Colin Alsheimer » foursquare

Six Ways Your Business Can Leverage Geolocation Marketing

Colin — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:32:32 +0000

The LBS market is exploding, as it has been for some time now. With Facebook’s continued work with with their Places product (first the launch, now with Deals) the category has received even more exposure among users and business alike.

But much like social media marketing of several years ago, not all business know exactly how they should be using LBS apps, what services to use, or even what the offerings are.

Here are six ways that a business can leverage location based services in their marketing efforts.

1. Use Virtual Goods

It’s easy to see why Gary Vaynerchuck is so hot on virtual goods. Besides the fact that his company might own one of the best case studies surrounding their use, it may also be one of the most unique business options available on the LBS market today.

At a basic level, I like to think of virtual goods as a creative refresh on coupons. Users who find your businesses virtual good in the wild could redeem for a physical version of the product or service.

This very application was executed to varying degrees of success by Sweet Leaf Tea, the New Jersey Nets, and Chevy.

Apps to use: Gowalla

2. Create a Custom Foursquare Badge

While not a tactic for every brand (word on the street is they’re prohibitively expensive for most) a creative, custom Foursquare badge could make some sense. Look at how Bravo, Comedy Central and Zagat have used custom badges in their Foursquare marketing for examples to emulate.

Apps to use: Foursquare

3. Create Badge Gathering Events

While mostly a tactic that may have seen better days, it’s hard to ignore case studies like AJ Bombers, where the Milwaukee based restaurant saw a 110% increase in sales during an event geared around obtaining Foursquare’s sought after Swarm Badge.

Be sure to consider your target market when considering this tactic. If your target is early adopters or power social media users, be prepared to move on to a different idea. Most power users have already obtained many of Foursquare’s rare badges, and the appeal to participate won’t be as strong.

Apps to use: Foursquare

4. Share Valuable Content

Many of the popular LBS applications allow users to create and share valuable content with other users of the app. This can come in the form of tips left on locations, micro reviews, photos, and more. How can a business leverage these capabilities?

Take the History Channel, for example. They left educational tips at historically significant locations across the country. Users who follow the History Channel account on Foursquare are able to view and interact with these tips.

Zagat, the renowned food and restaurant guide, took a similar approach by leaving their valuable restaurant reviews as tips.

Further, applications like SCVNGR and Gowalla allow users to create trips, which are curated lists of locations (that users check in to) within a given geographic area, typically centered around a theme.

Apps to use: Gowalla, Foursquare, SCVNGR, Whrrl

5. Create business specials

Business specials are often the first tactic that comes to mind when people think of marketing options on LBS applications. And with good reason. If done properly, these business specials can act as great incentive for users to visit your store.

The two primary specials available today – a check-in special (rewarded whenever someone checks-in to your location) and a mayor special (rewarded to the user with the most check-ins).

Apps like SCVNGR put a creative twist on this idea and reward users who accrue the most points. Points are awarded for activities like checking in, posting photos or other business dictated challenges.

Apps to use: Gowalla, Foursquare, SCVNGR, Facebook Places

6. Give to Charity

Businesses looking to get into the geolocation game can also use the popular LBS apps to help with charity initiatives.

For example, a recent campaign by Weight Watchers provided a 1$ donation for every check-in at brand sponsored meetings.

Apps to use: Foursquare, Facebook Places

What are some of the creative ways you’ve seen businesses using LBS applications in their marketing programs?

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Four Ways Foursquare Can Survive the Facebook Onslaught

Colin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:00:38 +0000

With Facebook’s recent roll-out of Places, many have posited the beginning of the end for what had been everyone’s LBS darling, Foursquare. After all, Facebook’s built-in user base of over 500 million people they could dwarf Foursquare’s user base of about 3 million with even a modest rate of adoption (about .6%.)

Facebook also has the benefit of an interface that people are not only accustomed to using, but that all their friends are on as well. As one middle-aged woman pointed out, she wasn’t going to use Foursquare on her iPhone because none of her friends were on it. But would she use Facebook places? Of course! Her friends were already on Facebook.

With all that Facebook Places has going for it, how can Foursquare possibly compete?

1. Improve business offerings

While current business offerings are good, they won’t be enough to make up for Facebook’s larger user base. Foursquare needs to prove that spending time on their platform is worthwhile for a small business. Improve analytics and the ability to interact with users who check in to a location. Could you imagine the ability to offer behaviorally targeted specials to users? For example, a user who regularly checks into bars might appreciate a half priced cocktail more then free appetizer.

