This past weekend my brother was in town visiting and the moment he walked into any store or bar he exclaimed, “Oh! I gotta check-in on Foursqaure! There might be deals!”  According to an Empathica survey, one in three consumers recently followed through with a recommendation made via social media. Foursquare is a valuable app that dealers can use to drive traffic to their dealership, offer an incentive to frequent your spot, and make recommendations.








Not familiar with Foursquare? Simply put Foursquare allows users to:

1) “Check-in” to different places or add new ones worth visiting
2) Let their presence be known to their contacts and the online community
3) Lay claim of ownership after multiple visits to the same location
4) Earn “badges” for usage levels
5) Leave tips and shouts for future visitors of the establishments


Social media outlets offer opportunities for companies to encourage brand engagement, taking it past an in-store experience to further validate their commitment to the customer. Here are some tips tfor your dealership  when using Foursquare:

• Use Foursquare like a customer loyalty card. You can give customers a special discount after a certain number of check-ins at your store. For example, every time your customer comes in for an oil change and checks in, you can give them a 15%  discount. If they become the mayor (have the most check-ins) ,you can bump their discount to 20% or so. Make sure you set clear rules about how to redeem the offer,  such as a limit of one check-in per day.
• Lure first-time visitors to your store with a special offer. Tell new customers about the discount or deal you offer when they show you their inaugural Foursquare check-in.
• Actively request reviews and tips from customers and respond to their reviews in a timely manner. Also, you can reward a consumer with the best tip and showcase it on your social media sites.
• Have employees check-in with FourSquare to give tips/shouts which let other customers checking in know what some recommended specials may be.
• Remember that Foursquare is a game and that’s what makes it fun and addicting! Tap into this aspect of your customers.

It's time to, “ be there or be square.” You might not use Foursquare, but according to the the American Pulse Survey, based on a poll of 3,349 online adults in the US, 23.2% use Foursquare at least once a day or more often.
You can leverage the power of their social network by engaging them and finding cool ways to respond to their preferences.