Foursquare is a location-based social networking app and website for mobile devices that allows you to keep up with what your friends are doing, discover and rediscover what’s nearby and unlock deals. Foursquare users, often called players, do this by checking into a venue when they arrive and competing for the mayorship, which is the person who checks in most often over a set period of time.

Businesses can, if they choose, offer discounts and deals to people who check in, people who become mayor or both.

Here’s an example. Say you own Smith’s Soup and Sandwiches on South Second Street. You can use Foursquare to entice customers to check in and compete for the chance to unlock discounts. You could offer a customer who checks in 10 percent off their bill and provide something bigger – like a free grilled cheese sandwich – to the mayor. (Side note: If you own a sandwich shop and don’t have grilled cheese on the menu, you should strongly consider adding one).

Why would you want to be a part of the Foursquare craze? Simple. According to the company, nearly 15 million people use Foursquare worldwide. More than 1.5 billion check-ins have been recorded since the network launched in 2009, and millions check in every day. Plus, more than 750,000 merchants have claimed their venue – the page customers go to check in, interact and claim discounts and prizes.

Back to the grilled cheese for a second. If my friend is mayor gets a grilled cheese sandwich just for using Foursquare, he’s likely to tell his Foursquare-playing friends and so on. It’s word-of-mouth combined with gaming that sells itself. That’s why businesses can and should be creative with the kinds of discounts and deals they offer. The more they stand out, the more they’ll be talked about.

Foursquare offers a free set of tools to help businesses and brands best utilize the platform for their needs. If you’re not ready to jump in, I recommend finding a similar business or competitor using Foursquare and see how it uses it. That might just open your eyes.

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500 million Facebook users are building their social identities and connecting with others. 145 million Twitter users are sharing thoughts, links and information.

3 million people are “checking in” on Foursquare and 200 million clicked links direct people to YouTube every day. If all of your (potential) customers are there, shouldn’t you be?

What are people looking for?
People don’t just search these social networking sites for people; they also look for you—the organizations, products and brands. Why? They are looking for coupons, exclusive discounts or chances to win, but they are also interested in what other people are saying and what you are saying back.

Why do you want to start the conversation?
Using these communication vehicles, you can build relationships with these friends, fans and followers and potentially make them your newest customers. What’s great about giving them something fun and exciting to talk about is that they will do just that—talk about it with their friends and networks, and that’s what we want.

How do you know if you caused a social effect?
We all want results, numbers and measurements of traffic. Well, by using these platforms, you can get as specific as you want, providing offers and prizes for “fanning” a page, “re-tweeting” a phrase, checking in at a store location and more. From here it becomes as simple as monitoring the buzz. We call this ROE, return on engagement.

Another way to share digitally
Ways in which your consumers are using digital to simplify, advance and connect are multiplying every day—especially since mobile is becoming the primary way people communicate and share via social media. Mobile applications have become the new way to “pimp-your-phone” so to speak. One example of this is SWAGG, a new brand savvy mobile application, which allows you to eliminate all the plastic (gift cards) from your wallet and create personal digital gifts to send to your friends. Talk about fresh, fun and easy. You might even agree with them when they say, “Your wallet is full. Of crap.”

Let’s give them something to talk about. Let’s also talk about it with them.

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