2. Drastically improve customer service

On a recent project for a client, it took approximately four months for our location claim and special to be processed. In today’s environment, a four month response time is unacceptable and sets a poor precedent for Foursquare’s relationship with their customers. You can bet after that experience, if Facebook’s response time is even a fraction of Foursquare’s, I’ll be a happy customer.

3. Facilitate discovery

Make up for Facebook’s numbers by being better at discovery. Help users find new people and places to connect with. At this point in their development, Foursquare must have enough user data to make this happen. This way, even if your friends aren’t yet on the network, you can still find value

4. Make the application simple to use

Let’s be honest. The Foursquare interface is a bit clunky. For a non-technical user it might even be downright baffling. And the issues Foursquare has with uptime doesn’t do it any favors. Since the interface behind Places may even be worse, Foursquare has a real opportunity to gain users if they strip down and simply how the application is used. Why are services like Tumblr and Postures able to steal users from Blogger and WordPress? Because they’re dead simple to use!

Do you think Foursquare should be concerned with Facebook’s entry into the LBS market? Or do you think there’s room for multiple players? How do you think Foursquare can improve their service?

The Dangers of Foursquare Badge Fatigue

Colin — Thu, 06 May 2010 05:22:13 +0000

One day it will happen.

You’ll get tired of collecting Foursquare badges.

It may not happen right away, but with new badge releases and major brands jumping on the Foursquare bandwagon left and right – the tiny shining symbols of geek cred will ultimately lose their luster.

Some questions to consider:

How long do you think a Foursquare badge for Starbucks will bring people in the door?
How about a badge for Bravo? Is that going to get people tuning in to Real Housewives of New Jersey?
Right now, it’s kind of sexy for marketers to suggest that brands get custom Foursquare badges. But since a custom Foursquare badge can be mostly bought, how long until it reaches a point of saturation?
What happens when your corner market forks over the cash for its own custom badge – would you care?

And what will that mean for Foursquare?

Sure, the power users who have been on Foursquare for the last year or so are having a much different user experience then those who just joined. But the folks who just joined will eventually catch up.

In order to keep the game mechanics of Foursquare (and user interest) rolling long term, the geolocation app will need to figure out a new social play.

What drove the initial appeal of the badges was the scarcity of the item and the hoops you had to jump through to get it. As the scarcity and hoops decrease – where’s the appeal?

Call me crazy, but I say that Foursquare badges go the way of POGS, Tamagotchis, and Farmville – interesting ideas that captivated our attention for a time, but ultimately lost out.

Will you ever get tired of Foursquare badges? How can Foursquare overcome badge fatigue?

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Foursquare: Do You Accept Friend Requests From Strangers?

Colin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:14:59 +0000

As I type, I’m sitting on 27 pending friend requests on Foursquare. Why? Because I don’t know any of them.

Normally, I’d be one to simply accept the invitation and move on, but, lately, I’ve been giving it a bit more thought.

For those who aren’t familiar, Foursquare is a location based mobile application. When you fire up the app on your smart phone, it knows approximately where you’re located, and you can check in at the location you’re frequenting. There’s much more to the service, but for the sake of this post – check out this great primer on Foursquare here.

I asked this question to Twitter the other day, and got a lot of mixed responses. I’d like to open this question up to debate by doing an old school pros & cons list.

Why You Should Accept Requests

At its core, Foursquare is much like Twitter in that it facilitates connections. There have been many occasions where my Foursquare checking in has led to in person meetings with people I wouldn’t normally get a chance to see.

Its also helped me discover cool new spots in my city, which, when you’re trying to find a cool place to take a business contact to lunch (or a great spot for a dinner date), can help tremendously.

Call me naive, but at this stage in the game, I tend to believe that the majority of people joining and participating in Foursquare are in it for all the right reasons. Most social media “strangers” that I meet are engaging and incredibly kind. Why would I want to put a barrier in front of more of those connections?

Besides, if you’re one of those Foursquare users who ties your account into other social networks like Facebook and Twitter – you’re broadcasting to the world anyway, so why not make a few friends while you’re at it?

Why You Shouldn’t Accept Requests

The biggest problem most people seem to have with location based applications like Foursquare is that they remove one of the final layers of privacy online – your physical location. Sure, you could always update your Twitter or Facebook status, but it’s not the same as broadcasting your local travel habits to people who you may not know very well.

Accepting friend requests from strangers could lead to cases of stalking, burglary, or worse. Why would you open yourself up to the risk?

Besides the lack of privacy and safety issues, if you accept requests from people you don’t know, your stream gets flooded and you can’t keep up with the people you actually want to see. And if you have push notifications turned on? Forget about it. Your phone will be buzzing like there’s no tomorrow.

So where do you stand? Is Foursquare the ultimate IRL tool or is it just another way you’re sacrificing your privacy online?

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