Social media is becoming an important marketing tool for businesses, and now that Foursquare is starting to draw a following in the UK, some companies are trying to take advantage.
Foursquare has been around since March 2009, but it wasn’t until recently that it has become available in the UK. The social-networking tool allows people to “check in” at places they visit, whether it’s a local coffee house or bar, to keep friends updated on where they are spending time.
Companies have recently began offering incentives for Foursquare users who check in at their businesses.
They are among a growing number of businesses using social media tools such as Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook. More than half of companies worldwide now use various social networks, and about 40 percent of companies say they’ve had success in finding new customers using them, according to a survey by Regus, which provides workplace solutions to businesses.
The benefit of offering an incentive – a free coffee for every customer who checks in for example – is that it gives customers an incentive for supporting the business. But the power of a site such as Foursquare is limitless because every time a user checks in at a location, a message goes out to his or her friends and followers on Twitter and Facebook, telling them of the user’s location.
It also provides companies analytical information about who is using the site such as when people check in, whether they make a return visit and the demographics of who is checking in.
So Foursquare is another affordable way to market your business, particularly to the younger generation.