It’s easy for PR pros to spread themselves too thin by trying to maintain an active presence across a range of social networks. But, thanks to its 30 million users, geolocation app Foursquare may be worth the extra effort. Chris Gadaldon, chief sales and marketing officer for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., LLC, provides four tips to get cracking on Foursquare.
1. Define parameters for success. There is no static equation for this, and there are no static values assigned to it. Before you launch a campaign on Foursquare, set key goals and define the metrics you will need to prove success.
2. Don’t confuse your audience. If you’re a brand with multiple locations, deploy a strategy that is holistic and represents the breadth of your offerings, but not at the expense of the brand’s voice. If you give consumers too many things to pay attention to (e.g. multiple accounts posting similar messaging) then all they’ll hear is noise.
3. Understand user behavior. Remember that when someone checks in at a Foursquare venue, he or she is already there. If you’re leaving a tip and it’s written as if the person hasn’t found the place yet, you’re not using the platform wisely.
4. Integrate across platforms. In the case of The Ritz-Carlton, our Mobile App pulls in Foursquare data and displays geographically relevant tips to users when they are on-property at a hotel. This is the same content you would get in the Foursquare app, just delivered to the end-user on a brand-owned channel.
PR News subscribers can read about how The Ritz-Carlton integrated Foursquare into its new “Let Us Stay With You” brand platform in the case study: "The Ritz-Carlton Leverages Premium Brand Perception With Content-Rich Customer Platform on Foursquare"
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