dessert with your meal or get 10% off your next meal when you check in. Think these out based on the goals you have set for yourself and then analyze the results.
The information presented above is an introduction to the Foursquare social media network and provides some tips on how you can tie it together to promote your business by linking the network to your website. Like many of the promotional vehicles on the web, it is free. If you only have a brick and mortar venue and do not have a website, there are plenty of free applications on the web that will allow you to build a free website. We hope this article will inspire you to get on the Location Based Marketing bandwagon and drive sales; both online and off.
