New Foursquare Ad Platform For Your Yakima Business
In a recent report by Mashable, The mobile social networking site “Foursquare” is snuggling up to small business in a new and interesting way, which enables large advertisers like Burger King, Gap and Starwood Hotels to promote their stuff on a platform built to let small businesses do precisely the same thing. These local listings happen to show whenever a customer appears close to a business’ location. How cool is that?
Previously small businesses were able to offer discounts and deals when a user “checked in” to a location, but now Foursquare is making it possible for them to attract customers who are nearby by simply showing an image and a review left by a Foursquare user at the same location. See the image below.
What’s in it for Foursquare?
Foursquare is a social networking site that is location-based and designed especially for mobile devices, like smartphones. The users of Foursquare “check in” with a text message or a device-specific app. Foursquare even locates them with GPS in their mobile device. Surprise huh?
Up until now, Foursquare has been a place or a means for shoppers and consumers to share their favorite places to go, eat or hangout, but now they are providing these business owners the ability to advertise their wares directly to consumers. Nice huh?
Well, Foursquare, though seemingly successful with more than 25 million users registered in their system, have somehow been quite unspectacular when it comes to making and managing money. They earned a modest $2 million last year, and according to The Wall Street Journal, they are looking for some new and serious ways to boost their income. But does it help our Yakima Valley Businesses??
How the new ads work
Let me explain how this works. The ad platform pinpoints Foursquare users by their “locations” and “check-in” history. Business owners will and do have a chance to target their close-by shoppers with particular tastes – a preference for fine dining, for example, or consumers who had “checked-in” to their shop previously.
Business owners using this program can turn on and off their Foursquare promotions whenever they want to, and get charged similar to a pay per click model, meaning, their charge will be only on a “per action” basis (usually when a user clicks on the listing they are promoting as opposed to only looking at it). Thus far, the range Foursquare is charging is $0.50 to $3 per action, however that cost is likely going to change at the time it is released to the masses. The CRO of Foursquare, Steven Rosenblatt said, “Small businesses are willing to pay for local advertising if it makes sense.”
Is it a viable option for Yakima?
To me this seems like a very viable tool to add to your marketing strategy for Location Based Marketing In Yakima. However, I don’t have personal experience to back it up, since I don’t have a storefront. But if I had a storefront, where I was trying to get more and more foot traffic in everyday, then I would definitely add it to my arsenal.
So, the question remains, “Does Mobile Marketing With Foursquare Work In Yakima?” And now that you have heard how Foursquare works, I think the answer lies in your court. What do you think? Do you think it’s a good fit for your Yakima Business? Join me in the conversation below.