Foursquare, the location based social network, is purported to be the next big social media phenomenon despite ongoing privacy concerns.   Launched just last year in only a few cities around the world, Foursquare now has over 400,000 unique visitors (in January).  Since September there has been a steep increase  in activity as users catch on to this popular social networking game and this is only expected to grow since Foursquare went global last month.

Foursquare Growth

Playing Foursquare

Foursquare allows users to check in from their mobile phones when they are out and about at dinner, sports venues, tourist venues and even at the hairdresser.  As a user, each time you check in to a location you are awarded points.

Once you start accumulating points or visiting locations frequently you are awarded badges and titles (I am the Mayor of Stock Up, one of my favorite places to have lunch in Kerrisdale).   Foursquare apps are available for download to most major smart phones (iPhone,  Blackberry, Android and Palm Pre.).

If you think it sounds like more of a game than a serious business network, you are right but if your business is location based, it is a game you really should be taking seriously.   A little friendly competition can do wonders to bring people back to your location again and again and so businesses are beginning to clue in to the loyalty potentially and Foursquare as a tool to spread awareness: many businesses are offering incentives to those who become mayor and to visitors who offer tips about the location.

Foursquare Tips for Business

1. Make sure you are listed on Foursquare.  The best way to do this is by joining the community, downloading the phone app and adding a venue from there (read this post from Dave Tailor for more detail on how to do so).

2. Consider offering incentives for those who visit frequently and sign up with Foursquare to promote these.  Every time someone signs in to your location, their followers see this, so the more Foursquare visitors you have the better – its like free advertising!

3. Monitor Foursquare to see who is visiting and especially to track tips.  Foursquare users can provide tips about your location and since this is user driven you may want to reward positive tips and be prepared to go to bat if someone posts something negative.  Most of the tips I have seen to date are positive.

My Perspective

I have been playing around with Foursquare for a few months and it is fun but so far I haven’t been rewarded for my patronage – here’s hoping this post changes that!

Frustrated at the longer anticipated wait for sushi the other week, I posted this warning others to factor in time but there has been no response to that either.

Since Out-Smarts is virtual and not location based, we’re not on there but we do encourage all businesses to be aware of what Foursquare is, to make sure they are listed and to keep an eye on what is being said about their business.  If Foursquare does take off, as it is predicted to, then more and more of your clients will be using this tool to share their nights out, business meetings and fun.

Welcome to 2010 and our first blog post of the new year.  I hope you had a great festive season and that you are raring to go in 2010.

2010 Predictions

I thought this would be a good opportunity to review our social media predictions for 2009 (to see how on the ball I was) and to make some new ones for 2010.  (Clips in red are from last year’s predictions).

Social Media

2009 was the year when social media really took off, Oprah helped take Twitter to the masses and everyone and their dog started using social media tools.  However, there is some disillusionment now as folks realize, after spinning their wheels for a while that, to be effective using social media, you have to have a strategy. 2010 will be the year that social media becomes an integral part of organisations’ marketing and business development strategies and not simply a stand alone tool.

According to Compete.com visitor counts to both Twitter and Friendfeed peaked in late summer (Friendfeed seing a rather drastic decline after announcing their acquisition by Facebook in August interestingly enough). I hope that 2010 brings added functionality to Twitter (that top layer I have been dreaming about that puts all that great content to better use and makes it more accessible).   Brightkite never really reached the heights I predicted but competitor Foursquare did (arriving in Vancouver in the summer).

Geo Based Networks

In 2010 geo based social networks like Foursquare will continue to grow in popularity but more importantly, these offerings will become more sophisticated allowing both business and users to benefit more from their use.

Also on the mobile front, watch out for more digital advertising.  In November I blogged about The Future Of Advertising, introducing offerings like ScanLife and Kooaba.  In 2010 we will see these being put to use more and the promotions will become more interactive.

Whilst smart phone sales continued to grow in 2009, I expect that the iPhone will be less dominant as the Android really takes off in 2010.  I got one last month (HTC) and LOVE it!

Apps

For 2009, I didn’t predict the growth of the smart phone app: the number of iPhone apps doubled in the first six months of the year.  With Android’s growth and open nature, this phenomenon will continue in 2010 and beyond.  So start thinking about using apps that can help you in business, or developing apps that can help you reach your audience.

Newsletter Renaissance

In 2010 I predict we will see a newsletter renaissance as marketers realize that: a) email is still one of the best ways to reach their audience (you have their permission after all) and b) blogs don’t replace e-newsletters and are often aimed at completely different audiences.  I also think that we will continue to see blogs being used in ways other than for posting articles i.e. blog outreach, blog comments and community building.

Be More Social and Less “Me” Centric

Which leads me to one wish I have for 2010 with regard to social media.  So many companies and entrepreneurs are still using social media to push out information that is completely me centric ( i.e. links to their own websites and not others).  Wake up and smell the roses peeps!  This is not the 20th century when pushing out information was all you could do.  It is time for you to realise that the key to social media is in the name itself – being social.

