FourSquare.com is Maturing - Are You Using Location Based Marketing?

GPS enabled mobile apps are changing the way in which consumers leverage social media and one fast growing application is FourSquare.com.

This week FourSquare.com announced that it will be offering business owners business intelligence tools which would show them who is "checking in" to their business and how to market to their local visitors. The data set will be very interesting to analyze.

A sample screen shot below is a teaser of what is to come. Think of it as Google Analytics for location based digital marketing.

I'm Addicted to FourSquare.com

I've been actively using FourSquare and I have to admit I'm becoming an addict. I don't mind that my trail of places I visit are recorded for my followers to see. This trail can also be automatically posted to Twitter and Facebook.

Here is an example of how FourSquare.com recorded my path over the past two days:

However, I have been trying to figure out how this can be leveraged to assist business owners grow their brand awareness and sales. The opportunities got a bit clearer in the past week with the FourSquare business toolkit announcement and something that caught my eye last week in regards to FourSquare advertising.

I was checking into a local eatery in Red Bank New Jersey when a message appeared on FourSquare telling me that a business around the corner had a special offer if I checked in there. I stared at the iPhone because I never saw FourSquare upselling me, like a PayPerClick ad does on a Google SERP.

FourSquare knew my exact location and told me that some business nearby wanted me to take advantage of a special offer. Now, the lights started to go off in my head. If businesses can target consumers that are close to their store, can ads draw them in due to their close proximity?

If a 2 for 1 dinner ad popped up when I was shopping at a store in Red Bank at 6 pm, would I be more inclined to dine at the restaurant that knew I was nearby and created a compelling offer?

FourSquare.com For Car Dealers

So how does this relate to the automotive industry? The answer is that its too early to tell but the possibilities are endless.

Would a discount oil change offer draw in customers to a dealership that was located near an active mall? Since car dealers are often grouped in an "Automotive Mile", could you cross sell a consumer who checks into a competing dealer with an advertisement that says that you'll beat any local dealer price by $200? Would that savings make them drive a few blocks away and save?

And on the guerilla warfare angle, will dealers "Check-in" to competing dealers FourSquare pages and add cross-selling messages?

So, keep an eye out for the evolution of GPS enable, located base applications for mobile phones that can be leveraged to expand your online brand awareness.

Next time you check in to Newark Airport, you may be reminded who is the best Digital Marketing Company in New Jersey. :)