Why the preeminent location-based social network is spearheading social space evolution by encouraging its users to act like loud-mouthed kids.

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst

I’ve never run for elected office, but I still got appointed mayor last week. In fact, I’m the mayor of six places including my neighborhood Subway, a couple of local restaurants, the Daniels College of Business, and two coffee shops. What does this say about me? Well, other than the obvious pronouncement that I spend most of my time enslaved to homework and caffeine, it says I’m an active evangelist of each of these places. I’m not just the mayor for bragging rights, I’m the mayor because I believe they deserve my business and I want my friends to know the same.

Wow, it sounds like Foursquare just turned me nto an unwitting evangelist for two of my favorite Denver haunts: Café Europa and Greeks Gone Wild. I thought I was just having fun and showing off.

This is social media marketing guerilla style. Sure, I’m a fan of tons of places on Facebook, including Waffle House and Black Box Wine, but the nearest Waffle House is a 15-mile daytrip into the badlands from my house and I can’t remember the last time I had cabernet from a spout on my counter. Building enormous Facebook fan followings and stagnant presences on other social networks doesn’t mean that much really. I don’t interact with those brands and I don’t mention them on my Facebook page. The last time my 719 friends saw those two pages pop up on their feeds was when I became a fan. That’s not doing much for these brands’ presences and it’s not being social at all.

Conversely, I checked into Monaco Lanes last night at 10:30 and every one of my friends had the potential to see it. They’ve also watched me check in to – and be crowned the mayor of – Café Europa the past three days. However, the fact that the names of these places show up here and there at varying degrees of regularity isn’t the point. The profound effect is that I am literally interacting with these establishments – I am physically there, spending money, and giving them my stamp of approval with every visit. Friends might come see me or they might not, but if I have any kind of credibility and influence on where they eat, drink, or study (ugh), I may be pushing that business to the top of the list – and top of mind.

Now, that’s clearly a marketer’s perspective, but I find it a valuable one. While many social networks are scrambling to find internal ways to monetize and gain sponsorship, Foursquare is slowly building its presence from the outside-in. Savvy businesses will eventually figure out that people are voicing their support through check-ins and tips. They’ll gain valuable information on visitors, customers’ habits, and take advantage of location-based specials (all of which Foursquare could easily charge for). I just checked in to Café Europa, but I might not be in the mood to deal with an excruciatingly long line for lunch. Thankfully, Carmine’s On Penn – hypothetically – just sent me a lunch special via Foursquare, so I’ll sidestep the line and sit down to some gluttonous Italian food. And that’s where social media self-actualize: asymmetrical two-way communication benefits.

Recently, Foursquare has attracted a lot of other chatter about badges and frequency cards to attract businesses and keep users active. But, I think the truism of transforming a regular like me into an advocate because I like to think I’m cool and go cool places, that’s the crux of Foursquare and its ilk. Now, who wants to challenge me for mayorship of Tokyo Bowl? That one I’m willing to give up. Find me on Foursquare and take my crown: Blake on Foursquare.