If you’re on twitter and you’ve seen a tweet like this: (@Walgreens) http://4sq.com/87bMtr, you know what it is. It’s someone checking in at their current location through foursquare. It’s becoming more common and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon as users and businesses are taking full advantage of this new media.
Foursquare is providing the perfect opportunity for businesses to connect with their customers on a new level. It’s creating a new quid pro quo, if you will. Customers “check in” at a location and in turn the business rewards them with a coupon or special deal. Especially if you become the “Mayor” of that location.
The Mayor is the person who has visited or checked in at a specific location more than anyone else.
This not only creates a friendly game between foursquare users, but creates incentive for recurring customers. A couple great examples of this practice are two local Milwaukee establishments who seem to have it down to a science.
AJ Bombers is a burger joint downtown Milwaukee that thrives on using twitter and Four Square as a promotional tool. For example: If you “dethrone” the Mayor of AJ Bombers your burger is on the house. Not only does this entice customers to keep coming back, but it gives them a reason or incentive to return. Plus a little friendly competition.
Another business that is great at using foursquare is Stack’d Burger Bar. Their promotional offers are built specifically to bring people back and reward them every time they visit. If you show the servers that you have checked in using foursquare you get rewarded with a Buy 1 Get 1 deal. If you’re the Mayor of Stack’d you receive a free nostalgic stack (three beverages stacked on top of each other) for free… every time you return. That’s pretty sweet if you ask me.
Have any interesting stories from using foursquare?
Please leave a comment and share.
Here are some links covering the buzz around AJ Bomber:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703787304575076001164243926.html?KEYWORDS=AJ+Bombers
http://www.pitchengine.com/ajbombers/how-social-media-powers-business/44916/
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/how-social-media-can-power-your-business/
AJ Bombers foursquare page: http://foursquare.com/venue/136399
Stack’d Burger Bar foursquare page:http://foursquare.com/venue/206293
