What’s the best marketing tool for a new restaurant? Some may say the best option is direct marketing like giving out coupons, while others believe word of mouth is king. In this age, social media has dominated in terms of creating buzz for businesses. Facebook and Twitter are the big names most people think of when it comes to social networking and naturally many operators are turning here to create awareness of their businesses.
But have you ever heard of Foursquare? No, not the childhood game you used to play during recess. Foursquare is a unique social networking tool that can bring eager new traffic to your restaurant. How does it work? “Foursquare is a mobile application that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to explore. It is a friend-finder, a social city guide and a game that challenges users to experience new things, and rewards them for doing so. Foursquare lets users “check in” to a place when they’re there, tell friends where they are and track the history of where they’ve been and who they’ve been there with.” You reward people for checking in at your establishment – the more they check-in, they’ll have higher chances of achieving “Mayor” status and in turn, you reward this frequent guest with special discounts!
So how do you get started? After creating a business profile on FourSquare.com, you’ll want to make sure people know you’re registered and offering great deals. On your website, place a badge that says “Find Us on FourSquare.” You can also place a sign in your restaurant (like a window sticker) that says this as well.
What kind of incentives can you offer? You can use Foursquare’s tools to create customized specials:
• Mayor Specials: unlocked only by the Mayor of your venue. Who’s the Mayor? It’s your single most loyal customer! (the user who has checked in the most in the last 60 days)
(“Foursquare has deemed you the Mayor? Enjoy a free order of french fries!”)
• Check-in Specials: unlocked when a user checks in to your venue a certain number of times.
(“Foursquare says you’ve been here 10 times? That’s a free drink for you!”)
• Frequency-based Specials: are unlocked every X check-ins.
(“Foursquare users get 20% off any entree every 5th check-in!”)
• Wildcard Specials: always unlocked, but your staff has to verify some extra conditions before awarding the Special.
(“Show us your foursquare Swarm badge and get a free drink!”)
• And more to come!
Some Foursquare ideas for restaurants:
– Half-off drinks every Thursday when you show that you’ve checked-in.
– Free entree when you become a Mayor!
– Buy one get one free coupon for every 6 check ins!
Essentially with Foursquare, you can build a great new repeat customer base for your restaurant. It’s fun, it’s social, and it’s gaining a lot of attention!