Local mobile marketing tool – Foursquare

Foursquare is arguably the best-known of the next generation of mobile applications. With this app, users can “check in” to venues, and the application lets others know that the person has checked into a particular office, restaurant, bar, café, or other various businesses.

Customers use their smartphones—iPhones, Androids, Blackberrys and others—to check into these venues.

As you can probably imagine, retail businesses usually work best with Foursquare. But others can, too.

Why is this service growing so fast? Two reasons: deals and games.

Foursquare is described by the company as “a friend-finder, a social city-guide, and a game that encourages users to explore their neighborhoods and rewards them for doing so.” The idea is to allow friends to share their favorite spots in any new places that they may discover.

To succeed as its own business, though, Foursquare needs the participation and help of local businesses. So it provides tracking analytics, letting you see how many people checked into your business and when. These tracking tools also let you keep track of your specials and bonuses for frequent customers. Foursquare also provides you with a sticker you can put in your window, inviting people to “check in” to your business via Foursquare.

In its own way, Foursquare is also the next generation of viral marketing. Like viral videos that are spread by email and social networks, the app and system can be used to promote your business by word of mouth via customers who are already at your business. An added bonus is users’ check-ins are published to not only a person’s circle of friends within the Foursquare system, but can be pushed out to their Facebook and Twitter accounts as well. Now that’s powerful and potentially viral, and greatly expands your business’ potential exposure to far beyond the Foursquare application.

Here’s how Foursquare works for your company:

Customer loyalty

Probably the biggest use for Foursquare is to use it for customer loyalty promotions, such as offering a complimentary appetizer to any customer that checks in three times in a given week, or writing a positive review. Tracking these types of actions is easy, too, as its free suite of tools allows businesses to automatically fulfill or unlock their specials. Examples include “Foursquare says you have been here 3 times this week! That’s a free appetizer for you!”; or “Foursquare users get 20% off their order every 10th check in!”

Foursquare is also a great, extremely cheap way to start a customer loyalty program of your own.

The magnet effect

Besides encouraging repeat business, Foursquare can also be used to get first-time customers through your front door, by attracting potential customers who are near your establishment. You have to have at least one special in Foursquare’s system to activate that “magnet,” though.

When users fire up their Foursquare app, they’ll see a special “Special Nearby” button directly in the app, or a “Special” banner if they’re in another area of the app. They’ll see it only if a nearby merchant has a special, though.

If you have a special in the system, the user then clicks on the button, and is then exposed to your business. Try to get that kind of result out of a typical newspaper ad. An added bonus is that your customers will also see your special or specials directly on their phone, when they check into your venue.

Points and badges

Foursquare operates almost like a game as well, as users gain points for checking in, adding a new venue, repeat visits to a venue, and so on. They win badges for actions that are “global” to the service (Local, Adventurer, Superstar, etc.).

The points can be assessed by venue, too. Businesses can encourage customers to check in by providing value for the number of points accrue, such as offering to donate a nickel per point to a charity, or allowing users to earn discounts in relation to the number of points they have. Yet another great, extremely cheap way to start a customer loyalty program of your own.

Mayors

The user that has the most points for a specific venue is designated as the “mayor” of that venue. Many businesses choose to offer something of a larger value to the member who becomes their mayor, such as a gift certificate or a complimentary bottle of wine. Many Foursquare users are very competitive over their “mayor” status. This online “battle” can translate into increased exposure, which can then increase your business’ revenues..

Keep in mind that a mayor of your business really is your mayor. They can be your most influential, and most rabid, customer. Treat ‘em well.

To-do lists

Consider creating a “to-do” list, which is very much like a contest or scavenger hunt. You would create such a list based on aspects of your business you would like to promote, like a new line of food items, a new fitness class, or new pieces of jewelry. When a user completes the to-do list, you could award her or him him in much the same way you would award your “mayor,” by providing a complimentary item or service.

Everyone can be a winner

Lastly, consider making everyone a winner by offering a free upgrade (of some kind) to anyone who checks in—and proves they did to the cashier, of course. You can also offer 10% off to everyone in the store, when the analytics show that 100 people have checked in at your venue.

Not just for retail (B2C)

Foursquare can also be used for other types of business-to-consumer (B2C)-related businesses that may not have a traditional storefront. A real-estate office or mortgage office can offer a free competitive market analysis (CMA) for your home with a check-in, for example.

An online marketing strategy includes being findable in multiple places when local consumers are looking for your product or service. CruxBridge Media can help you strategize and implement your online marketing plan, including opportunities like FourSquare. Contact us for more information … today!