Setting Your Business Up On FourSquare. In January, FourSquare opened up the ability for business owners to create official brand pages to help them attract customers to deals, offers and available promotions. Or, at least they did if you were a major brand and could get through FourSquare’s strict manual review. Unfortunately, that excluded most people trying to get in on the action.
Not good. Under the manual system, small- and medium-sized business owners found themselves unable to play simply because their following wasn’t large enough. However, that all changed last week when FourSquare opened up Businesses Pages to everyone by making them “self-serve”. Oddly enough, in order to create a brand page on FourSquare, you first must have a Twitter account. Twitter account created, you can head to FourSquare’s Create Your Page screen where you’ll be asked to connect your FourSquare account with your Twitter account. With that out of the way, small business owners are encourage to leave five tips for the community to discover. New app turns Foursquare from social media into socializing media. Forecast: announce your plans for the day We all know about social media, but how about socializing media? For example, a smartphone app that exists purely to help you see your friends? Foursquare has launched one. It’s called Forecast, and it’s a very simple idea. You let Forecast know your likely movements later in the day and it lets your friends know.
Then presumably, if they’re going to be around, at a loose end and wanting to catch up, they can get in touch. I know that technically the same thing can be achieved by simply telling your friends that you’re going to be in a place or even by setting up a Facebook event, or putting a shoutout on Twitter about where you are heading – but Forecast has a nice, casual element to it. It’s also probably not that useful if all your friends are people you drink with in your local, or if you live in a really small town. Img.constantcontact.com/docs/pdf/get-started-building-your-social-media-presence.pdf. Www.tq.com.au/fms/tq_corporate/CLUECARD - foursquare for tourism.pdf. Www.affectstrategies.com/files/AFT_SocialMediaSuccess_Foursquare.pdf. Www.the555deal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/location-based-marketing.pdf. Www.mojaveinteractive.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Foursquare-for-marketers-Mojave-2010.pdf. A Foursquare Strategy | 24 Usable Hours.
Foursquare is taking off like gangbusters, and it’s got me excited about combining social media with actual social interactions. Last week, Rafael Gallegos of New York Theatre Workshop asked me, “We have foursquare checkins, but I’d really like to run a deal for the mayors but don’t know how to begin. any thoughts?” So here’s what I would do. The BACKGROUND: NYTW “provokes, produces and cultivates the work of artists whose visions inspire and challenge all of us.” They’re about 30 years old, located in the East Village, and have roughly a $5 million annual budget. They’ve got 2,756 fans on Facebook (posting about twice a day), 992 followers on Twitter (also tweeting about twice a day), just under 5,000 views total from their 6 YouTube uploads, and have thus far had 29 check-ins on Foursquare from 15 users.
Top Secret is their next production; tickets go on sale to general public Jan 29, and first preview is Feb 24, closing March 28. The MISSION: The SET UP: The GAMEPLAN: Any thoughts? Foursquare’s “Think Locally” Strategy Stands Out | BNET. Last Updated Mar 10, 2010 4:17 PM EST With all of the new media-oriented tech companies starting up, it's difficult to figure out which ones you need to pay attention to from the dozens you don't. So BNET will do it for you. With that, today's focus is Foursquare, a New York location-based social service, which officially launched a year ago. It has 475,000 members (some of whose updates are featured above), but soon it is likely to be much bigger, and more important, than that. Foursquare mixes letting members tell people where they are with gaming. Users "check in" when they are at a location--say, the steps of an art museum--and the service tells their Foursquare friends where they are.
It also recommends nearby locations, and keeps a history of the places users frequent. The game component is worked into Foursquare in the form of points and badges. And then there's mayorship -- something that many Foursquare users crow about when they earn the title. . © 2010 CBS Interactive Inc.. 5 Ways Foursquare is Changing the World. Sometimes the smallest changes in the status quo can have the greatest impact on the world. So while Foursquare may appear to be nothing more than a mobile application getting excessive buzz, it's actually fueling the location-based mobile space with unique creativity that competitors can't copy fast enough.
