Alyssa Crankshaw discusses location-based social apps and their growing popularity. She notes that Foursquare allows users to check-in at locations and earn points/badges, and that brands are starting to use apps like Foursquare to reward customer loyalty and learn more about foot traffic and consumer behavior. Several examples of brands partnering with location apps are provided, such as Bravo TV offering prizes through Foursquare and Incase partnering with Gowalla to promote their products.

1. Alyssa Crankshaw email: acrankshaw@tractionco.com twitter: @alyssabc Location-based social apps for marketers February 1, 2010

2. What’s geolocation? Wikipedia: Geolocation is the identification of the real-world geographic location of an Internet-connected computer, mobile device, website visitor or other. IP address geolocation data can include information such as country, region, city, postal/zip code, latitude, longitude and timezone. Geolocation or “Local” services started to gain attention last year: Dodgeball creators parted with Google in 2007 and went on to create Foursquare. Foursquare was named “the top app to watch” at SXSW 2009 Twitter released it’s Geolocation API in November. Users can opt-in to having their messages annotated with their exact locations on third-party applications. Recently, Twitter started rolling out location-based trending topics called “Local Trends”

3. Mobile local faceoff Discover the world around you Helps you find new ways to explore your city Go out. Go discover. Go share. Real people. Real reviews. The simple way to keep up with friends and places See where your friends are right now

4. “ I think both Foursquare and Gowalla are great apps – using the real world as the backdrop for a game is a lot of fun,” -- Loopt CEO Sam Altman Source: Mashable

5. Foursquare Most popular geo-location mobile tool with 60,000 users as of October 2009 and growing Called “the next Twitter” by Mashable and New York Times Links the digital and real worlds -- truly putting the "social" in "social networking"

6. Foursquare How it works: Get the app on your mobile and connect Foursquare to your Facebook and Twitter accounts Check in when you go out Add tips, make lists, add shout outs, and share them with friends Earn points and unlock badges Become the mayor and unlock freebies

7. Foursquare for business Rewards customer loyalty based on the data behind foursquare usage. For example, foursquare can tell you how many times a customer has been to your venue or the frequency of their visits.

8. Location data SocialGreat.com aggregates information across multiple apps to show the most popular venues based on check-in data Foursquare collects location data, which can measure foot traffic to a store, proving quantifiable ROI for an advertiser

9. Why brands should pay attention The time is now for the use of real-time, hyper-localized use of social media as a business tool Real-time search results - the recent additions of Twitter “tweets” and Facebook “status updates” - in Google/Bing engines Social media outlets are gaining usage as an initial consumer search tool The new-consumers’ expectation/need for immediate communiques Real-time relevant content. Content is still king, and relevancy of that content goes hand in hand with it. The development of these tools opens a world of opportunity to reach consumers, fans, and peers in real-time.

10. Tasti D-Lite social media rewards program TastiRewards, a rewards program that incentivizes customers to associate their Twitter and Foursquare accounts with their Tasti D-Lite membership cards. Customers can use their TreatCards to earn points for purchases, but those that opt in to the social media bonuses will automatically earn additional points. They’ll also update their Twitter and Foursquare accounts each time the card is swiped and points are earned or redeemed Each purchase will net an additional point for each social network connection. Customers also earn one point for each dollar spent, before taxes, on Tasti D-Lite goods. For every 50 points accrued, customers can redeem a free medium cup or cone.

11. Bravo TV Bravo will begin offering Foursquare players “badges” and special prizes when viewers visit more than 500 Bravo locations. The locations will be picked by Bravo to correspond with select Bravo shows including “The Real Housewives,” “The Millionaire Matchmaker,” “Top Chef,” “Kell on Earth,” “Top Chef Masters” and “Shear Genius.” Bravo will soon creating on-air TV promotions telling viewers how to play the Bravo-enhanced features of Foursquare Offers the company a chance to try to blur the lines between traditional television media and mobile experiences Source: New York Times, January 31, 2010

12. Incase and Gowalla Gowalla partnered with Incase, a computer accessories-maker in January 2010 to enable the collection of virtual Incase items, modeled after actual Incase gear, when users checked-in on Gowalla at Apple Stores around the world. There were six Incase-branded virtual items in all: Collect all six, and users received the Incase Pin of Glory. Some users also won an actual Incase Slider product. These users were randomly selected based on Gowalla check-ins at official Apple Stores. Gowalla announced winners on Twitter daily. Sources: Gowalla blog, thefutureofads.com

13. A few other geo-marketing things to watch Starbucks myStarbucks iPhone application allows one to broadcast which Starbucks location he or she is at via Facebook or Twitter. Starbucks will be able to react to user volume and location data by pushing offers to caffeine-craving consumers to encourage rapid coffee consumption at off-peak hours. Yowza iPhones app lets users have deals and coupons pushed to them based on their immediate location. The cashier scans the phone to receive a discount. Big-name retailers like REI, Crate & Barrel, Guitar Center and CB2 are already on board. Yipit Scours sample sales, restaurant deals, newspapers and much more to surface nearby sales and deals to users based on their Foursquare "check-ins," and it predicts which offers users are most interested in based on their profile preferences. It's NY only, for now.

14. Advertisers -- both local and national -- would be smart to start thinking about their "location" strategies while there's still a relatively open playing field. By taking advantage of mobile platforms like Foursquare, ones that engage and offer incentives to consumers within the proverbial "last 50 feet," businesses can bring all the advantages of the social web to their front door. -- AdAge, August 2009