Are you too dismissive of Foursquare (as well as Gowalla and the other geo-location apps)?
I’m starting to hear a lot of smart people scoff at these services, primarily along these lines “Why do I care where someone is eating for lunch?” The last time I heard that line of reasoning en mass was when legions were objecting to a new thing called Twitter.
Now, I’m not suggesting Foursquare will ever approach Twitter’s level of ubiquity, much less Facebook’s. Why? Because Foursquare makes very little sense unless you’re in a physical location like a store, restaurant, etc. It has natural constraints on where and when you would use it to create content – just as Yelp does.
But, if you are a business with a physical location (or you have clients that fit that bill) you need to pay attention to how Foursquare and geo-location can help you – and it can. There are three primary benefits: awareness via virality and social proof; loyalty and rewards; and market research.
Recently, I had the good fortune of hosting the weekly #socialmedia chat (Tuesdays 9am Pacific) where social media types congregate on Twitter and answer three questions posed by the host. I chose geo-location apps as the topic for my session. You can review the entire transcript here, as well as transcripts from the 52 #socialmedia chats that preceded mine. (there is some absolute gold in there – huge credit to Marc Meyer and Jason Breed for producing #socialmedia).
There were so many excellent ideas for how to maximize Foursquare’s impact during the session, that I figured I’d pull out some of the best for you here. Because it was well understood by most participants, we didn’t talk too much in the chat about the impact of customers “checking in” and posting updates to Twitter and Facebook, and how those check-ins drive awareness of local business. (I’ve personally discovered several restaurants that way). But, we did talk about the impact of geo-tagging on reviews, and whether the fact that someone has actually been to a location recently should influence your perception of their opinion.
from @themaria
from @glassesgeek
from @imediamichelle
There were a lot of comments about not caring as much about real-time reviews, but rather caring more about reviews/tips from people you actually know. This is interesting, because isn’t the whole point of Foursquare to only connect with people you actually know? At least it is for me.
We also talked about the impact widespread, on-the-spot reviews could have on customer experience. Here’s my very favorite tweet about that subject:
from @seancuthbertson
And another good one from @karimacatherine
I’m a big believer that small business should constantly be monitoring Twitter (and now Foursquare and Gowalla). Arm your manager with a mobile device and an email alert system:
For the final question of the #socialmedia chat, we talked about tips for businesses looking to take advantage of Foursquare. Some great ideas:
from @theblackfin
from @mikefraietta
from @bradmays
In addition to the chat, I also came across this fantastic presentation about Foursquare (note the SEO benefits) from Chuck Reynolds. (note that Chuck is the official WordPress and SEO consultant to me here at Convince & Convert. He’s awesome, if you ever need any help in those areas).
Sure, the number of users is fairly small today, but Foursquare and Gowalla give businesses incredible insight into their audiences. Where else can you get a list of people that have visited your establishment, at what times, how often, and what they said about you? It’s never going to be Facebook (unless Facebook buys them), but don’t ignore geo-location apps.
What great examples of businesses doing this well do you have? Go for it in the comments.
Great article…I do find it funny to hear people (even people who “get” Twitter) scoffing at Foursquare. If you don't see the value then cool…but that doesn't automatically mean there is no value!
There are two key bits to 4SQ imho:
1) as an incentive/reward tool
2) as a discovery tool
I think 1) is where it is taking off well at the moment as more and more venues start to add in real world rewards. This can only increase when 4SQ release the business analytics dashboard and (I assume) give more power to venue owners (e.g. create their own badges etc?)
Point 2 I think is slightly more tricky. I don't think the tips/todos are particularly good at being used for reviews. If I'm on “restaurant row” (as @glassesgeek says) I want to “see” what venues are around and how people are rating it – and not just any people – perhaps just ratings from my friends (or friends of friends) – we can define the review net to not only weed out the noise but define the net to match our preferences. This is where 4SQ needs to work a bit hard imho
@joel_hughes
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential: Are you too dismissive of Foursquare (as well as Gowal… http://bit.ly/d1yu7Z
RT @jaybaer: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential: Are you too dismissive of Fours… http://bit.ly/aPOK5F #marketing
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential: Are you too dismissive of Foursquare (as well as Gowal… http://bit.ly/dCs8kK
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://bit.ly/dCs8kK
New @jaybaer Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://bit.ly/dCs8kK
RT @jaybaer Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://bit.ly/9ZQttG #SMM
C&C Blog Post – Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://bit.ly/apuJmg RT Please
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://bit.ly/dCs8kK #ConvinceandConvert
RT @jaybaer Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://bit.ly/9ZQttG #SMM
Jay Baer Blog: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://bit.ly/cy94Pa Full http://bit.ly/bjS2qk
Foursquare posts: Mine http://bit.ly/bGFQNi @jaybaer 's http://bit.ly/aSAVdR and @chuckreynolds http://bit.ly/dsgfQ1 Biz's, learn it up!