The real-world effects of the game are also quite pertinent. If you need proof, we've dissected how the startup is creating a new currency, turning social activity into a game, redefining what it means to be a regular at an establishment, pioneering a deeper connection between place and patron, and putting people focus on higher education. 1. Creating a New Currency Customer loyalty programs tend to involve old fashioned punch cards, but even those that are electronic don't take into account your social media mentions.
That's all changing, however, as we've already seen from a recent Tasti D-Lite announcement. 2. The effects of that simple act of checking in can be felt far and wide. Foursquare Business Strategies You Don't Want to Miss. August 22nd, 2011 by Samir Balwani Mobile marketing has become more and more important as consumers migrate to the new platform. Location based sites like Foursquare lead the pack, but how do you make the most of the platform? What strategies work well? Businesses have started to recognize the power of location based social media; its ability to get people to visit a store, attend a concert, or perform an action. Create a Foursquare Special Want to connect with consumers near your store? Businesses should be strategic with their use of this promotion.
Other potentially high value stores include Apple stores, Best Buys, Starbucks, and popular restaurants. If you’re near one of these high volume stores, it’s definitely worth working with Foursquare to create a “checkin deal”. The Scavenger Hunt For those with multiple stores and a willingness to offer some great deals, a scavenger hunt works well. Obviously, the prize has to be cool enough to get users to visit each store. Leave a Tip Get a Tip. 4 Ways Foursquare Is Better for Business Than Facebook | BNET. Last Updated Jul 11, 2011 3:18 PM EDT If you run any kind of brick-and-mortar operation and you're not using Foursquare, you might be missing out on one of the cheapest and most effective marketing solutions on the planet. In case you're not familiar with it, Foursquare asks users to "check in" when they visit a physical location.
The service offers rewards in the form of badges, which are good for bragging rights, and "mayor" status to the person with the most visits. As you may recall, Foursquare launched in 2009 to great fanfare. It was the "it" service for a couple months, but then seemed to get lost in the twin shadows of social-media powerhouses Facebook and Twitter. But suddenly people are talking about Foursquare again. Let's look at four ways Foursquare can do more for your business than any Facebook page -- or even Groupon promotion. 1. Anyone who uses Foursquare regularly knows how addicting it can be. 2.
And speaking of rewards... 3. This is the biggie. 4. 6 Ways to Market on Foursquare Without a Location. Scott Bishop is a director of social influence and author of How To Make Money Marketing Your Business With Foursquare (FT Press Delivers). You can read more of his insights on his social media marketing blog. Savvy marketers and business owners have flocked to Foursquare to take advantage of their 4.5 million members for one simple reason: Foursquare requires action. Conversations on Twitter and fan engagement on a brand’s Facebook Page can be valuable pieces to a successful social media marketing campaign, but user activity at the point of sale is the ultimate objective for us marketers and business owners. We ultimately want action, and geolocation networks like Foursquare deliver the goods. The marketing opportunities for retail stores on Foursquare are obvious.
But what if you’re aren't a retail store? In a world of limited budgets and low-traffic locations, businesses must creatively approach Foursquare’s already available options. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Top 5 Foursquare Mistakes Committed by Small Businesses. This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. From our coverage on Mashable, you've probably learned a fair share about Foursquare for business. There are more than 9 million people on Foursquare, and there are 250,000 businesses that have claimed venues and use the location-based service as part of their overall marketing program. Foursquare is a free platform for merchants to use to engage and incentivize customers, but only if done right.
Here's what not to do as you embark on your Foursquare marketing endeavors. 1. There's no fun in trying to unlock a special that is nearly impossible to unlock. Foursquare enables businesses to activate a special only on certain days or during certain times, or they can reward people for every nth checkin, regardless of what time or day it happens. Specials can provide discounts, a few bucks off or a free item. 2. 3. 4.
10 foursquare secrets worth making 'public'