It is hard to believe that Foursquare, a social media application that people use on their mobile phones, has achieved the kind of popularity it has when it was just launched just last year. It has close to 2 million users and adds new ones at the rate of 10,000 a day. Recent reports that Foursquare has raised $20 million in capital indicate that it may be more than a flash in the pan.
Foursquare lets users check-in to report their whereabouts to people they are connected to through other social media applications like Facebook and Twitter. Foursquare users can earn points that can be redeemed for rewards at the business they frequent. For business owners, it can be helpful since it builds customer loyalty and Foursquare users act as ambassadors.
While you can certainly consider working with Foursquare if it suits your business, it also helps to examine just why Foursquare is so popular. As more and more alarms are raised about the lack of privacy on the internet, why would people voluntarily use a service that broadcasts their location? Foursquare offers people the chance to feel like they belong to a community of savvy people who are earning rewards for going places they would go anyway.
What does this mean for your website and your efforts at website optimization? If you have been disappointed in your efforts to boost SEO and build community among your website visitors, maybe you should host an online chat or let people comment without signing in first. You can also offer rewards if you have not done this before. You may be surprised at the results. Of course, you should tailor the rewards to your clientele and do not feel as if you must give away free products. You can also give away things like gift certificates, e-books or white papers.
