The Secret To Making the Most Out Of FourSquare

Is your business purely online? With no physical presnce?  Don’t make the mistake of believing that Foursquare is not for you.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.  There’s still a way for you to profit from Foursquare by… using Pages and Partner Badges to reach consumers…

Foursquare Page is a social media marketing platform that is a place for brands to interact with customers in a dynamic way.  The Foursquare website outlines a step-by-step process of how to set up the Page.

You can customize your page including a banner which integrates your logo.  There is a box to the right which will give information about your brand along with links to your website or social media sites.

Once your Page is set up, you can then leave tips for your followers so that when they check into certain places, your tip will pop up.  For example Zagat uses Foursquare to leave tips for favorite dishes at the restaurants you check into.

Aside from giving tips, you can also offer badges to your Foursquare users. Brand Badges can be unlocked when people check into places or do things that are relevant to your brand.

A good example of integrating both the tips and badges is a campaign New York Magazine recently ran.  They had a “Where to Eat 2011” feature.  Below each restaurant they covered, users could find a tip about that restaurant.

If the reader checked in to 5 of the restaurants on the list, they earned a Where to Eat 2011 badge which unlocked prizes and discounts at these restaurants.

And Foursquare isn’t only for discounts.  It is also to make your Foursquare followers feel special and exclusive.  For example, if you offer exclusive access to a sale that is only available for Foursquare users, it makes them feel part of a ‘club’ and will motivate them to come back for more.

Make sure that your social media marketing campaigns have an ‘end-date’ so that people feel an urgency to act on them.  Also, make sure your staff knows you are using Foursquare and know how to recognize and reward Foursquare users.

In sum, Foursquare is an excellent social media marketing tool to help small businesses (and big ones too!) grow.