Ok, It’s true confession time. When I first heard of the check-in applications, such as GoWalla or Foursquare, my initial thought was, “Who Cares?”. Now having used Foursquare for a few months, I'm actually enjoying it! And I believe there are some great reasons to use check-in apps as part of your Social Media marketing strategy.
So, for those who might not know, these check-in applications allow you to update your status with an indication of your current place and location. So, let’s say for instance that I’ve gone to dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant, I can “ckeck-in” here, and all my Foursquare friends will know that I’m there. You can, optionally, also choose to update your Twitter or Facebook status as well. And you can add a comment like great garlic bread.
On foursquare, you are awarded points for your check-ins, and they increase in value the more frequently you check in. You get +1 point for checking in, and +5 points for checking in from a new location. If you check in to multiple places in one day, you are awarded additional points. You are then awarded badges based on your activity. I have found that they are generally clever and fun. On a recent trip to Maui in checked-in at the airport and unlocked the swarm badge- which you get when 30 or more people check in from the same location. So the playful nature of this process is very appealing. It’s also fun to see what badges your friends have unlocked, and to use the application to gain a location and place based sense of what your friends are doing that Day.
Great, you say- sounds like fun. But how can this help me in my Social Marketing strategies…
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