Foursquare: Is This the Next Twitter for Local Business Advertising?
I recently ran across a new social media that calls itself a location based service (LBS) that has the look and feel of Twitter – with a few unique items. I instantly see the potential of this service to local businesses as a great way to get the word out – free of charge!
Mashable.com has touted Four Square “While no service is likely to achieve the same scale as Twitter in the coming months, Foursquare has all the right ingredients to be one of this year’s big hits.
Here’s how Location Based Services work:
Through the use of mobile applications with the i-Phone, Android, Blackberry and a few others, LBS uses the geo technology in your phone (the way your new smartphone uses GPS to guide you on a trip), to hone in on businesses in the area. Of course, businesses are going to need to get on board!
Foursquare is pretty much in the same position as Twitter was a couple of years ago. The big difference is that it is primarily location based and people are starting to use it now. People can “check in” at a local business and then give tips on their favorite dish reviews on their service. The top visitors become “mayors” of that particular business. Businesses should encourage special treatment for the mayor if they want to get good press!
The interesting thing about Foursquare is that it connects to Twitter and Facebook – businesses can get even MORE press. This is good and bad, as this press can be both positive and negative. This is why you want to offer rewards to the mayor!! Keep the good word rolling!!
Besides the “mayor’s influence”, there’s more. With Foursquare, people “check in” to your place of business which actually means something.
Foursquare stats
The stats themselves are also quite interesting. On one level you’re competing against just your immediate circle of Foursquare friends, on another you’re competing against everyone in your city on a weekly basis. The stats reset to zero on Sunday night so everyone, even the noobs, has a fair playing ground come Monday morning.
Tips and To-Dos: This is important for local businesses. As a user, you can add tips to locales to tell your friends and the general public about the key things they need to know about a venue. Say for example the restaurant has a discount every Tuesday night, you’d add that info into Foursquare, and then anyone nearby can see the tip and save it as a to-do to on their personal check list. If you don’t add in the special, however, no one is going to know about it. Saavy business owners can become the first in their community to embrace this and they will reap the rewards and a local following!
Foursquare is in a position to be a windfall for businesses. In the same way that savvy business owners can tap into the Yelp (Yelp) community to promote and encourage reviews, they can tap into Foursquare check-ins to get people talking about their establishment and rewarding them for their patronage. The key for business owners is to embrace and encourage comments.
I encourage all business owners to get signed up on Four Square and to start promoting Foursquare to your customers. If you offer your customers a little incentive, they will sell your business for you!