3 ways to turn Foursquare users into ambassadors for your brand
With so many social media platforms out there, marketers often forget how critical Foursquare can be to their marketing strategy. Foursquare is the leading location-based social network, and even if you aren’t actively using it, chances are users are finding your business listed on it.
If you don’t know, here’s how Foursquare works: Users “check in” with the app on their mobile phone by selecting their location from a list of venues the application locates nearby. The location-based network allows them to be extremely specific. For instance, they may easily alert their social network, including their Facebook friends and Twitter followers, that they are in a certain aisle or floor of your store. Users earn points for every check-in, so there is an incentive to stay connected. Plus, there is the added bonus of basically bragging about the cool places they’ve been. Wouldn’t you like your business to be one of them?
I believe every business should have an active presence on Foursquare, because users are making a brand recommendation every time they check in. Here are 3 ways you can encourage visitors to your store to check-in with their Foursquare friends.
Mark your territory
Whether you are a large or small business, a user has probably submitted your business to Foursquare. However, you should log on to mark your territory on Foursquare to be an active part of the platform and to make sure that your listing is accurate and complete. This is a FREE way to market, so there is no reason not to. Marking your territory allows you to tell your own brand story, and it lets Foursquare users know that you are as tech-savvy as they are.
Creating Traffic and Tracking Customers
Once you have an active presence on the Foursquare network, you can offer special rewards for people who check in to drive “traffic”. One way to attract customers is to offer a 10% discount to anyone who checks in at your location and a 20% discount to users that check in more frequently. This is a fantastic way to track your customers while encouraging repeat visits. You can also reward loyal customers by giving them advance notice of new items, sales and discounts. Foursquare offers free analytics tools that report who is checking into your business, when they are visiting, and even how much they are sharing about your business across other social networks.
Be Creative
Foursquare is a creative network. It entices users to check-in with simple rewards like virtual points and badges. A frequent visitor to a specific site can even be crowned the “Foursquare Mayor” of that location. Foursquare mayorships are awarded to customers that have checked in at a specific venue more times than any other user over a 60-day period. Only users who have uploaded profile photos are eligible.
Because Foursquare is so creative about driving traffic, you will need to be just as creative to keep users interested. Some businesses reward the Foursquare Mayor of their location by doing something special for them. This might be reserving a special table for that person or sending them free product samples. Foursquare gives you the ability to create special experiences for your new customers, so be sure you are making the most of that opportunity. You can start by setting up a Foursquare Special to attract and reward visitors.
Learn about some other social media marketing tools and tactics for your health nutrition brand:
Using Pinterest as a B2B Platform for Health Nutrition Marketing
Social Media Marketing Strategies for Your Health Nutrition Brand
Mobile Marketing in the Health Nutrition Market
photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/isalei/5222879905/”>Nuccia-Isalei</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>
Jessica is a competitive athlete and the President of Energize HNM, a health and nutrition marketing agency. Jessica is committed to supporting health brands of every size by helping them define their missions and connect with their customers on a deeper, more meaningful level.