• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • 🎙️ Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Marketing Agency Show
    • Web3 Business Podcast
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🗓️ Social Media Marketing World
  • đź’ˇ Society
  • 🎯 Partner With Us
    • Podcast Sponsorship
    • Email Sponsorship
      • Email Newsletter
      • Dedicated Email Blast
    • Event Sponsorship
      • Social Media Marketing World
  • đź‘‹ About Us
    • Marketing Events
  • Search
  • Social Media Marketing WorldImprove your strategy, find your next big marketing idea...DISCOVER WHAT YOU'VE BEEN MISSING

    How to Drive More Customers to Your Local Business With Social Geotagging

    by Clement Yeung / March 16, 2010

    social media how toDo you run a local business?  Maybe a restaurant, coffee shop or retail outlet?  Do you want a fun way to encourage repeat traffic to your business?  Does the idea of your customers talking about your business to all their friends sound interesting? If so, you need to pay attention to Foursquare and Geotagging.

    What is Geotagging?

    Simply put, geotagging is the process of attaching geographical data (longitude and latitude) to photographs, videos, websites, status updates and even emails.  This geotagged data shows where the photos, videos, etc., were created or modified.

    Foursquare map
    Google Maps shows the details for a salad bar in Austin, Texas—aligned on a map using latitude and longitude values.

    The technology originally started off as a feature, but entrepreneurs like Dennis Crawley and Naveen Selvadurai anticipated that geotagging would become a much bigger phenomenon. As a result, they created Foursquare with foundations based solely on geotagging.

    What's Foursquare?

    Foursquare is a social network fused with a game that anyone can play, from anywhere in the world. It allows people to “check in” to any location they visit. To play, all a person needs is a cell phone that can browse the internet (and a decent signal!).

    Foursquare
    Foursquare lets users "check in" to locations as they travel, unlock items and complete "to do" lists, creating a game around the service itself.

    Players are rewarded for their continued check-ins via a point scheme by acquiring badges and earning status ranks. For example, Foursquare will give the “local” badge to users who check into the same venue more than three times in one week. If that person checks into a location more than anyone else, they will become its Mayor.

    Why People Love Using Foursquare.

    Foursquare offer
    Foursquare Mayors receive special attention for their loyalty. Wouldn't you reward your most loyal customers?

    People love a great game, and surprisingly, Foursquare is exactly that.

    When you become the Mayor of a venue, it feels like a real accomplishment. It opens you up to added perks that only you are entitled to. You want to brag about it to your friends and networks. It becomes viral.

    A pretty accurate rule of thumb for any business is this: Whatever people find fun and engaging is where your business should be.

    Andrew McCormick summed it up perfectly in his article in Marketing Magazine:

    “Brands support the service by offering deals to participants based, for example, on the number of times someone ‘checks in' to their local branch.

    The benefits for companies include increased footfall and the recruitment of a network
    of brand ambassadors
    who will pass on recommendations to their friends and Twitter followers. Brands can also gather insights into the behavior of customers and what incites consumers to visit their stores.”

    Andrew didn't mention that Foursquare actually integrates with Facebook as well, so there's an even tastier proposition for pursuing a marketing strategy that incorporates social geotagging networks.

    Attention Agency Owners, Brand Marketers, and Consultants

    Marketing Agency Show

    Introducing the Marketing Agency Show–our newest podcast designed to explore the struggles of agency marketers.

    Join show host and agency owner, Brooke Sellas, as she interviews agency marketers and digs deep into their biggest challenges. Explore topics like navigating rough economic times, leveraging AI, service diversification, client acquisition, and much more.

    Just pull up your favorite podcast app, search for Marketing Agency Show and start listening. Or click the button below for more information.

    CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS

    Why You Should Use Geotagging With Your Marketing Strategy

    Foursquare is great for generating a buzz around your brand. You can showcase your offers to a wider audience through viral sharing. It also incentivizes people to visit your business, which leads to buying your products/services.

    You should take Internet-based games like Foursquare seriously—they are big business.

