So the other day I sat down at a resturant about to have lunch. I decided (while I wait for the rest of my party to arrive) to check in on foursquare. On opening the app on my phone I recieved a suggestion from a friend about what to have for lunch. That was pretty cool actually because I was out of town and did not know what was good. The only problem was that the lunch suggestion from my friend was for the resturant next door.
I had just been recommended lunch by a friend who I had not spoken to in ages, at a resturant I wasn’t even at. The choice was mine! Stay where I was or get up and have the recommended meal of the day. Which would you choose?
This is a small story about the power of foursquare, a new social network making waves on the streets of South Africa. Walter Pike presents his top seven reasons to love foursquare on memeburn.com as:
- The first reason that it will kick *** is that it’s fun. The competitive element, the earning of awards, and the leader board all make it a “jol”.
- The big win is the location element. People know which of their mates are around, and venue owners can send out promotions and messages that relate to people on the premises or close by. So when someone checks into the coffee shop down the road, and up pops a tip to say Foursquarers who visit Doppio get free wifi, that may just swing a meal. But with like all social media, remember, no SPAM.
- Foursquare works with brick and mortar businesses. Businesses that have a physical presence such as stores, events, clubs and restaurants.
- Being able to identify and communicate with your real loyalists is of a huge benefit as they are your brand advocates, and Foursquare has made it very easy with Foursquare for Business. Also, remember that these are real fans, not just people who have joined a fan page.
- Many developers are using the API in their apps. For example, those who have discovered Stickybits, may already be checking-in videos, photos and brands into the venue.
- Foursquare is a real space to do customer research.
- It is a really practical example of how social media can integrate with the real world.
I must admit that I agree with Walter, this network has great potential to rock the social media world. Definitly the next network to be on the look-out for.
