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Five Ways Marketers Should Use Foursquare
A few weeks ago, after I rode 63 miles, I was craving eggs like nobody’s business. So Mr. D and I set out to have brunch at Schuba’s, a little restaurant down the street.
It was 1:45 p.m. and, after sitting there for 10 minutes without service, the waitress finally came by and said they were turning the kitchen over so they couldn’t serve anything until 2:30.
Never mind the fact that the table next to us had just ordered lunch and were happily eating away while Pete the Tapeworm was eating my stomach. I get maybe the breakfast part of brunch would be over, but really? They couldn’t serve the lunch portion of their brunch menu?
So we walked across the street to Flat Top Grill, where I did not get eggs, but I did get their super delicious flat bread with my stir-fry.
Fast forward to this past Saturday when we decided to have Flat Top again. I pulled out my phone to check in to the location on Foursquare (I’m obsessed with becoming the Mayor at all of our local businesses) and lo and behold there was a notice that, if we ate at Schuba’s (and checked in), we’d get 15 percent off our food order.
This time it was 1:15 and we were sure to ask if we could get brunch before sitting down.
Foursquare is Changing
The point is, the use of Foursquare is changing.
A couple of years ago, when Foursquare launched, they were the king of location-based services. Started as a way to connect with friends while you were out and about, it’s had it’s share of problems.
A site (which has since been shut down by the government) called PleaseRobMe.com, posted a running tally of people who were checking in on Foursquare and tweeting their location. It showed a running tally of these tweets with the phrase, “Please rob me. I’m not at home.”
And, while the only real benefits you had to using the service were badges and beating your friends in points (I’m looking at you Mark Robins) or telling burglars you weren’t at home, Foursquare began to gain notoriety and use.
Until the New York Times recently indicated their reign is over. Not to be undone by one silly article, they announced an overhaul of the service by turning it into a recommendation platform.
Which is what I experienced on Saturday when I checked in to Flat Top Grill and got an alert from Schuba’s that I should go there instead.
Foursquare Uses for Marketers
Now, with their 180 degree change in direction, we have an opportunity to use the service to recommend people drop by our locations or our client’s businesses.
Here’s how:
- Ask for check-ins. A client of ours has a check-in sign at his cubicle. Not only does he want you checking in, you have to do so with a photo. Clearly you’re not getting anything by doing that (except his love), but it goes to show how you can suggest people check-in to your location. Put the sign in your windows or at the register. Ask them to check in.
- Tie check-ins to rewards. Just like Schuba’s did by offering us a 15 percent discount, you can do the same. Offer a free drink, a free app, a discount, or a free product. Our local dog store gives doggie bakery treats for checking in to their location.
- Encourage tips. When I checked in to the Detroit airport last week, a tip from my friend Bryan Willmert came up (it said to stand to the right on the moving walkways if you weren’t going to walk – amen, Bryan, amen). When you encourage people to leave tips and their friends see that, they’re more inclined to visit the same place.
- Use time of day to your advantage. If you know the bank across the street is particularly busy at lunchtime and after work, use that to encourage people to drop by your location while they’re running their errands. That’s what Schuba’s did when Foursquare saw I was across the street. They offered me 15 percent off to change my restaurant choice (otherwise I’d never have gone back because of my initial experience).
- Work with other local businesses. Instead of stealing business from your competition, why not work with the other companies surrounding your location? If I check in to Julius Meinl (the best coffee shop on earth), they could recommend I walk across the street and get a cupcake at Southport Grocery.
Clearly location-based recommendations are not for everyone. But if you have a location – no matter what you sell – it’s something worth exploring.
How do you recommend businesses use the changing Foursquare?
@ShellyKramer David Cooper "retweets" and "Follows" you. Could you "Follow" me @lasvegaswinner #LasVegas #RealEstate #Foreclosures
Great article! I love foursquare, but it tends to sit on my 2nd tier of social networks.
I follow the same patter as @AdamBritten I check the specials first to see if anything compels me. It also helps if I've heard even a little buzz about a place. That usually would put me over the edge. On the flip-side it's a huge turn off if the special is overly complicated. "Get one drink free after checking in 3 times between 3-4:23pm Mon, Thr, Sun" It sounds like an intern held a gun to the owners head and forced him to do it.
