Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Check in Applications: Effective for Small Businesses
Wednesday, April 06, 2011 by Michelle Hartley
Celebrating its two year anniversary last month, the
location-based mobile platform Foursquare is slowly taking the
world by storm. According to their website, Foursquare
currently has over 6.5 million users worldwide. Along with similar
providers such as Loopt, MyTown, Gowalla and BrightKite,
location-sharing is becoming one of the most widely used mobile
applications.
Beyond the obvious use of allowing your friends to know where
you are and when, Foursquare has turned into a game that allows
users to compete for points. Dennis Crowley, the founder, believes
that the game aspect, even allowing users to become "mayor "at
certain bars and restaurants in order to receive discounts, is
widely useful for local businesses. Originally focused on large
businesses such as Starbucks and Bravo TV, Foursquare is now seeing
a large upturn in the use of its product on a local level.
The basic idea behind Foursquare for small businesses can be
summed up in two words, "brand advocates." As a semi-frequent
Facebook or Twitter user, you will generally see a number of
friends checking in at various places throughout the day. Often
times you will see a person with strong brand loyalty checking in a
specific place numerous times. Those loyal customers end up drawing
brand recognition among their friends, which can lead to an
increase in sales.
This completely free advertising technique is a fresh idea to a
rather abrasive world of advertising. At this point, we are now
even seeing advertising in the mirrors at public bathrooms.
Advertising is reaching its hands to places we would never dream
of, giving off a very forced approach. With check in applications,
it allows the user to promote your business at their own
discretion. It's a more relaxed approach that really allows your
loyal consumers the chance to advertise their favorite brands to
friends on their own time.
Though not a requirement, allowing for specials on Foursquare
can promote patrons to bring more friends with them when they
visit. For example, they offer a "Friends Special," where you would
set a minimum threshold for the number of friends you would like to
reward for visiting the business together. For instance, a bar
would use something like, "Check in here with four friends and
receive an appetizer for free."
You can also attract first time business by offering "Newbie
Specials." A salon might offer, "First time here? Your haircut is
half off." Offering mayor and loyalty specials allow for repeat
customers to be rewarded for their brand advocacy, for instance "On
your fifth check in with us, receive your choice of one entrée for
free."
Put simply, Check in Applications are a free advertising
technique that encourages patrons to tell their friends about your
establishment. Similar to the use of Facebook and Twitter, check in
applications can be utilized to effectively market and gain brand
recognition on a very local - small business level.
Until next time -
Michelle Hartley
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester IT Support &
Consulting
Outsourced Marketing
Services
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