With more and more people "checking in" to the places they frequent whilst out and about, location-based-services like Foursquare are becoming an essential marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. Learn the ins & outs of Foursquare and why geo-location is the place to be for businesses wanting to bring people in the door - and keep them coming back.

1. location-based marketing:
+ businesses.
kristen vang
@kvang

2. “simply put, location changes everything.”
- matthew honan, wired magazine, january 2009

3. location provides an enhanced user experience.
+ discovery + navigation + context + relevance

4. location is a game changer for social networking.
what have you been up to?
passive
what are you doing right now?
real-time
where are you? can i join?
participatory

8. how does it work?
download the app.

9. how does it work?
build your network.

10. how does it work?
check-in.
select your
location from
the list

11. how does it work?
tell your friends.

12. how does it work?
add & share tips on venues.
nearby venue-specific push

13. how does it work?
get the inside scoop.
where to go. how to get there.
how to pay.
what to order.

14. how does it work?
get the inside scoop.

15. how does it work?
create a to-do list.
add to your to
do list

16. how does it work?
earn points.
• +1 for each place you check in during
the day
• +5 for checking in at someplace new
• +5 for adding a new venue to the
directory

17. how does it work?
unlock badges.
i. general
local: check in 3x at the same place in one
week
swarm: check in at a place with 50+ other
users
ii. city specific
Brooklyn for life: check in 25+ times in
Brooklyn
iii. event specific
CES 2010: check in at the Las Vegas
Convention Center during CES 2010
iv. branded
yard bird: check in at 6 of Harvard’s
recommended campus locations

18. how does it work?
become a mayor.

19. how does it work?
unlock badges by becoming mayor.

20. be inspired to do things.

22. but, foursquare isn’t just a game.

23. “this one input—our coordinates—has the
potential to change all the outputs. where we
shop, who we talk to, what we read, what we
search for, where we go—they all change once
we merge location and the web.”
- matthew honan, wired magazine, january 2009

24. business opportunities:
offer specials to bring people in the door.
venue page places nearby

25. business opportunities:
add incentives to keep them coming back.
discounts badges

26. business opportunities:
tie it to your loyalty program.

27. business opportunities:
reward your mayor.
discounts products special access

28. business opportunities:
reward your mayor.
recognition

29. business opportunities:
take visitors on a tour.

30. business opportunities:
encourage patrons to share tips.

31. business opportunities:
give out product samples.

32. business opportunities:
organise a swarm.

33. business opportunities:
organise a super swarm.

34. business opportunities:
bring in some boats.

35. business opportunities:
connect reality to television.

36. business opportunities:
make broadcast participatory.

37. business opportunities:
support a cause.

38. business opportunities:
drive people within an event.

39. business opportunities:
create a scavenger hunt.

40. business opportunities:
make daily routine more fun.

41. business opportunities:
get to know your customers better.

42. wanna play? it’s easy.

43. getting started:
try it out for yourself.

44. getting started:
claim & register your business.
foursquare.com/businesses

45. getting started:
create your first special.
• mayor specials
• check-in specials
• frequency specials
• wildcard specials

46. getting started:
let customers know you’re involved.

47. have fun with it. (after all it’s only a game.)

48. image credits.
aj bombers - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajbombers
artificial ignorance - http://www.flickr.com/photos/artificialignorance
foursquare - http://www.foursquare.com/
highholburn - http://www.flickr.com/photos/highholburn/
miss_hg - http://www.flickr.com/photos/32615508@N02/
msau - http://twitpic.com/1wvpeg
naveen - http://www.flickr.com/photos/naveen_/
roomjosh - http://www.flickr.com/photos/roomjosh/
superamit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/superamit/