@JoshPGreenberg @AdamBritten I love the ones that give you something after your fifth time of checking in, but if you don't use it, you lose it. Oy.
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That's a great suggestion about having a tip from one business leading you to another local business. I use Foursquare a lot when I'm exploring a new area, and I tend to gravitate towards places that have specials. But once I've hit one venue, if they had a tip telling me to check out a place down the street, I'd probably be inclined to check it out too.
@AdamBritten I want to see more of that! Lots of tips and specials. It creates loyalty!
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I spoke at our local chamber a few years ago and urged everyone to get on there (including Yelp, Google Places, etc.) Locals don't use it much but our tourists certainly do. That's the obstacle here - they think no one uses it because no one in their circles do.
But what a fantastic way to bring in visitors who don't know about you vs the locals who already do anyway!
@Lisa Gerber I remember! They all looked at you like you had four heads.
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And, let me just say I can't ever be mayor of my health club because an employee checks in every day. And, there's free tennis lessons if I'm the mayor. That ticks me off, but I've not said anything yet, but I'm thinking on it.
Employees should not be able to check into their place of employment; after all, who is Foursquare for, anyway?
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@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing Oh I would say something! That defeats the purpose. If they're giving free tennis lessons to the Mayor, they don't want employees to have the title.
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@ginidietrich Yep. I'm biding my time so I can actually use the lessons instead of bitch and not get the mayoral perq/perk.
Latest blog post: How Much Transparency Is Too Much?
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@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing That's one of the first things I tell my clients, especially when I see an employee is the Mayor. But there is a value in having employees check in, from a promotional standpoint online. I'd love to see Foursquare create a separate category for employees, etc where they can check in, but don't become mayor, etc.
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@KenMueller Foursquare does offer a setting for site managers to identify employees. It allows employees to check in, leave tips, etc., but keeps them from claiming the mayor's status. The trick is that a site manager needs to constantly keep up with the email addresses of his/her employees. In industries such as retail, restaurants and hospitality with high turnover, that can be something of a challenge. But, the feature does exist.
@KenMueller OMGosh; AGREE! That's perfect.
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So true, Gini. I use Foursquare mainly when I'm traveling or go someplace "special" like a nice restaurant (I actually had a bad experience with a very nice restaurant in San Francisco after I checked in there once -- they bombarded me on Twitter to follow them, mention them, etc., etc for several days). That means I'm usually checking into airports, but I really like tracking how many miles I've flown since my last check-in! It's a little bit addictive.
Whenever I see a business offers a perk for a check-in, you can believe I'm on it. I remember American Eagle was running something like 15-20% off an item if you checked in at the store. I did it right at the counter and it was a breeze. I'd definitely do it if more businesses ran something like this!
In other news, there's usually a check-in war running at the Livefyre office, mainly between @jennalanger and @jjbert . Fun to watch!
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@annedreshfield Oh Anne probably knows by now that I'm a 4sq addict. That said, I think their recent changes are decent, at best. They've clearly tailored the experience to include and retain new users (i.e. explore and all the social pressure to connect with friends, adding a bio to your profile, etc.). But, deep down the best tool for marketers hasn't changed at all. A check-in is a targeted ad placement. It is and it always will be. With every check-in your are broadcasting a place, and sometimes vouching for it. With the addition of list and to-dos, it's easier than ever to see a friend's ad (check-in) and save it as a to-do for later on. Discounts and perks are cool, but until staff at these places are trained on what to do the point is kinda moot. I've tried to redeem a 4sq special at a few places and have been met with blank stares. Not cool.
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@joebertino @annedreshfield I've had really good luck with the specials that have been targeted to me. Now if I could just get our local Mexican restaurant to give perks...
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@ginidietrich @joebertino @annedreshfield I want Foursquare to be something that I think of more regularly to get the full benefit of it. I've had numerous times that I've checked out the venue after the fact, and missed a special! That being said, I really like Foursquare as a discovery mechanism, more so than Yelp or others, I just need to remember to use it :)
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@annedreshfield LOL!! Of course there is.
