Impact and benefits of Foursquare (LBS) for local business owners

1. What Is Foursquare And How
Can It Help My Local Business?

2. Why Foursquare?
• For many years, print and television
advertising has been the leading method
of marketing to a large audience.
• Unfortunately, its expensive and time
consuming nature gives large companies
a competitive advantage over smaller
local businesses.
• If you are looking for a quick, simple, and
cost effective advertising solution, then
Foursquare might be a strategy to
consider.

3. What Foursquare
Has To Offer
• If you want to take advantage of the
location-based social networking
trend, Foursquare is a good place to start.
• Its focus is promoting local businesses
through its 20 million strong network of
customers.
• If you are interested in increasing your
sales by using this network, follow this
presentation to find out more.

4. What Is Foursquare?
• The foursquare social media website is
predominantly accessed via smart
phones and other mobile devices.
• Consumers and travelers can 'check-in' to
a venue through the foursquare website
or app to share and save information
about the place they are visiting.
• A viral effect occurs when your visitors
inspire other targeted customers.
• Foursquare gives them recommendations
based on what their friends and people
with similar tastes have been up to.
• These map and list based
recommendations include informative tips
that previous visitors have left.

5. What Is Foursquare?
• It’s all about inspiring others.
• Foursquare is an advertising tool that
should not be underestimated.
• By using the check-in process, customers
promote your business to their friends
across Foursquare, with the additional
option of broadcasting the same message
on Facebook and Twitter.
• The site has had 2 billion separate check-
ins, and millions more are added each day.
Try to imagine where this can go.
• The social network also provides valuable
free tools through its specialized merchant
platform.
• These tools make it very easy for business
owners to start attracting customers.

6. How To Take Advantage
Of Foursquare
• Your first step is to develop a well-defined
strategy.
• To begin the process you will need to
claim your business on the site and verify
that you are the manager (via phone or
mail).
• There are several key aspects that your
action plan should include next:
– Advertising your use of Foursquare.
– Attracting Customers with Specials.
– Leaving helpful tips.

7. Advertising Your
Use Of Foursquare
• Many of Foursquare's benefits come as
your publicity on the site increases.
• The main aim of any successful strategy
should be to maximize the number of
customers that check-in to your business.
• It is a good idea to display the foursquare
logo somewhere prominent on your
premises to make users aware that you
are part of the network.
• You can also alert users through
Facebook, Twitter, or any other
awareness campaign.

8. Attract Customers
With Specials
• Specials are deals and offers exclusively
for users who check-in to your venue.
• Specials are visible on your business
listing as bright orange symbols which
can help you to stand out from the local
competition.
• When you set up a special it becomes
active immediately so if you are having a
slow day, you can use them to draw
people in.
• You can choose the specific details of
each special to suit your business. It is a
good idea to display a combination of
specials so that you appeal to the widest
possible audience.

9. Some Specials Examples
• Check-in Special - A deal for anyone who
checks-in on Foursquare
• Newbie Special - An offer that rewards a
first time customer
• Loyalty Special - A deal that rewards
repeat visits
• Friend Special - An offer which is
unlocked by a person who comes with
one or more friends
• Flash Special - A deal awarded to a set
number of people that are first to check-in

10. Leave Helpful Tips
• Tips (comments) can be left on your
business listing, and they are usually
written by customers.
• However, if you have some interesting
information that you wish to share, such
as a key item on the menu or a current
sale, then customers will appreciate this
information.
• Make sure that you do not leave spammy
comments as it could put people off.

11. The Results
That You Can Expect
• Benefits that you can expect to achieve
through an effective Foursquare strategy:
• Stronger customer relationship
• More sales
• Detailed statistics

12. Stronger
Customer Relationship
• Foursquare not only promotes your
business, it also gives people a reason to
stick with you.
• By advertising through recommendations
from friends and relatives you can build
up a deep relationship.
• Specials which reward long-term
customers can help to seal that bond.

13. More Sales
• By being clever with the specials you
offer, you can adapt them to
incentivize off-peak hours, promote to
large groups, encourage new
customers, or drive repeat business.
• Regular check-ins help to keep your
business fresh in people's minds, and
good customer comments can attract
consumers in the future.
• In the long run, all these elements of a
good Foursquare strategy convert to
more sales.

14. Detailed Statistics
• The 'merchant dashboard' is your
interface with Foursquare. It displays
graphs and statistics about key
information to do with your Foursquare
use. The following are just a few of things
you can find out:
o Your total daily check-ins
o The proportion of you visitors that are new
o Your customers’ age and gender breakdowns
o Your busiest time of day
o How often people are posting your business on
Facebook and Twitter
o Your most recent comments and tips
• By taking advantage of these statistics
you can develop your strategy further and
even learn valuable information about
your company's target demographic.

15. How To Get Started
• Foursquare is a powerful advertising tool
because potential customers are being
encouraged to use your business by
people they already know and trust.
• However, without prior knowledge of the
system, you are unlikely to benefit from it
fully.
• In addition, ill-chosen and badly managed
specials could result in you missing out on
important customer groups or even losing
money
• Hiring an online marketing specialist could
be the perfect solution.
• The service will develop and manage your
foursquare strategy for you while guiding
your business through the entire process.
• They offer not only expertise but also
peace of mind.

16. Please Contact Us
For More Information