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://goo.gl/fb/YuT42 #mobile #socialcrm
Ignoring #FourSquare means ignoring who's been at your store, what they said, etc. http://bit.ly/bGDpdT (from @jaybaer)
FourSquare might have big potential but it has two immediate problems. The Blackberry version freezes the device. So they have unsolved technical glitches that restrain growth and market penetration. And their customer service SUCKS! They do not respond to complaints, offer no solace or solutions and given the larger Blackberry population have already alienated potential users and advocates.
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential #li http://viigo.im/33cz
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://tinyurl.com/yz4yd4e #socialmedia #news
Hi Danny,
I've used their application on my Blackberry without a glitch (and that's pretty rare!) but I know that developing on the BB is a non trivial affair with multiple phones and o/s's (I have a Curve 8900 4.6). My 4SQ app version is 1.7.0 if that helps.
On the other hand, the new Linkedin app completely nuked my BB – had to reinstall o/s this morning…grrr!
Re customer service – yeah – I can see that's annoying but, in fairness, they are in the grips of a massive updraft at the moment so I'm sure they're creaking resource wise. Still, the should get on top of it. Have you visited their “get satisfaction” forums?
Joel
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO /by @jtobin
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO /by @jtobin
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO /by @jtobin
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO /by @jtobin
RT @jtobin: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO
RT @Aerocles: RT @jtobin: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO
RT @Aerocles: RT @jtobin: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO
RT @Aerocles: RT @jtobin: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO
RT @Aerocles: RT @jtobin: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO
Businesses should be paying attention to location-based apps and many are. The businesses I'm finding usually are local and small who are willing to be early-adaptors because they are already taking risks. Foursquare and Gowalla are evolving quickly. Analytics are lagging behind, but once they can provide the data, there will great insights into customer behavior for businesses. Once, that happens I see more businesses embracing these apps.
Businesses should be paying attention to location-based apps and many are. The businesses I'm finding usually are local and small who are willing to be early-adaptors because they are already taking risks. Foursquare and Gowalla are evolving quickly. Analytics are lagging behind, but once they can provide the data, there will great insights into customer behavior for businesses. Once, that happens I see more businesses embracing these apps.
@lawpower One more if you haven't seen it this morning. "Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril" http://j.mp/9JWOKZ
@lawpower One more if you haven't seen it this morning. "Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril" http://j.mp/9JWOKZ
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential — http://bit.ly/aT5JAI
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential — http://bit.ly/aT5JAI
RT @Aerocles: RT @jtobin: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril: An Analysis of Potential http://is.gd/biwRO
RT @liquida #SMM Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://ow.ly/170gv3
When will local businesses realise the potential for Foursquare? http://ow.ly/1vy1E
When will local businesses realise the potential for Foursquare? http://ow.ly/1vy1E
When will local businesses realise the potential for Foursquare? http://ow.ly/1vy1E
"Ignore #Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential" by @JayBaer http://bit.ly/ccxvHB #LBS #LBM
"Ignore #Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential" by @JayBaer http://bit.ly/ccxvHB #LBS #LBM
"Ignore #Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential" by @JayBaer http://bit.ly/ccxvHB #LBS #LBM
RT @TiffanyEckhardt: When will local businesses realise the potential for Foursquare? http://ow.ly/1vy1E
RT @TiffanyEckhardt: When will local businesses realise the potential for Foursquare? http://ow.ly/1vy1E
RT @jaybaer: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://bit.ly/aNubwr
RT @jaybaer: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://bit.ly/aNubwr
Start delivering? "#Foursquare – I Wish It Was Better For Me…" http://bit.ly/dxPqzG #JohnBatelle Also: http://bit.ly/ccxvHB
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential http://bit.ly/aSAVdR
Great Blog post with important info about "Foursquare" http://ow.ly/1vAIl
Jay,
I had a recent experience with Foursquare that converted me to an ongoing user. The funny thing is I had only been using it for about a day since I only recently got my iphone. Everybody had been going on and on about it, so I had to see for myself what the point was.
I installed Foursquare and the first place I checked in was my Local Fantastic Sam's. When I checked in, I became the mayor. So, I tweeted that “Apparently I'm the mayor of fantastic Sam's. About 30 mins later the @be_fantastic account contacted me and offered to send me a free gift certificate in the mail for my next haircut. A few days ago I got a gift certificate for 10 bucks. Not bad considering the haircut only costs $15.00. So, they definitely got my attention with that and here I am writing about it. Yet another testimonial for them
. Smart moves on their part if you ask me.