Latest blog post: Communicate the Value of Social Media to the C-Suite
I did some research for a hospital as to great ways to use foursquare - I think working w/other businesses was one of my favorites. Here's what I wrote about it foursquare and The Miracle on 34th Street Project | Imelda Dulcich PR & Social Media http://bit.ly/Ls2xZU
@imeldadulcich Thanks for sharing!
Latest blog post: Communicate the Value of Social Media to the C-Suite
I'm pretty lame when it comes to 4sq, namely because no one cares that I took my kis to Chuck E Cheese's. However, I have liked the tweaks so far and will use it more for the reasons you listed. Nice post G-Money
I really enjoy with this article. i am too foursquare user that allows so many points and awards and coming to others competition in points. I enjoy with foursquare gps application.
Great tips Gini. I'm curious to see whether this new Foursquare takes a bite out of Yelp. What do you think, will one of them become obsolete or do they have different markets?
I'm curious to see if Foursquare will integrate some type of OpenTable reservation service as well. And/or a way to see what the wait time is at a neighboring restaurant...that would be nice!
@rachaelseda I think they're different markets, right now. But the integration of what Yelp and OpenTable do would be awesome!
I always lament at retail businesses that put themselves on Foursquare and then just kind of sit on their hands and do nothing. It seems like the new cool is to put yourself on there and actually offer an incentive to visit. Imagine that, incentive based marketing psychology to reach the super engaged consumer of today.
Although it seems like a great B2C tool, wonder how B2B can leverage it?
@ginidietrich @John_Trader1 I can't envision a B2B application either. Thinking.
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@jasonkonopinski B2B application: Build a 4sq list page on 4sq featuring businesses that use your product.
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@jasonkonopinski @ginidietrich As soon as we figure out what it is, let's call it EightTriangle.
I'm just going to comment on the food part of this post...clearly I"m craving eggs now that I've read about your craving. Have you tried Bakin & Eggs? Yes, they have a bacon flight for those bacon lovers out there!
@yvettepistorio I haven't been there in a long time. I loooooove eggs. We should meet for breakfast!
I definitely think geo location has changed since the days of just telling people where you are. I find it even more relevant when I see that friends have checked in and left tips. Now that Foursquare has updated itself, I find myself going there more and "liking" and leaving comments on people's check ins (ahem...like yours).
Great post! Small businesses should definitely try to leverage this more!
LOL, I am obsessed with being the mayor of the places I spend a fortune at, as well as far too much of my time sitting & waiting (ie my kids activity places, dance studio, hockey rinks, etc). I dont share it via twitter. Its for my own silly gratification. I tell my daughter its my reward for being one of the few parents who watches all her lessons! :)
We have a local business, Nick's Pizza @nickspizza . They have been offering free "munchies" with every foursquare checkin for some time now. They do a lot via social media (one of the few McHenry County firms that does). I like the idea of nearby offers enticing me to make a different decision and/or a new business discovery!
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@sydcon_mktg You can be the mayor but until I can figure out a way to become emperor I simply refuse to use it.
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@sydcon_mktg I'm trying to get our local Mexican restaurant (where I'm the Mayor) to offer some things...you know, like free margaritas.
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@ginidietrich If anyone can persuade an establishment to offer delicious "freebies" it's you BFF. :)
@ginidietrich Any place that offered me a free margarita would get my attention! ;)
Latest blog post: Happy Birthday to the "Con" of SYDCON!
You know Gertie, the only problem with 4sq even as it makes this pivot is the same one it has more or less had- users. It is sporadic at best as @HowieSPM illustrates with Coney Island- ewww....
I'm sure it is AWESOME in the Windy City with 40,000 users, but in the fringes of the world... eh.
PLUS you can do this on FB and Google with significantly more users who actually use it...
@faybiz The funny thing is, I haven't seen FB checkins in ages. But I see Foursquare all the time. I'm not, by any means, saying Foursquare is going to win at this game, but I do think it's something marketers need to add to their toolboxes for brick and mortar locations.
@ginidietrich you see 4sq cuz you use it and know people who use it, but if they are not pushing to facebook and/or twitter... where is the value to marketing it for businesses? They can just as easily do the offers on FB (which I see plenty of) or run some sort of Twitter specific campaign...
I don't deny the value of 4sq or yelp or any of the others... but for many, they have to REALLY know where their customers are first before killing themselves on a niche that they can't fill
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