FourSquare Big Idea - The Follow Up

FourSquare is a location based game. Players use the application to check in when they visit a location. (In the game, the location is referred to as a venue.)  I wrote an article on how you would use it earlier. The object of the game is to be the person who checks in the most at a location. This makes you the 'mayor' of the location. Players leave 'tips' for other players to read. They leave good and bad tips about their experiences at that location. Although this example is about a restaurant, venues are on all types of businesses. You already have a venue, but you may not know it.  All of them have Big Deals waiting to be discovered.

OK. It's An Online Game. Now What? 

Right about now is when you might be thinking "So What? Big Deal". Well it is. It's actually a very big deal.  If you you want to know who else thinks it's a big deal, go here. They have actually been partnering with FourSquare for a while. During Christmas 2012 they offered a $10 rebate just for using their card. It was on every FourSquare Venue where the merchant hadn't bothered to create their own check in special.  Many of the national chains took advantage of it by advertising "Check In on FourSquare and get $10 off your purchase when you use AMEX.". It was in laymen's terms, a "no brainer'. And it was successful enough for both businesses to decide to move to the next level.  The weren't the only ones who were successful with it though, as evidenced by the image to the right.  I took a screenshot of this one when I checked in at Penney's last Christmas.

Let's Hear The Big Idea

First of all, let's start with a real scenario.  The image below is from the Steak And Shake Location in Warner Robins, Georgia. I put a red box around the information that we will be discusing. According to the data there are 704 people playing this game at Steak and Shake. They have  combined check in totals of 1,355.  This means Steak And Shake missed 1355 opportunities to just say "Thanks" to 704 customers. Think about that for a minute.

What Do The People Think Of This Place?

As mentioned, the users leave 'tips' on the venues. If you take a look at the tips you'll see that there are good reviews and bad reviews. I have hidden the information about the users in this example, but it is freely available at that location's FourSquare Venue.  The reviews are typical of any eating establishment though, and in itself is still just 'information overload". The thing that is important to remember is that by clicking on the users information, you'll be taken to that user's page.

OK. I'm At The User Info. Now What?

Below is a screen shot of the users information page. Notice the  Red Box again?  All users are responsible for what stay public. If you are their 'friend' you can see more about them. But ALL users have a Twitter account that is public.  You'll notice that it is shown in this image. If you click on it, you'll be taken to their Twitter account. 

OK. Now What?

If you know how Twitter works, you know you can send a message to the person.  The way you are connected determines the type of message you can send. The point is that if they gave you a bad review, ask them what you can do to make it right for them.  If they gave you a good review, thank them for it and maybe give them a free coffee the next time they come in. Imagine the social buzz on the street when either of those PEOPLE tell their friends how much you appreciate your customers.  (**IMPORTANT*** this is why you need a good community manager. They will know how to do this in a non-creepy way) 

Why is this a big idea? 

Because nobody else is doing it. Most of them are just using the basic tools and haven't figured out yet that it's about the people, not the tools. The facts are the players do read these tips, and make decisions based on them. I know this because of another feature on the site that monitors other things like that.  Use the tools to benefit your customers.  That's what's going to make a difference. 

Parting Shot

In the case above, the phrase the customer used was "Really phenominally bad service." When searching for that exact phrase... guess who comes up first? Isn't this something you'd want to change as well?  What if the review said "Really phenominally great service"  How cool would it be to have your company at the top of that Google Search. The only saving grace in this case is that they didn't spell check before posting.  

Where there's a lemon, there is always lemonade just waiting to be sweetened. 

If you need help with this, don't hesitate to contact me. 

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Want more Big Ideas? I post them every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This link will take you straight to the 'Big Ideas" area.  You can subscribe to my Communiques Here. Or you can get all my ideas across all my platforms by subscribing to my RSS . If you'd like to get an idea on a specific product or application.. please Contact Me.  I love a challenge