Updated Foursquare Business Tools & Resources

A couple of weeks ago, I provided a few tips on improving your business’s position in Foursquare’s search engine.

This week Foursquare launched a renovated business resource dedicated to helping your business succeed with the service. Some of the website’s highlights include:

• Basics to acclimate yourself on why people use the service
• Free tools to get discovered, attract customers, and monitor foot traffic
• Case studies on how other businesses are using the service to drive results

Foursquare has grown into a community consisting of over 25 million people worldwide. It’s important that you review your business’s current presence on Foursquare to ensure it reflects what you want your potential customers to interact with.

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Improving Your Business’s Position in Foursquare’s Search Engine

As Foursquare continues to mature into more than just a check-in service, businesses are paying more attention to their position in the service’s search engine. Foursquare has been focusing heavily on localized search and harnessing the power of their check-in data.

Compared to traditional search engines and SEO, Foursquare’s search engine is nearly impossible to influence with typical SEO tactics. Your business will not rise to the top of the search results by optimizing or building links to your listing. So how do you increase your position in the service’s search results?

Let’s start first and foremost with check-ins. Encouraging visitors to “check-in” at your location, for each and every visit, will only aid in improving your position in the search results. The number one signal that Foursquare uses to determine rankings are check-ins.

Don’t be afraid to ask for the check-in, too. For instance, in a local Offerdahl’s Café Grill that I visit, they have a Foursquare check-in sticker on the door that you can’t avoid as you walk in. Then, as you proceed to read the menu and give your order, there is another sign encouraging you to check-in. Needless to say, I never forget to check-in while I’m there.

Other factors that may affect your rankings to some degree include “likes”, the number of tips, photos and lists your business is added to. Get creative when encouraging visitors to take these actions. Your customers will appreciate discounts, coupons, and specials for taking the time to check-in and leave a tip.

How do you encourage patrons to check-in at your location?

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Foursquare Shifts Focus to Localized Search & Recommendations

Have you visited the Foursquare website recently? As part of Foursquare’s effort to monetize their service, they have unveiled a new prominently featured search box on the homepage. You may notice its striking resemblance to the classic Google search box, which may very well not be a coincidence. A former Googler is on the team that has been working on improving the Foursquare algorithm and the overall search experience and as a result, they have unveiled this release.

This new search box functionality is for logged out users. Now Foursquare.com will provide lots more value to the logged out user than ever before. They have collected intelligence over the past 2 years, spanning from check-in data, lists, likes, dislikes, tips etc., which have all been factored into the search results. And for the app users, all of the standard rich features are still available – no changes to your experience whatsoever.

Does Yelp have some competition to be concerned about? As Foursquare moves further into the local search and recommendations realm, it sounds like they will be taking on Yelp head-on.

Do you see this direction working for Foursquare? Or, do you think they will always be seen as an augmented reality check-in service?

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Foursquare for Business

Foursquare doesn't just allow users to be 'mayor' of a coffee shop they frequent - it's also a great tool for business. Foursquare allows users to 'check in,' every time they visit a venue in real life, and records it both on Foursquare and other social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter (if these accounts have been linked). Brick-and-mortar businesses can offer specials through Foursquare, like rewarding the number of times a customer checks in, making it a great tool for customer loyalty. Venues can also offer other types of discounts, like coupons, to their Foursquare followers. For brands who don't have a brick-and-mortar presence, Foursquare does offer a few options, like check-in specials for when the brand partners with a brick-and-mortar retailer, and badges, which allow customers to complete real-world check-in quests that can get them rewards from the brand.

To learn more about Foursquare for your business, you can visit the Foursquare for Business website, or you can watch this awesome video.

Does Foursquare Make Sense For Your Business?

As of January 2012, the Foursquare community consists of around 15 million people worldwide. Did you know Foursquare has over 1.5 billion check-ins, with millions more every day? There are over 600,000 businesses using the Foursquare Merchant Platform.

So, with these numbers, it is worth asking yourself the question - does Foursquare make sense for my business?

Watch this video to put Foursquare into context:

Foursquare can be used to obtain new customers and keep loyal customers coming back. As a business, you can get really creative with specials, loyalty programs, and discounts. And remember, if you are establishing your business on Foursquare, create a presence that is exciting to engage with. Make a customer’s encounter with you not just simply an interaction but make it an experience.

