Oh no, not another social network to learn and spend time on. I know that's what you're thinking. Relax....what follows is only a suggestion (albeit a serious one for those programs looking to creatively connect with and reward their fans).What is this foursquare I speak about?
At first glance, it might as well be Farmville, but detached from Facebook. A mere game consisting of points and badges. Before you discount or write off what sounds like an old school stalling tactic, remember your initial thoughts about Twitter.
"Going to practice."
"Home from practice."
A platform to share daily minutiae. A waste of time.
Do you also remember when the 140 watt light bulb went off? Game and team updates. Ticket promotions. Fan engagement. Sponsor mentions. Behind-the-scenes access. Marketing activation. Feedback. Breaking news. Driving traffic to your website.
Value. It's why you joined, right?
Anyway, back to foursquare. If you haven't heard of it yet, you soon will; and it's likely to hang around awhile. Before your conference rival leaves you behind, I urge you to sign-up, add some friends and take a good look around.foursquare is a mobile application for smartphones that allows you to "check-in" to places to let 'friends' know your whereabouts. When you check-in someplace, the service tells your friends where they can find you and recommend places to go and things to do (i.e. attend your team's games).
You can also share those experiences with friends: "Cameron Indoor Stadium is the greatest venue to watch college basketball. Period." How's that for free promotion? If tickets are overpriced or the facilities are untidy, you may see that too. As you check-in around the city, you'll start finding tips that other users have left behind. Every tip created is discoverable by other users just by checking-in.
Hey, it's a transparent world.
Every time you check-in, you earn points. "Find a new place in your neighborhood? +5 points. Making multiple stops in a night? +2 points. Dragging friends along with you? +1. Points unlock badges." foursquare also keeps tabs on who's the most loyal of all the regulars. If you've been to a place more than anyone else, you'll become "the mayor"... until someone else comes along and usurps your title.
(It's named after Looie, but you could be Mayor!)
Mayors can earn rewards, which is why I think it's vital for NBA teams and college basketball programs to get on board.
Why wouldn't you reward the mayor with free team apparel, extra tickets or some other gift from one of your sponsors? Rewarding repeat attendees to your games is a great way to build loyalty, connect with fans, and show that you care; particularly if your team isn't performing so hot on the court. foursquare can let you know who's attending your games, where they go before and after the games, and what they think of the experience. The information that fans leave behind can be very useful for making decisions.
What do you say? Can you extract value from this service? Is it too new and untested? Please leave your thoughts below.
Please visit foursquare for businesses should you want to reward mayorships. The BlackBerry Beta application just launched today, so you'll soon see a lot of my footprints on foursquare.
