This document provides strategies for using Foursquare for business purposes. It outlines how to create an organizational profile, add staff and specials, encourage check-ins through badges and rewards, analyze insights and metrics, integrate with other social media platforms, and measure the impact of efforts. The key aspects are listening to customers, providing valuable content and incentives for engagement, and using analytics to improve strategies over time.

1. Foursquare Strategies
Andy Huston
@hust0058
@4sqIndy
@4sqChat
#4sqChat
www.4sqindy.east44.com

2. Not Shiny New Toys
Powerful Business
Applications

3. From: Jess3.com

4. From: FastCompany

5. Social Media Planning
1. Listen
2. Learn
3. Strategy
4. Tools
5. Measure
Social Media
Is Work

6. Rules for Tools
• Listen
• Content is King
• Find Contacts
• Engage
• Involve
“Experiment personally,
apply professionally”

7. What is ?

8. The Case for Organizations
• Tips, Add Value
• Offer Specials
• Marketing Integration
• Word of Mouth Promotion
• Build Brand Ambassadors (Insights)

9. Why Check In
•Become Mayor of a Venue
*Most Check-ins over 60 days
*Only one check-in a day counts
*Profile pic required
•Earn Badges
•Earn Points
•Connect with Friends
•Share and Receive Insider Tips
•Save Money with Specials

10. Add Friends
Easy to search for friends on:
• Gmail
• Facebook (but not Pages, yet)
• Twitter
One-to-One Friending – like Facebook
Strong privacy settings help you stay in control.

11. I recommend full organization name here
What email will your fans have?
Twitter Avatar is a Good Idea

12. Your User Profile Page

13. An Upgraded Brand Page
Your fans
can just
click to
follow –
like the
FB “Like”.
No need
to accept
friend
requests!

14. Other Location – Based Services -- Gowalla

15. Other Location – Based Services -- SCVNGR

16. Other Location – Based Services – Facebook Places

17. How to Check In
• Foursquare app for smartphones
• SMS Text Message
• Foursquare mobile website
• Nokia phones with special app!
Uses GPS to attain your location
and show nearby venues

18. Badges
Some have been event-specific.

19. Branded Badges
Follow VisitPA and Shout
Follow the Ellen Show

20. Shout
Status updates
that can be made
with or without
your check-in.
Notice you can
now comment on
check-ins.

21. Pictures
Pictures can be left at venues, included in tips,
and added to your “shout” upon check-in.
What will you and your guests showcase?

22. Leaderboard

23. Make Your Venue Work
Be Search Friendly
• Add category
• Add tips
Claim It (FREE)
• Add staff
• Add specials
• Use Insights

26. Insights

27. Tips
• Meaningful tips that reflect your brand
• What would your fans want know
• Draw connections to related venues

28. Popular tips
that have
been
completed by
many are
more likely to
be pushed to
followers upon
check-in.

29. Tips
Promote your tips by embedding them on your website by grabbing
embed code from your user or brand page.

30. Staff
Basic Info
• Staff can be added to one or multiple venues
• Staff are not eligible to be Mayor
• Helps encourage visitors to connect with employees
Staff Best Practices
• Make staff aware of your foursquare presence
• If running a special, all should know the details and
how to process it
• Recognize the employee that has helped redeem the
most specials each month

31. Specials
Scotty’s Brewhouse
Houlihan’s Indianapolis
Granite City Brewery
Good specials drive traffic toward
your organizational goals. Reward
the behavior you want to encourage.
Creativity knows no bounds. King David’s Dogs

32. Market It! On-site promo
FREE
WITH
CLAIMED
VENUE
You are missing opportunities if you aren’t linking
to all your social media sites on your homepage.

33. One Click from Connection

34. Facebook and Twitter
Facebook App that puts your Venue as a FB Page Tab

35. This microsite was a
great way for the Redskins
to market their efforts.

36. Pictures

37. My Indiana State Fair Pic:
2300 views in less than 12 hours on Twitter
Yes, it was delicious.

38. Measure Impact

39. Google Alerts
SocialMention.com
Search.Twitter.com
Influence
Klout
TweetReach
Tracking
Bit.Ly
Goo.Gl

40. Klout Measures Influence
on Twitter
INFLUENCE IS NOT: INFLUENCE IS ABOUT:
Follower Counts Call to Action
Number of Tweets Responses
Number of Posts Likes
Comments
Retweets
Sharing
Click Rates
Views
KNOW YOUR INFLUENTIAL FANS FOURSQUARE INFLUENCE
To Dos – Done by Others
Encourage Them To Share Click-Throughs
With Their Friends Shouts to Twitter or Facebook

41. You Don’t Have A Choice
On Whether Or Not
To DO Social Media;
The Choice Is
How Well You DO It.
Erik Qualman
Author, Socialnomics

42. Andy Huston Be Advised. Rapidly
evolving. Have a question,
@hust0058 need more information, or
@4sqIndy want to stay on top of the
@4sqChat latest news. Email us!
#4sqChat (Monday’s at 9p ET)
www.4sqindy.east44.com 4sqindy@gmail.com