1 Minute Marketing: Foursquare It Up

$\"1$ What gives customers and clients a small yet immediate feeling of satisfaction? Checking into your business on Foursquare. If they come by often enough, they may even be deemed the “mayor” of your fair establishment.

Foursquare is a mobile app and a website that let’s people find businesses in their area, see where their friends have been recently, and they can “check in” when they come to your business. But your business has to be listed on Foursquare first before you can begin your local search marketing on this platform.

Is Foursquare Right For Your Business?

How do you get a listing on Foursquare? Good question. But not the first one you should ask. The first one you should ask is this: Is my target market on Foursquare? Here is some stats on who uses it:

All time total number of check-ins — 6 billion
Number of users — 50 million
Users are 60% men and 40% women (according to a Foursquare staff member)
Income levels and age demographics vary widely by report, but broadly the patterns suggest Foursquare is used primarily by ages 18-45 with a mid to upper middle class income.

If that sounds like it fits in well with your customer’s persona, sign up for Foursquare. Claim your listing, add photos, write a short description, correct any errors and request a Foursquare sticker to place in your window, letting customers know they can connect with you on that platform.

This aspect of local search marketing may not seem like it’s caught on in places like Humboldt County, but there is a local following dedicated to checking in when they can.

Foursquare is not ideal for home offices or some private, appointment-only offices. No one wants to broadcast to their friends that they’re at a therapist’s office! Other SEO strategies are likely a better fit to help such businesses be found online.