Which Technology Would You Miss The Most?

I just returned from an amazing mini-vacation where I was literally disconnected from technology and media. Disconnected from the web. Disconnected from my phone. Disconnected from television. Disconnected from radio. I stayed at a charming guest house that had free Wifi but since the cell service was non-existent, I decided to take my vacation concept one step further. I had a technology-free vacation. No use pulling out the laptop when you're having fun skiing a mountain, relaxing in the hot tub, enjoying a home-cooked gourmet meal or drinking some top notch wine, right? It was nice to focus on people instead of being tempted by the digital screen. I think it made my time in the mountains that much more meaningful.

Here's what I noticed about the technology... I missed my mobile device connectivity the most. It was easy to stay away from the television when there were so many interesting people to chat with. It was even easier to refrain from dragging out the laptop and logging on because it seemed like such a chore after a great yoga class. What wasn't so easy was NOT picking up the HTC MyTouch to text, call or connect with friends who weren't there. I specifically missed...

• Facebook status updates and being able to upload photos to my page
• Texting or calling friends while on the mountain to coordinate a meet up (because someone, usually me, always gets separated from the group)
• FourSquare check-ins (who doesn't want to check-in on a mountain?!)
• Yelp access to check restaurant ideas for the NYC leg of my trip

So I wonder, 10 Golden Rules reader, given the same circumstances, is there a particular technology or software you think you would miss most? Share in the comments.

Breaking The Rules: Foursquare Style

I've been lagging on my blog responsibilities. I've been working like a dog and there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day. Compound those issues with a lack of inspiration and we have a recipe for lagging blog posts, eh?

Well thanks to our good friend @lapp. I'm inspired. You see @lapp and the crew @tengoldenrules have a little running joke going on Foursquare. He likes to stop by and steal the mayorship from our staff members. Let me clarify, he likes to drive by and check in from the parking lot. We never actually SEE him in the office. Consider his check in from last night:

Notice the 1:03am timestamp? Yup. That would be our parking lot. According to an article on TechCrunch, Foursquare has added a "cheater code" that actually checks your GPS to confirm your location (and we all know ways around this) but Mr. Agranoff is probably close enough (considering he's in the parking lot) for this to be a verified check-in in the eyes of Foursquare. I just think it's really comical that he does it.

Here's a funny video on the subject



How do you feel about Foursquare check-ins?

Hey Craig, next time you're in the parking lot, come in and say HI. We'd love to see you. Well, if it's during business hours that is. :-)

"We The Users" A Social Network User's Bill of Rights

Most of us belong to at least one social network: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Foursquare, etc. Recently, some of us have become a little irked with the social networks we use, namely Facebook's privacy issues.

This is why a number of social network users met in San Jose, CA for the annual Computers, Freedom and Privacy (CFP) Conference to discuss the creation of a Social Network User's Bill of Rights. You can follow what people are saying about the Bill on Twitter (#BillOfRights).

The document begins "We the Users..." and outlines what users have come to expect from social networks. The hot topics include honesty, transparency, privacy, disclosure and control. You can voice your opinion of the bill by voting on the Act.ly petition here.

Happy Foursquare Day!

If you checked into Foursquare today, you probably got a special "Foursquare Day" badge. If you are wondering where the idea came from, it was actually from a Foursquare user, an optometrist in the Tampa Bay area. He found the idea of Foursquare so engaging he decided that it would be cool to make 4/16 (because 4 squared equals 16) Foursquare Day. This was followed by a badge being created, and lot of buzz. It just shows how much social media can be so powerful!

There are many cities participating in Foursquare Day, especially businesses. Many of these participating businesses have Foursquare Day specials. There are even Foursquare Day shirts! It has been dubbed as the "first global social media holiday." As far as I know, I agree. What do you think?

Here's a demonstration of why FourSquare will continue to grow in Importance

I recently discovered a great coal fired oven pizza place called Tucci's. I really like the oven based wings. When you checked in on FourSquare you'll see a 'Special Here' button. The special offers everyone a Free glass of wine on their 5th check-in. I'm drinking white wine free on my next visit :)

If you own a restaurant or a retail location, or if a friend owns one, this site/app is exploding. This is a great opportunity to make an offer early on while there is still buzz and amazement happening.

