Foursquare the location-based social networking service has been on a roll lately, with over a million check-ins a week, a plethora of business partnerships with mainstream appeal, and brand awareness that took twitter a long time to achieve.
What is Foursquare?
Foursquare is a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things. When you’re out and about, you check-in at location telling everyone where you are. This can be anywhere from a bar, a museum, restaurant, etc.
Foursquare uses the GPS in your phone to determine your location and bring up a lists of places nearby for you to choose from. If it’s not on the list you can add it. And Foursquare users can leave Tips (John the waiter was very friendly) at places they check-in at to share with other users, or leave To-Do’s for themselves (try the hamburger next time).
If you visit a place enough times you can become “The Mayor.” Being “The Mayor” has its benefits such as bragging rights and discounts at locations offering them to foursquare users. For businesses, this is win-win, because foursquare users vying to become “The Mayor” are repeat customers, and repeat business is great for the bottom line and buzz!
Here are four ways the golf industry can leverage location-based social media like Foursquare:
1) Fan Engagement and Participation at Golf Tournaments
Foursquare users at PGA and LPGA Tour Events could explore the various venues at a tournament and earn points, share tips on viewing the tournament, where to park, alternate routes, earn discounts on merchandise, etc. Similar to a game Foursquare created for Harvard students to explore the campus. Local businesses in the area for a golf tournament could also participate by giving special offers or discounts to Foursquare users.
2) Increase business and customer loyalty
Golf courses can also capitalize by offering specials and discounts to forusquare users. “The Mayor” can earn free rounds of golf, discount on cart rentals, free drinks, etc. Foursquare users could also leave tips about playing conditions, pin locations, pace of play, etc. Driving ranges are another area where location-based services would be useful. “The Mayor” of a driving range could get a free bucket of golf balls, a reserved hitting bay, etc. By recognizing Foursquare users at your driving range, you have the opportunity to increase repeat business with your customers and loyalty.
3) Change the way we watch television
Just recently Foursquare signed a deal with Bravo TV, to integrate the game aspects of Foursquare with the locations featured on the various shows on Bravo TV. What if the Golf Channel did this with some of their original programming? It’s another way for people to interact on a different level and engage your viewers.
4) Make reading your favorite golf publication more interactive
You flip through your favorite golf publication, like Golf Digest or Golf Magazine and see a really cool golf shirt, shoes, clubs, etc and wonder where to buy it? Yes, they have a shopping directory in the magazine, but that’s so old school. What if Golf Digest inks a similar deal, like the one Lucky Magazine did with Foursquare?
In the deal with Lucky Magazine, Foursquare users check into stores in Lucky’s coveted “Shopping Directory,” and you earn the “Lucky” badge.
Once you check-in to a Lucky recommended store, users can read tips from the Lucky editors, etc. The basic idea, is to give users the inside scoop or incentives to check-in at these locations. You check-in enough and you could get discounts or deals at these locations.
For Golf Digest, this type of deal could be very beneficial to local golf stores and shops across the country. You could take the same concept and apply it to golf courses featured in the magazine or advertisers of luxury goods. It’s a win-win for both the magazine and the advertisers, but also the consumer.
Beginning to see a pattern here? Like the old saying in real estate, its location, location!
What other ways could the golf industry leverage Foursquare and location-based social media?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome article! I’m glad to see someone else is thinking along the lines of my business partner and I =). Look forward to following your future blog posts.
- Ryan
Thanks Ryan! The golf industry is slow to catch on with social media and new technology, etc. But, I think that it’s changing slowly and they are beginning to see new ways of interacting and engaging their customers. Hopefully this will inspire others.
Rob
I 100% agree with you. Social media will provide some incredibly opportunities for golf companies and golf courses, it will just be the ones who actually put the time in to make them work. Too many people use these platforms to just spam people and they are completely missing the boat.
- Ryan
Hey . . .nice post and good to see people are thinking like this. I work for a sports marketing group and ran a big promotion at the U.S. Open featuring ‘Check-in” stations throughout the course, giving guests the opportunity to update their status/upload a picture to Facebook, Twitter, and check-in via Foursquare.
From our brands perspective, it was a big win in terms of scale and PR, but the lack of a usable mobile device on-site will continue to hinder the acceptance. The good news is that tournaments are slowing moving to allow cellphones on-site which will turn the tables a bit.
Outside of the on-site events, your biggest hinderence will be the target demo of the viewerships of both TV and magazines, but your early adopters will latch and hopefully start to build some buzz, especially as these platforms gain more ubiquity.
Foursquare/Gowalla/Places have a real opportunity in golf and sports, just a matter of giving the right brand the right idea.