Digital Marketing Commentary (Now With 15% More Snark!)

700,000 people checked in on Foursquare last Friday. That’s 700,000 check-ins in one day. For a social media tool that no one seems to know how to use, that’s ridiculous. (Exception: The Governator is already on it.)

The question is, how does this actually affect the marketing landscape? Foursquare is still a blip on the radar. No one can tell me it will be as big as Facebook, or even as big as Twitter. Facebook is now powering the web, providing a back-end sign-in architecture that Google dreamed of a few years ago. And Twitter is still easier to use and understand than Foursquare, because you can sum it up in one sentence: “like blogging, but shorter.” How do you even start describing Foursquare to your friends? More importantly, who are these 700,000 check-ins? How many unique users is that? And does that represent the majority of the people who will ever sign up for Foursquare? Has Foursquare already achieved saturation in its market of young, urban types who go out and remember to check in on their smartphones? I mean, I have the app on both phones (home and work), and I always forget to check in when I go out. Will there be a drop-off rate in usage that exceeds the sign-up rate, and will that come soon?

I see the marketing future of Foursquare in three directions. First of all, there’s the small, local aspect: offering discounts for check-ins, or for the mayors of a location. Tasty-D-Lite is doing this in NYC, and Starbucks is offering $1 off Frappucinos for all store mayors through June. The second is to set up specific badges by working with Foursquare, but that’s only really feasible if you have national advertising branding dollars behind your plan. I’d love to set up a program where a client gave out custom badges when people checked in, but I have no idea how much that would even cost, and I haven’t been able to track down anyone at Foursquare to tell me. (My guess? “A lot.”) And the third would be to have paid “suggestions” available, an ad for a nearby business that pops up when you check in somewhere. That might diminish the customer experience somewhat, but would it drive enough foot traffic – especially if it included a discount or other offer – to offset the complaints?

I’m watching you, Foursquare. I’m checking in on you, when I remember to do so. And as soon as I figure out a way to put effective advertising on you, I will do it.