Since its launch in 2009, a long time perception of Foursquare is that it is a fun mobile app to use when checking in to a physical location. The ability to unlock badges as check ins occur and the potential to become Mayor of a venue all formed part of the fun, and still does, but there is much more to this location-based social network. Find out what you need to know to start using Foursquare for business. The business case for using Foursquare They have a community of over 30 million people worldwide. Over 3 billion check-ins, with millions more every day Over a million businesses currently using Foursquare Foursquare ROI Once you have claimed your page you will gain access to the analytics for your business. The analytics are based upon your customer statistics as they check in to your business and include: Who is visiting your business for the first time and how often they are returning. An update of how many check-ins your business is getting each week. How many check-ins are being shared on Facebook and Twitter. Who your best customer is (the Mayor) and who your other frequent customers are.

1. Foursquare for Business: A Guide to
Location Based Social Networking
Since its launch in 2009, a long time perception of Foursquare is that it is a fun mobile app to use
when checking in to a physical location. The ability to unlock badges as check ins occur and the
potential to become Mayor of a venue all formed part of the fun, and still does, but there is much more to
this location-based social network. Find out what you need to know to start using Foursquare for
business.
Foursquare though, especially in the last year, has quietly been streamlining its focus towards proactively
recommending where people can go in a given location rather than detailing the experience after the
fact. This shift in focus has become a valuable reason for businesses to establish a presence as potential
customers seek a real time reason to check in and check out what’s on offer.
The business case for using Foursquare
 They have a community of over 30 million people worldwide.
 Over 3 billion check-ins, with millions more every day
 Over a million businesses currently using Foursquare
Getting started with Foursquare for business
Business use on Foursquare is divided into two categories; Companies with a physical location and a
Company, Brand or Organisation without a physical location.
Option 1: Companies with a physical location
To get started on Foursquare as a business, you will be asked to sign up as a personal user and then to
connect your business listing to your account. Once you have entered your business name and address,
Foursquare will search to see if this place is already on their site. If it is not they will ask you for address
and verification details so your business can be placed.
To enhance business opportunities and ease of access in finding the business location, Foursquare also
ask for:
 Location verification on a physical map
 The business Twitter account name
 The business telephone number

2.  Category selection which is then drilled down to the exact physical type of location your business is
at.
Once all the data has been input the verification process is then activated.
Foursquare require you to input your telephone number and take a call where they ask for you to state:
 Your name
 The business name
 Your relationship to the business.
They also ask you to repeat a code number that they present to you on screen.
Once this has been done, your business can be verified in one of two ways:
1. Payment of a one off fee of $20 by credit card to expedite verification
2. Verification via email that can take up to 3 -4 weeks.
Verification received!
Once you are verified as a business on Foursquare then the marketing fun begins!
Add your business information
Check your original information for accuracy and add links to your Twitter and Facebook page. You can
also provide details of the opening hours of your business.
Avail of free in-store branding

3. The great news is that Foursquare supply a page of graphical resource to enable you to advertise your
Foursquare location. They also provide a PDF of branding guidelines to ensure that the logo is used
correctly.
A business can apply for a window cling which is a sign that can be displayed at your premises to alert
customers to the fact they can check in to your business.
Option 2: No physical location? create a business brand page
If your business does not have a physical store/office premises you can still create a brand page and share
updates, offers and events with Foursquare users through this. A brand page is also used when a business
has multiple locations. Each location may have their own local account but can use the brand page to bind
these accounts to the higher brand.
To create a page you need to sign in and connect Foursquare with your Twitter account.
 Your foursquare page will be foursquare.com/TwitterName
 When the page has been created you can then add content using visual images and text to optimise
your business.
 Foursquare users can choose to follow a brand page and their updates.
 The brand page can leave tips at any location with facts relating to their particular industry /market.
Foursquare Explore
The re-design and focus on Foursquare Explore is the main reason for building a business presence on
Foursquare. When a user accesses the Foursquare app they have the option to check in to a place or use
the Explore function to find one.

