Foursquare is a mobile app that allows users to check-in at locations and share their location with friends. Businesses can claim a listing on Foursquare to provide information and run special promotions. The document provides best practices for businesses using Foursquare, including claiming the business, listing basic details, engaging customers with rewards, sharing photos and updates, and encouraging reviews. It also notes things to avoid like unprofitable promotions and ignoring analytics or the top customer.

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I. Overview:
Foursquare is a mobile app that allows users to “check-in” at a given location and share that information
with their followers, friends, and the owner of the location. A business with a physical location can
create and claim an informational listing to provide app users with details about the business.
Alternately, if the business isn’t already claimed, the user can add it to the app. Either way, a business
should claim itself on Foursquare so it can enjoy the benefits the app provides .
II. Best Practices & Checklist:
o Claim your business.
 Garner full control over your business’ information on the app.
 Give your business personality and maintain a consistent brand image.
 Put a Foursquare sticker on one of your location’s windows—it encourages
people to check in if they know your business is claimed.
o List the basics.
 Description of your company
 Hours of operation
 Website/Blog/Other SM accounts
 Physical address
 Phone numbers
o Engage with your customers and reward them for their business.
 Foursquare allows you to see who is visiting your location.
 Run specials to reward customers. Examples below:
• Swarm Special: Special unlocked when X number of Foursquare users
check in to your business at one time.
• Friends Special: Special unlocked when 2 or more friends check in at the
same time.
• Check-in Special: Special unlocked every time the customer checks in
(encourages repeat visitors).
• Loyalty Special: Unlocked every X number of consecutive visits by a
user.
o Share pictures.
 Products, locations, customers, events, etc.
o Location specific updates.
 This is important if your business has multiple locations. This can be used to drive
visits to new locations.
 Sales, promotions, holiday hours, etc.
o Incorporate social sharing.
 Easily create updates that post to your Facebook and Twitter pages.
 Encourage other SM users who aren’t on Foursquare to use app so they can check
in and earn check-in rewards.
o Encourage users to post reviews and share tips.
 Good reviews are good for business.
 Bad reviews can be used to personally contact reviewers and help your business
learn from mistakes.
55 Gilbert Street North, Suite 3104, Tinton Falls, NJ 07701
phone: 732.212.0823 | www.lotus823.com

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III. Things To Avoid:
o Specials that are bad for your bottom line.
 Create specials that have value for your customers but also make sense for your
business.
o Uninformed employees.
 If you’re running a check-in special, it’s your duty to ensure all of your
employees are aware of the deal, and know how to honor it.
o Ignoring the ‘Mayor’.
 The person with the most check-ins within a 60-day period is dubbed the ‘Mayor’
of your location. Loyal customers should be acknowledged. Create challenges to
other users to become the mayor of your location.
o Poor customer service.
 Maintain as much transparency, if not more, as you did prior to using Foursquare.
Foursquare gives you a one-on-one experience with your customers, so it is
recommended that you take advantage of this by providing real-time updates
about your business.
o Ignoring the analytics.
 This easily allows you to see who is checking in, how often, at what hours, etc.
 Use this information to adapt your staffing needs, inventory, etc.
o Ignoring legacy customers.
 Not all of your customers will be comfortable sharing their location information
on the web. Even though Foursquare will open doors to new customers and
opportunities, don’t forget about customers who choose not to use this
technology.
III. Conclusion & Resources:
According to Foursquare, “Over 40 million people use Foursquare to find places to go, and they’re
spreading the word about their favorite spots.” Therefore, it is wise for certain businesses to have an
optimized presence on this social media channel.
o Foursquare for Business: http://business.foursquare.com/
o Claiming your Business on Foursquare: http://business.foursquare.com/listing/
o Advertising on Foursquare: http://business.foursquare.com/ads/
o Foursquare’s Help Center: http://support.foursquare.com/home
o If you can’t seem to find your answer in the Help Center, Foursquare encourages
you to Tweet them your question @4sqSupport (https://twitter.com/4sqsupport)
o Foursqaure’s Blog: http://blog.foursquare.com/
o Subscribe directly to the RSS feed of Foursquare’s blog
(http://feeds.feedburner.com/thefoursquareblog) with your favorite reader to have
updates come to you!
55 Gilbert Street North, Suite 3104, Tinton Falls, NJ 07701
phone: 732.212.0823 | www.lotus823.com