(Dare to) Foursquare for Your Business

Foursquare is a smartphone app that allows users to tell their friends where they are, share tips about local places, and get special offers at businesses. Users "check in" to locations when they arrive, and compete to become the "mayor" of different locations. You become the mayor of a place by being the person who checks in most frequently.

Sure, this sounds like a fun way to explore a city and stay in touch with friends, but what does it have to do with your small business? Everything! There are currently 10 million users on foursquare and over 500,000 businesses that use it as a marketing tool. We here at Yext are here to help you understand why you should be using Foursquare to promote your business and how to most effectively do so.

RadioShack recently released the findings of a foursquare study they performed. The results were overwhelming. Here's what they discovered:

• People who use Foursquare are generally young, hip tastemakers. They are the ones who can make or break a trend.
• Customers who used their foursquare specials spent, on average, 3.5 times more than other customers.
• Most of the check-ins are from new customers.

Foursquare brand pages are simple to create and (best of all) completely free. All you have to do is connect to foursquare with your Twitter account and go. There used to be an application process, but now you can create a brand page all by yourself. All you need is an image for your brand, a description of your company, and a location.

Want to get your business involved with foursquare? Here's how:

• Find your business listing on foursquare here, and declare that you are the venue's manager.
• Create special discounts and incentives for customers. When they see your venue on foursquare, they will also see the specials you are offering.
• Advertise your foursquare account on other outlets like newsletters, emails, and Twitter.

There are a number of different types of specials you can offer:

• Give a discount on each person's first check-in at your business.
• Use foursquare as a virtual punchcard and offer something free after a certain number of check-ins.
• Offer the mayor of your venue a special offer (a free drink, a percentage off, etc.) every time they check in.
• Specials go online immediately, so if you're having a slow day, use a "Swarm Special" that is only unlocked after a certain number of people check in, encouraging customers to bring friends.

After getting your listing set up on Foursquare, take a second to make sure your otherInternet listings are up to speed here at Yext.