    3 Days of World-Class Training—Zero Travel!

    Social Media Marketing World

    Travel to Social Media Marketing World off the table? Get all of the great content at a fraction of the price with an On-Demand ticket.

    That’s full access to recordings of every keynote, workshop, and session—the ones people travel thousands of miles to see. Don't wait. Get your On-Demand ticket and enjoy actionable content that you can watch anytime, anywhere.

    GET YOUR ON-DEMAND TICKET NOW

    For example, according to Technology Talks, in 2009, Zynga earned $145 million in less than 6 months as a result of their flagship Facebook game, Farmville.

    Foursquare is growing at a steady rate with a user base of around 150,000 people and it's definitely gaining momentum with new deals and partnerships…

    Who's Already Leveraging This Geotagging Service?

    Recently, Foursquare teamed up with movie producers to promote movies like Valentine's Day.  Also department stores like Debenhams and fast-food businesses like Domino's Pizza are now partnering with Foursquare to offer added perks to regular customers.

    This is why you need to be thinking of ways you can implement geotagging into your marketing strategy—you should be aiming to get a piece of the action while it's still buzzworthy and free.

    A 5-Step Action Plan for Implementing Foursquare

    Foursquare
    Registering your business with Foursquare is as easy as 1-2-3.
    1. Find the button above on the Foursquare home page to register your business. Click it and follow the onscreen instructions. It's a very simple, quick process (you don't need to register to create incentives as you'll see, but if you do your offers appear on the website and mobile apps).
    2. Create materials that advertise your participation with Foursquare such as posters for your storefront and for the walls inside.
    3. Advertise your participation on your website, blog, Facebook and Twitter profiles and other social networks.
    4. Engage with Foursquare users who visit your business. Thank them for playing and let them feel noticed and appreciated.
    5. If you're serious about engaging your users, you could mention the Mayor each month on your website or blog and maybe even offer added perks.The key is in creating loyal, avid fans who will represent your brand when you're asleep. If you do this successfully, the return on investment should far overshadow the prizes you offer as incentives.

    What if I Don't Sell Location-based Products or Services?

    You could even take it a step further and create working relationships with businesses that complement your product or service. For example, if you have a continuity product or service like web hosting, why not approach a local computer store and organize an offer whereby the Mayor gets a 15% voucher off the monthly premium hosting package?

    This way, even if the store wants to sweeten the deal and serve up its own perks as well, it could still leverage your service to make a recurring commission from any customer it refers for you.

    It's a Win-Win Situation.

    Even if you don't have a continuity product or service, or you feel that what you have wouldn't sell on this platform, you can still learn from businesses like Foursquare.

    Geotagging is just a vehicle that Foursquare taps to achieve success. Ingredients that matter are engagement, compulsion and loyalty, among others, which gently guide users into the sales funnel.

    If you can replicate the same sentiment that Foursquare users feel when they interact with the service, there's absolutely no reason why you can't have the same success.

    Do you think there's potential for your business to offer perks to customers through Foursquare? What are your thoughts on this new marketing strategy? I'd love to hear your comments below!

    Ready to Supercharge Your Social Marketing Strategy?

    Social Media Marketing World

    Get expert training and an unbeatable conference experience when you attend Social Media Marketing World—from your friends at Social Media Examiner.

    Broaden your reach, skyrocket your engagement, and grow your sales. Become the marketing hero your company or clients need!

    🔥 As a valued reader, you can save $830 on an All-Access ticket if you act now! Sale Ends Friday! 🔥

    GET THE DETAILS

    Tags: Social Media Tools

    About the authorClement Yeung

    Clément Yeung is the Co-Director of Easisell, a digital marketing & design company that helps small businesses achieve success online.
    Other posts by Clement Yeung »

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (37 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Web3

    Next Frontier Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 15th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss another great article from us. Join more than 400,000 marketers!

    Enter your email to get
    our free report:


    Footer

    Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle
    Copyright © 2023 Social Media Examiner®
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS
    • Accessibility