5 Reasons Why Foursquare is Great for Business

Have you heard of Foursquare yet?  Foursquare is much more than a game for your phone that helps you find out where your friends are. Businesses could really take note of the potential for marketing and exposure from this social media platform.

Recently, I was ‘checking-in’ while at the hairdressers, and the manager wanted to hear all about why I use Foursquare. My answers went beyond my competitive streak of gaining badges as rewards for visiting a certain number of venues, or for being the weekly winner (amongst my friends) for having the most ‘check-ins’. I realised that Foursquare is a perfect way for small business to promote themselves and their services. Using my hair salon as an example, I explained to the manager that she could offer specials to Foursquare users, or a little discount to whoever is the Mayor of the venue. Each time someone checks-in at a venue, they are promoting that venue. They are helping get the place noticed by others who also use Foursquare.

Here’s five reasons why Foursquare could offer great marketing potential for business:

• Tips from Foursquare users can help promote the venue. I could be in a shop, and while ‘checking in’, I may also have a look at what other Foursquare users have added as Tips on places nearby. Someone may have suggested that the cafe next door has the best coffee…. so of course I am going to test that out (there’s that competitive streak shining through again)!

• Tips from Foursquare users can help improve the service offered. Not all feedback is bad. Foursquare user tips that mention a flaw in a business could be used as a way of monitoring what customers are saying about your business. It could also help re-focus what your business is trying to achieve.

• Tourism. Businesses can learn where people are visiting in their local area, and why they might be coming to their area. This offers great potential for cities encouraging users to discover new places by offering Badges that are specific to that area. The little achievements (badges and points) that Foursquare offers, really do encourage users to get out and visit more places.

• Foursquare users also share their locations on other Social media platforms. Each time someone ‘checks-in’ at a venue, they are able to share this on Twitter, Facebook and with their Foursquare friends – that enables a business name & location to appear on all of those channels. Free advertising!

• Make a game of it. Businesses could encourage Foursquare users to visit their venue by offering a weekly prize to the person who manages to have the most check-ins at that location each week. This type of marketing tool encourages repeat business, ensures exposure through multiple ‘check-ins’ and has the potential to virally spread to encourage new customers.

At Caroline Serviced Apartments we make a real game of Foursquare. It has brought out the worst (or best?) competitive streak amongst our Front Office team. We have been battling it out to steal the title of Mayor of Caroline Apartments off each other, and we have fun trying to top each others stats on the weekly leader board. This little office banter we have is a good giggle, and addictive! It doesn’t have to be too invasive, ie we may not always want our co-workers to know where we are at all times – so the functionality of going “off the grid” still helps us get our points or badges, without letting anyone know our exact location. As much as I love my friends, I know they don’t really want to know that I am doing my grocery shopping at Safeway!

If you’re wondering how Caroline Serviced Apartments are using Foursquare to help promote our business… here’s a little sneak peak at a challenge we have set for Foursquare users on our Facebook Page. We’re asking for people to visit one of our properties (in Brighton or South Yarra) and ‘check-in’ on Foursquare at the venue sometime before 2pm Friday 16th April, to win a prize that’s well worth the effort!