Foursquare business marketing: It’s Still a Thing.
First, what role does Foursquare play in the marketing mix?
Foursquare is a location-based social networking website for mobile devices, such as smart phones, ipads or laptops . Users “check in” at venues using a mobile device, text messaging or a device-specific App by selecting from a list of venues the application locates nearby. Each check-in awards the user points and sometimes “badges”and other awards to encourage competition. This is called Geolocation and is based on GPS hardware in the mobile device or network location provided by the application. Some of the other popular Geolocation based services include Yelp, Loopt, Buzz, Google Places and Facebook Places, but Foursquare is the leader of the pack in our book, because it is WAY MORE SOCIAL.
This unique concept that people can use mobile devices to interact with their environment quickly caught on from its inception in 2009. As of January 2013, the company reported it had 30 million world wide registered users. The company was expected to pass 750 million check-ins before the end of June 2013, with an average of about 3 million check-ins per day, but completely destroyed those expectations by having 3 billion check-ins as of this writing. If you are into technology, here is the Foursquare Engineering Blog, serious innovation and commitment to the user experience.
Fun Fact: On October 22nd, 2010; International Space Station Commander and NASA Astronaut Doug Wheelock had just checked-in from space using Foursquare, marking the first time a location-based app has been used from the great beyond. And yes, he got a NASA Explorer badge to mark the occasion, along with the following congratulatory message:
“You are now 220 miles above Earth traveling at 17,500 mph and unlocked the NASA Explorer Badge! Show this badge and get a free scoop of astronaut ice cream.”
Demographics:
This infographic below from Alexa gives a breakdown of who is on Foursquare.
For marketers Foursquare offers a unique and compelling opportunity to use location based services to promote their brands in real-time. Businesses and organizations are learning the benefits of social media campaigns that include Foursquare, here are several reasons we include Foursquare in our BSSM marketing.
Consumer Oriented:
Foursquare users are highly engaged in most social media platforms. They are educated and highly mobile, have money to spend and are very influential. They want to be seen “out” and use Foursquare updates on their device for meeting and interacting with their social circles. It’s very handy to know where your friends are and what they are doing. Consumers are heavily engaged in Foursquare because of its ability to take what may be a great excursion or a simple trip and turn the notification process into a game. By checking into a location you earn points that are constantly being added and compared to their networks. The competitive nature of Foursquare allows users to earn badges for checking-into certain locations, multiple bars in one night, the first person to check-in to a new location- all of which may earn you special recognition in the form of a badge. Finally users have the ability to create check-in locations such as their homes with custom names so their friends know exactly where they want to be seen.
Free Advertising & Exposure:
Free Foursquare Advertising? Just by listing your business, brand or venue on Foursquare for free you automatically open yourself to hundreds, thousands or potentially millions of users. When users check-into a location or hunt for a venue there’s a good chance they may find your brand or location, and running a business owner’s special almost guarantees it. That impression leads to awareness, the opportunity for some type of engagement and at the very least an opportunity to add credibility by being associated with one of the fastest growing social media tools. This is also the ideal site to generate interest and ultimately sales through the use of coupons, special check in offers and sales that differentiate you, from the competition.
There are many other unique marketing opportunities on Foursquare that we monitor daily making sure that our clients are represented throughout the platform. Foursquare is just one more tool in the arsenal that we call #BSSM. As one of the only social media companies around with this professional, scientific strategy, we put your company’s best foot forward in a customized program which recognizes the uniqueness of your company and brand. This is not a common “shotgun” approach but a carefully devised plan to achieve your company’s goal of wide social media coverage which results in a predictable ROI over time.
With Foursquare in our arsenal, this is just one more reason we can say…
Relax, We’ve Got This.
By: Gary E. Mullins
