Foursquare is a relatively new social media tool that utilizes geo-location-based technology to promote community involvement and networking. Friday, April 16 has been dubbed the official “unofficial” Foursquare Day to drive traffic and increase involvement in the application
Foursquare is a relatively new social media tool that utilizes geo-location-based technology to promote community involvement and networking. Friday, April 16, has been dubbed the official “unofficial” Foursquare Day to drive traffic and increase involvement in the tool. The day is celebrated on April 16 because it is the fourth month and the 16th is equal to four squared.
Foursquare is a mobile device application that allows users to “check-in” at various venues using text messaging or specific smart phone applications, and generate points and sometimes badges for doing so.
“Location-aware technology is the future,” said Katie Felten, president of MKELive. “Applications like Foursquare can really bring a community together. It takes social media, typically an online engagement, and takes it offline to become a part of the community.”
In addition to being a useful social media tool, Foursquare’s geo-location technology also makes it a user-generated city guide and networking application that becomes more useful as more people get involved, Felten said.
“People create venues and check in to different locations around the city, and the device automatically shows what is trending, what venues are nearby that your friends left messages about, where your friends are, and which venues nearby are offering specials for your check-in,” Felten said.
Foursquare Day is not just about getting more users involved in the Foursquare game, its also about getting more businesses actively involved in engaging with their customers.
“For a business owner, one of the most useful and unique aspects of Foursquare is that they are able to see who is coming in to their place of business, how often they are coming in, and are be able to reach out and make contact with that customer immediately,” she said. “Whether they are able to track it live or not, they are able to see who is coming in, where they are sharing the message and can benefit from free publicity from a third party user.”
Businesses using Foursquare effectively can reach out to those third party’s and make their experience even better by engaging them by offering special deals to the mayor or for certain numbered checkins, or just by saying “thanks for coming in,” Felton said.
“It’s that level of engagement that has changed the playing field,” she said.
Local small business owner Joe Sorge has managed to garner national attention for his use of social media tools like Foursquare and Twitter. Sorge can document an increase in his sales from events his restaurant-bar AJ Bombers has planned around earning Foursquare badges, he said.
“For me, Foursquare is really a way for me to make sure my customers enjoy their experience even more,” Sorge said. “Just like any other social media tool it isn’t something that can be forced, but it is definitely a useful tool to engage with guests at the point of experience if I’m not already onsite.”
According to Sorge, Foursquare doesn’t replace your responsibilities as a business owner, and for him the application only enhances the way he’s always done business.
“I’ve always engaged in a sort of permission-style marketing,” Sorge said. “I am a person who likes to engage with a person who is interested in my business and what I’m doing. Foursquare has worked well for us because it fit right into what we were already doing, and if you are a fan of us on facebook, checking in to our venues or following us on twitter we already know you are interested and that gives us permission to interact with you to make your experience with us even better.”
Felten, Sorge and Alvin Vintancol, partner at Capital Midwest Fund will present a seminar at this year’s BizTech Conference and Expo on Wednesday, April 28 from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m. entitled: “So you’ve heard of Foursquare… and you are pretty sure it’s not just a game.” For details on that seminar or to learn more about Foursquare check out Felten’s video here, and register for the BizTech Conference and Expo by visiting www.biztimes.com/expo2010.
Sorge has partnered with other local companies and has planned an event for Foursquare Day that he hopes will generate interest in the tool and really show people the validity of the application from a business standpoint.
“I wanted to do something fun and creative that would get people to come out, but that would also showcase results,” he said.
Sorge is keeping his event plans a surprise until the day of the event.
