If you haven’t heard of Foursquare by now, here is a quick run down. Foursquare is a location-based social network that allows users to share their location with a group of friends by “checking in”. Users can “check-in” to restaurants, business or other venues when they arrive.
Foursquare is becoming increasingly popular with hotels and restaurants, giving the businesses an extra means of communication with their clients. The businesses on Foursquare are encouraged to recognise its users by rewarding them for their patronage.
Foursquare has recently announced its plans to distribute a free analytics tool and dashboard for businesses. This would give the business on Foursquare, the opportunity to access a range of information and statistics about visitors to their establishments. This could assist businesses to understand and track their target markets.
Tristan Walker, director of business development at Foursquare, says the latest features are intended to help local merchants, “We’re trying to give businesses more retention with current customers and the ability to add new customers with specials.”
The new tools give businesses access to a range of ‘real time data’ regarding Foursquare usage. This information will include check in rates, arrival times and male to female ratio of customers. The business owners involved in Foursquare are encouraged to offer instant promotions to try to engage new customers and keep existing ones, incentives such as free drinks at the hotel’s bar are becoming popular.
The possibilities Foursquare illustrate for businesses, such as hotels and resorts are endless. It gives you a new means to communicate with your market, offers a way to reward your clients, encourage repeat customers and puts a little bit of fun in the business.
Foursquare advises that the new tools should be available to businesses in the coming weeks. All I can say is if your business hasn’t “checked in” yet, it’s about time it does!
Want to set one up? Just click here
