One of the more resourceful things about social media is the ease it which to get the information we need as quickly as possible. Facebook really kick started a trend that had been laboring under the days of MySpace. Now Twitter, Foursquare and Google+ continue the trend, taking Location Based Marketing to a whole new level. In an earlier article this year I talked about the basics of Foursquare and it’s practical uses for businesses both large and small. Since then however we have seen a few changes come to Foursquare and I’d like to take a brief time to go over them.
As mentioned previously, Foursquare has three basic functions. The first and the most popular is a location based mobile application. You check in at a location and let people know where you are. These checkins can be posted to Facebook, Twitter and even LinkedIn. In recent months this type of reporting has caused quite an uproar, with websites like “Please Rob Me” which scour the public Twitter feed for Foursquare check-ins and posting them, thus pointing out that thieves could use the information to know when you were not at home. With any technology there will be always be issues and that is as much as we will say on the matter.
The second is the fictional race to be Mayor of as many locations as possible. This one is rather self explanatory, check in more to a location than anyone else consistently within a certain time frame and you can be Mayor of your local bar, restaurant, library, airport, etc. For some people this even supersedes telling your friends where you are, for others it’s about the perks the establishment may offer its Mayors.
Foursquare’s Enhanced Deals & Specials
It is the last function that I wish to focus on today however. The specials. In the past these specials were offered by the individual location. Things like a bottle of wine with your third check-in or 5% off you meal with your first check-in. In late June, after reaching 10 million users however Foursquare decided to up the ante a bit with a few new changes to the specials format. Read the rest of this entry »
