My briefing evaluating Foursquare as a tool for marketers and users
Like many, I'm always questioning new technology asking "what can it do for my clients and me personally".
I'm naturally slightly sceptical, so decided to adopt foursquare for a month to understand how it works, the user's perspective and the benefits for businesses.
What is Foursquare?
Foursquare is a mashup between an online loyalty card and geo-social networking tool. It's in the category of Location Based Services (LBS) or Proximity Marketing as some call it.
Users access Foursquare from their smartphone and when they arrive at a specific destination, they 'check in'. In theory organisations can reward regular customers (the most loyal customer becomes 'the mayor') and encourage potential customers to share their wallet, with a range of special offers.
Foursquare - A user's perspective
Signing up is easy, the usual user name and password and As soon as I'd signed up and checked-in to my…
Wondering how to get started with QR codes? Our guide showing the marketing applications and campaign examples
QR Code Billboard
As Smart Phones and Smart Phone Apps increase in usage we're seeing a lot more interest in how to use QR codes (also known as 2D barcodes or mobile tagging) as a part of the marketing mix. This in-depth discussion on how to use QR codes for marketing on our Smart Insights Linked In Group is an example of this interest.
Late last year Nielsen predicted that smart phones will be the dominant device by the end of 2011, so there's certainly a reason to be taking this area more seriously.
What are QR codes?
Firstly, in case you're not 100% clear on what QR codes…
A few days ago, Google unveiled Hotpot, nothing to do with that Lancashire culinary delight, it's Google's foray into one of the fastest growing areas of the internet - location based software.
So should Facebook,…
Campaign examples of using Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook Places and Twitter Locations to reach your audiences through mobile marketing
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Our commentary: The growth in options for location-based marketing (aka proximity marketing) has been one of the major trends in 2010. We're sure you've followed the cases about the applications of Foursquare, Gowalla and more recently Facebook Places and Twitter Locations.
There's also Google Latitude which has an API which can be used to ask users for access to update their Latitude location or view their current location if they have enabled their location history in Google.
Our definition of location-based marketing:
Social location-based marketing is where social media tools give users the option of sharing their location, and hence give businesses the opportunity to use proximity or location-based marketing to deliver targeted offers and messages to consumers and collect data about their preferences and behaviour.
Marketing implications: Clickthrough Marketing have produced a short guide to…
The high-lights and low-lights of 5 Foursquare campaigns - ClickZ
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Our commentary: Since launching 18 months ago, Foursquare has emerged as a popular marketing platform for small businesses such as restaurants, bars, wine shops, and retailers - in this article ClickZ interviewed 5 such marketers to see what had worked and what hadn't.
It's both sobering and encouraging reading so make sure you check it out. Without much surprise the pertinent take-away: think first and commit to executing well - why?
When you're reliant on people "checking in" to help increase your brand awareness it really boils down to "why would I?" and "don't make it my problem to remember!"
Marketing implications: Foursquare campaigns are, well, campaigns. So you need to be committed and not expect magical results that last forever without you making it happen.
It has to be a part of the bricks-and-mortar operations since otherwise (as one interviewee states) "...this is…