In 2010 please interact with others more, build networks and relationships, reach out to new peeps, but most important of all, rather than taking a me centric view, change your focus to hone in on those you want to do business with: interact with these people, find ways to connect, to answer their questions and add value.  Then you will see the true benefit of using social media as part of your marketing or business development strategy.

Here’s to growth, prosperity and being social in 2010.  All the very best.

Recent statistics from Nielsen and other forums suggest the Facebook use is declining. After its meteoric growth last year, the social network is beginning to show signs of slower growth. Is it a case that the masses are spending more time on other forums or is it simply that social media is evolving?

In April both Facebook and MySpace saw a decline in traffic in the US. I don’t know about you but any time I try to grow my friends on MySpace I discover that the vast majority of users haven’t updated their profile this year (or last in many cases!) – a sure sign that the networking site is less popular. For Facebook the decline is less apparent and in my opinion we are seeing a change in user profile (kids fleeing as grown ups and professionals with less time to play take over).

At the same time we see LinkedIn and Ning taking off as more and more professionals recognize the value of virtual networking to grow their business. Both are aimed specifically at business professionals and have little of the fluff associated with MySpace in particular. New social networkers are looking for tools to help them become more productive not tools that distract.

Micro blogs are also winning. The most popular by far is Twitter whose growth has more than doubled in the US since the start of 2008. Again people are recognizing that pared down applications can help spread the word rather than simply increase the noise.

Its interesting to note that Social networks are not declining across the board, its simply that the way people use them is evolving. The popularity of digital social networking is increasing as more and more people use their phones to network.

So what does all this mean for marketing? It shows that Internet marketers in particular and any companies active in these forums need to be listening and aware of trends ahead of the pack so that they can adapt and evolve in synch and not get left behind. They need to be versatile and ready to change and adapt to evolving tastes and habits. Lastly its important never to put your eggs in one basket – if you’re hanging your social media marketing hat on Facebook alone then think again – it may be time to look at Twitter or LinkedIn too.

I had the pleasure this evening to present at an event co hosted by the Professional Women’s Network, the YWCA Mentoring Program and the Downtown Networking Association aimed at introducing mentors and mentees to professional growth strategies to help you realise career goals. My topic: “Building Valuable Business Relationships in the Virtual World”.

As promised, I am going to blog over the next few days about some of the issues I touched on at the event, the first of these being Internet networking hubs.

Internet networking hubs are great forums to expand your business network and extend your reach. Obviously those you use will depend on what it is you do. For example a photographer would likely use photo sites like Flickr to showcase their experience. Someone in the music industry is likely to benefit more from MySpace than Facebook. And a lawyer might is more likely to join a law forum than a web development forum. Its up to you which you choose but Internet networking hubs are great places to grow your on line network and in turn your business. Here the handout I gave out tonight:

Splashed across the front of today’s Vancouver Sun is the so called “future of books” – the Amazon Kindle: an electronic reading device that allows readers to enjoy up to 200 books at once. Retailing at $399 the Kindle also supports blogs, magazines and newspapers allowing the busy exec to access some good reading whenever the chance pops up.

Using a model similar to Apple’s iPod and iTunes, users simply connect to Amazon from wherever they may be (using advanced cellphone modem technology built in to the Kindle) and buy books or subscribe to dailies and mags. Amazon keeps a back up so you don’t have to worry if your Kindle is stolen and connection fees are built in to the price of the content you buy so your cell phone provider needn’t even know. According to the promotional video the battery lasts for hours and the screen is easy to view (its monotone granted, but it does look quite simple and the font size is changeable).

The Kindle concept is great but given the fact I am already weighed down with devices (cellphone, iPod, laptop…..) I am not sure if the value ad and cost entice me to buy just yet (especially considering I already get some of the blogs they provide free of charge) – just as well really since the service is not available in Canada anyway.

I am awaiting feedback from Amazon as to how to submit a blog (I’ll keep you posted on that one!).

Mobile marketing is the latest phenomenon changing the way marketers communicate with their target audience. Companies are using text messaging more and more to reinforce their brand and codes that can be read by cellphones are appearing on ads and bill boards to elicit response and promote offerings.

At the SOHO trade show this week I had the good fortune to meet up with a local company called Quick Mobile whose focus is facilitating mobile marketing applications. Interest in their offering is growing at an average rate of 10% per day and they do all of the above.

One great application that you can try yourself here in Vancouver is the Translink bus timetable service. If you’re waiting on the bus and want to know if its on its way simply text the number shown on the timetable at the bus stop and, Bob’s your uncle, you find out how long a wait you face.  Wicked!

Watch out for more on mobile marketing in the coming weeks right here.