In one “must be present to win” drawing we’ll be giving away a fat stack of $16 gift certificates to local businesses all over the area. Can’t decide on a special deal for that day? No problem, you can still get listed here by donating a gift certificate or gift card. $16 is recommended, or any similar value pre-made vouchers you already have on hand. We’ll come and pick them up, so let us know ASAP!
Have you heard about Foursquare? Your customers have – and here in Burlington they’re eating it up. Did you know you can offer special deals through Foursquare.com just for your biz? Your offer will pop up on any Foursquare user’s smart phone when they log in nearby your establishment. Find out more about that here »
For users, they must have a smart phone (iPhone, Blackberry, Droid) to download the Foursquare app, accumulate badges and LEAVE TIPS about the places they visit. That’s right – TIPS. Not reviews, but little pearls of wisdom about what’s must-see, must-eat, whatever. This is one of the social aspects of the app – sharing good information. Vermont has slew of avid Foursquare users which you may have read about in this Seven Days article.
Check out this case study on Foursquare Day in Burlington last year »
Here’s the deal:
SATURDAY, April 16, 2011 is the second annual National Foursquare Day. Huh? Its true. No reason other than someone at Foursquare realized that 4/16 is the 4th month of the year, and 16 is four squared (4^2). Get it? Anyway, some cities are going all out and promoting this special day by inviting local businesses to offer a little something to folks who ‘check in’ at their establishments.
Why participate?
Its a great way to grab some free publicity and get new (and regular) traffic through your font door. Want to hop on this Foursquare bandwagon – if only for a day?
There is a Burlington Foursquare Day Facebook page set up where YOUR biz and special offer can be listed, plus helpful hints for Foursquare users and participating businesses.
How to get listed
I will need the following information from you to paste onto the WHO’S GOT DEALS note on the #BTV Foursquare Day Facebook page:
- Website address, Twitter name, Facebook fan page address
Guaranteed everyone using Foursquare is already steeped in all things web and social media. If you’re not on Twitter yet, that’s OK, but maybe its time? We can find your venue number on Foursquare.com. - IN 50 WORDS OR LESS tell folks they might want to check in to your place because your business has the world’s best “thing”. Be it 10% off, free pastry with their coffee (or vice versa) a group of 3 check-ins gets a free appetizer with their dinner, buy-one-get-one deal, sample of something, 5-minutes extra on that massage. Whatever you want to promote, do it. Just make it something worth checking in for. The guy down the street might have something worth skipping your biz for…
- Additional special perks for your ‘Mayor’ or if you attract a ‘Swarm’
A Foursquare MAYOR is the one person that has checked in to your establishment the most. Mayorships change frequently so keeping tabs on your account is a good idea, even if you’re not offering a special coupon through Foursquare. A SWARM is an unusual amount of check ins at one place at one time. If your place happens to reach Swarm status (you’re check ins will probably let you know) then having a killer freebie or reward for such Foursquare mastery (and all that chatter about YOU) is recommended. Make it something fantastic, like a free private dining room rental and some apps, some free multi-person service, or goodie bag. You your imagination. Read about the power of a Swarm here »
Sample Listings
- YOUR BIZ NAME
We have a gift certificate in the grand prize drawing at Magnolia Bistro on Saturday night! - YOUR BIZ NAME
Check In Offer: Show us your check-in and get 10% off your order. Mayor at opening time gets free coffee for a week. - YOUR BIZ NAME
Buy one menu item, get a 2nd menu item of equal or lesser value free. (dine-in only) Mayor at 7pm wins dinner for two! AND we have a gift certificate in the grand prize drawing at Magnolias Saturday night!
SUBMIT YOUR OFFER A.S.A.P.
To be sure everyone knows about your participation (and awesome offer) submit your details to me by any means below NO LATER THAN THURSDAY 4/14 at 3PM. We’ll be promoting this ‘event’ madly on Twitter from Facebook launch on through April 16th. Foursquare users themselves will be promoting it amongst themselves while they’re out and about, with their Foursquare ‘friends’ and on Twitter and Facebook.
Email me your special for placement on the Burlington Foursquare Day Facebook page. See samples above for ideas.
TWITTER: You can also DM (Direct Message) me if you’re following @deepdishcreates) on Twitter. You can also just @reply me on Twitter and I’ll get in touch.
Getting prepared
Here’s some pointers to prepare yourself and your biz for what could be loads of traffic:
- Make Sure Your Business Listing is Up to Date.
Do a search on Foursquare for your business to make sure everything is correct. If there are multiple entries for you business, you can ask Foursquare to merge the listings. - Add To-Dos & Tips for Your Business.
To-Do’s are suggestions for what to do, eat, or try at your business. Clue people into something cool, or have them say hi to your rockstar employee. The great thing about Tips & To-Do’s is that Foursquare will offer them up to people when they check-in at your venue, or near it. Picture a potential customer checking-in at the coffee shop across the street and they get a Tip that your business has the world’s best “thing”. That’s timely advertising. 
Offer a Special.
More businesses are starting to offer specials for their Mayors, but that is only 1 person at a time. Because Foursquare Day is a big event, do a Foursquare special for anyone that checks-in at your business on 4/16. Make sure to get your special listed on the Venues page.- Tell Your Staff.
Nothing’s worse than getting all jazzed-up for a special, but getting a blank stare from an employee. Make sure everyone in your organization knows about Foursquare Day. - How to tell if someone is checked-in:
To see if someone is checked in to your establishment, simply ask to see their phone with the check-in on the screen. It will look something like this:
One other requirement!
If you happen to participate in this ‘event’, we ask only one other indulgence from you: Talk about it. Write about the experience, however eventful (or not), on your blog, your Facebook Fan page, your website, or even just a tweet if you’re site-less, blog-less and Facebook-less.
That’s it. We hope this adventure is fun for all. Enjoy!
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