4. Users can search for a venue via category and then define the venue by:
 Specials
 Friends
 Haven’t been
 Price
 Open Now
 Saved
A list of venues in the area then appears. They detail the friends who have visited and also any comments
that have been made about the venue. This is a fantastic way of peer recommendation for your business
with no cost involved.
Foursquare Lists
Foursquare users can create lists of venues that they wish to bookmark. The lists can cover anything from
‘The best coffee in Dublin’ to ‘Jazz venues in London’.
 Lists can be added to via the mobile app whilst exploring the location or alternatively it is a great way
to plan a trip in advance.
 The user can also allow their Foursquare friends to add to the lists thereby, again, allowing peer
recommendations to prevail.
How to use Foursquare to optimize your business
We have looked at the ways Foursquare can be used by potential business customers with regards to the
Explore and List functions; now we can look at ways of optimizing your business presence in conjunction
with the user experience.
Updates

5. You can use updates for your account to generate news about your business. Updates could include:
 A sale or discount
 Upcoming event
 Charity drive
 Change of opening hours
It is recommended that you add an image to your updates to enhance user appeal.
Specials
A foursquare user can use the app to search for special offers that are nearby. This is a great way to
attract nearby footfall into your location for free.
A special could be:
 A free refill of coffee
 A 10% discount when a user spends a certain amount
 A two for the price of one offer on goods or products
Foursquare also recommend specials such as:
 Offer a small gift – “free hot chocolate on your third check-in”
 Provide a discount – “save 25% on comedy tickets when you check in”
 Give VIP treatment – “check in to get a free upgrade to the front row”
 Run a contest – “tweet your check-in to be entered into an iPod raffle”
Once a special has been created by a business it can be easily found by the user as it stands out as an
orange pin on the map. To avail of a special offer a customer must check in to your location. The special
will then show up on their phone and they can use it by showing it as they redeem the offer.
The performance for special offers can be monitored via analytics for Foursquare and can also be turned
on or off via the Foursquare for business app which means that the business has full control in managing
their offers. Interaction and check in numbers appear to be a significant factor to enable your special offer
to appear at the top of the list when a user wishes to explore. Foursquare explains:
“Like all results in Explore, the specials that appear here will differ for each user. When performing an
explore search, the venues that populate are the ones nearby with a high “venue rank”. A venue’s rank is
based on how many times a user has checked in there, and how popular it is relative to other venues in the
area. This list of venues is not indicative of all venues in the nearby area. If users do not see your venue, they
will have to search for it off this page via the check-in screen. You should be able to find your venue through
search.”
Events
The addition of events to Foursquare is fantastic for business venues in the fact that they have a free
advertising channel to promote an event. Events can include concerts, recitals, book signings, one day
sale or an upcoming workshop, amongst others.
 They will be visible to users as they check in to your location; which means their friends see it too.

6.  They can also comment and share their thoughts on the event creating peer recommendations that
are shared for free.
How the IOC (International Olympics Committee) used Foursquare to celebrate
the Olympics
The International Olympics Committee used their Foursquare brand page to celebrate the Summer
Olympics 2012 in London. They ran a competition to celebrate Olympic Day where the user had to follow
the IOC page and check in to two different sports related places before a certain date. By doing this the
user unlocked a new Olympic badge and then the winner was presented with a trip to London for the
Olympics.
The IOC also left tips and facts based around the Olympics at venues around the world where the
Olympics had taken place or were yet to take place and also the training venues that were used in the
build-up to the main event.
The benefits for the IOC were:
 Increased number of followers
 An extended reach as the brand was viewed by followers Foursquare friends
 Raised global awareness of both Olympic day and the London games
Foursquare ROI
Once you have claimed your page you will gain access to the analytics for your business. The analytics are
based upon your customer statistics as they check in to your business and include:
 Who is visiting your business for the first time and how often they are returning.
 An update of how many check-ins your business is getting each week.
 How many check-ins are being shared on Facebook and Twitter.
 Who your best customer is (the Mayor) and who your other frequent customers are.

7. Foursquare will send this information via a weekly email that, as well as including metrics, will also detail
any recent tips or photos that have been added about your business.
Are you using Foursquare for business? Tell us how it works for you.

8. Understanding the Digital Economy
Reports:
 E-Commerce
 Food and Drink Sector
 International Student Recruitment
 General and Health Insurance
 FMCG Sector – Retail and Ecommerce
 Attracting Top Tier Talent
 Social Media in Politics
Guides:
 Social Media Strategy
 Blogging
 SEO
 Facebook
 Facebook local search
 LinkedIn
 Twitter
 YouTube
 Foursquare
 Google Analytics
 Pinterest
 Instagram
 Adwords
 Google+
 Klout
 SMS Marketing
 Mobile Commerce
 Infographics
 Hootsuite
 BizSugar
 Slideshare
Contact us
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Connect:
Email: info@ahaingroup.com
Address: Unit 206 | NSC Campus | Mahon | Cork | Ireland