There was a time when everyone was hot about “Location-based Advertising”. Well, everyone’s still trying to crack that chestnut, and maybe this is a way to do it - Location-based Micro-Blogging. This is better known as an application called FourSquare, or its closest competitor Gowalla.
Think of FourSqaure as Twitter meets Google Maps with an added gaming concept that reminds me of the old treasure hunts I used to go on as a child with my parents…but without the clues. Essentially, when you arrive at an establishment, or your home, or your office, or where ever, you use an app running on your smartphone to “check-in”. That act of checking into that location is then published to the rest of your social network. You also have the opportunity to receive some points and a virtual badge of honor. Last, but not least, you can provide a Tip to visitors of the establishment (for more points), or simply post a status update.
Of course, the obvious question is, “Why?”. But then again, why do we do anything? Why do we Tweet? Why do we post videos to YouTube? Why am I writing this blog?
To be honest, that’s not a very pragmatic question (although it will lead to very deep understanding of what is driving Social CRM, or Social Customer Relationship Management). Businesses today are trying to get their head around the “How?”, as in “How can I leverage this?”.
Before we delve into the depths of this topic, I think it fair to share some information about whether your business should care. As usual, we’re at the very beginning of this new technology adoption curve and there’s a long way to go. Here are some statistics put out recently by RJ Metrics.
As you will see, the numbers are not overwhelming compared to say Facebook, but my guess is that if you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, this form of market engagement could get very relevant relatively quickly.
Foursquare
- Number of users: 1.9 million
- Number of registered venues: 5.6 million
- Check-ins: 1/3 of venues only once or never
- Most popular venues: Home or fast food establishments
Posted under Social Media Marketing, marketing
Honestly, who has the time or the interest to play these kings of games???
It’s not so much a time issue - people “check in” while they’re waiting in line, for example. It takes just a second. But even that needs an ROI right? The openness in broadcasting their location (ie. I’m not at home right now!) is interesting. And a customers endorsement. This is giving up a lot for something quite intangible. The rewards are coming now though as restaurants (Starbucks, for example) are seeing check-ins and using it to reward loyalty and promotion. It’s like the stamp card you get at your local non-chain coffee shop - “buy ten, get one free” - but on a much larger scale and social.