(originally published on Internet Marketing Club Blog)

Foursquare and Privacy Concerns

I have been using Foursquare for a couple months now and it has actually become routine for me to ‘check in’ whenever I go somewhere. If you're new to Foursquare, there is a post just for you. It really is a fun application, especially when you have your friends participating with you! I recently got married and while my friends were here for the wedding, we were Foursquaring all over the place. Then, when my husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii, it was especially fun to ‘check in’ all over the island, and I even became mayor of a couple places! I was surprised that many of the places I checked into were already created, which indicated to me that many people are participating in Foursquare. It’s great to know that the app is growing rapidly!

There have been concerns about privacy on Foursquare, and I did some further digging and found that Foursquare does not show your whereabouts or the history of check ins on your public profile. Sure you can publish your Foursquare check ins on Twitter so anyone who isn’t on Foursquare can see where you are, but it is optional.

Some of my personal tips to being more careful when using Foursquare include:

• Don’t put the exact address if you decide to create a check in spot for your home. If you live in an apartment complex or a community, use that as your check in spot. Even though your location is pinpointed, it does not reveal your exact whereabouts, but a general area.
• Don’t become friends with people you don’t know. Foursquare is a lot fun with your friends anyway!
• Adjust your Privacy settings. I’d uncheck the box that allows to show your name in the ‘Who’s here’ list when checked in, so those who aren’t linked with me on Foursquare can see I am actually there.
• You do have the option to check in and not reveal your whereabouts. When you check into a place, you have a choice to tell your friends, or not tell them. You can simple turn that option off and you will show as [Off the grid]. But in my opinion, I’d use this if you really want to be private about a specific place, but if you’re at a place where a lot of people are, I’d share, such as a baseball stadium, or theme park.

What do you think? Do you have any tips about being more cautious when using Foursquare, or even any general tips not outlined here?

And here is TenGoldenRules' Foursquare page if you were curious! You'll see yours truly is currently the mayor. :)

What’s This Foursquare Thing I Keep Hearing About?

First the big social network was MySpace, then Facebook, then Twitter and now, Foursquare! Foursquare is basically a social network “game” where people check into specific locations. If you have a smartphone, such as an iPhone, Blackberry or Android, you can use Foursquare.

Why would you want to use Foursquare? The fun of Foursquare is to let people know where you are so if they are nearby or at the same place you can meet up or find new places to go to – like restaurants, museums, parks, etc. Now, this usually works when you have your actual friends on Foursquare, so it is best to add other Foursquare users who are your actual friends. Once you visit places, you will notice that you receive badges, which correspond to things like, checking into a specific place a certain number of times, or tagging specific places using keywords.

If you check into a place at least 3 times, you will become ‘The Mayor’ of that place. At some businesses that participate, being the mayor of a place gives you special discounts and treatment. You also get points every time you check in somewhere. While these points are just points for now, Foursquare is figuring out what they can translate into in the future. In my opinion, I was unsure about it at first because I was revealing my whereabouts, but the great thing about is that you can check in and not tell anyone your exact whereabouts but still get the points and badges. But, what’s the fun in not telling anyone where you are, right?

Foursquare is free, and has potential to being the next big thing in social media this year. What do you think? Are you on Foursquare? If so, do you find it valuable, or just ‘stalkerish?’ Discuss it in the InternetMarketingClub.org forum or in the comments below.

6 Questions from my friend Chris Brogan at LeWeb in Paris

My friend Chris Brogan gave a presentation this week at LeWeb in Paris.

Here are some of his comments:

You live or die by your database. Don't build Twitter or Facebook at the expense
of a database you own after they flavor of the year passes.

He asked 6 thought provoking questions:

1. How do we share? How do you share information? What does your business share? Social Networks don't go anywhere if they're a dead end street, a locked up environment.

2. How do we collaborate? Are you encouraging information to flow from your system.

3. How do we go from HOME (the Home page) to being Nomads. There are tremendous advantages to building many outposts (Facebook, Twitter, communities) "Build outposts and passports back to your home page."

4."How do we extend experiences from the physical world to the web, and back." Foursquare is just scratching the surface. (and before that BriteKite and Dodgeball)

5."How do we wire humanity deeply? There is a difference between the person on Twitter representing Southwest Airlines and the person at the counter."

6. "How do we go from being a theater to being a theater in the round? 360 degrees. Does your website push information out, or does it start a collaboration and engage people? People are looking for a human face on a company.