Foursquare | Internet Marketing Blog

How to build a social brand: The Nokia case study

How quickly fortunes change. Just eight years ago Nokia was the world’s leading smartphone manufacturer. Today it’s so far behind the competition that it trails beleaguered Blackberry in shipments to retailers.

A “challenger brand” is what Tejal Patel, global head of social commerce and performance for Nokia, now calls the company.

by Cielo Lutino 04 February 2013 16:35pm 3 comments

Why Facebook's 'Graph Search' Is a gamechanger

Facebook, of all platforms, has revolutionized search as we know it. Yesterday, Facebook announced 'Graph Search', a new feature that helps us find people, places and things—and explore Facebook in a whole new way.

'Graph Search' pushes Facebook well beyond the social networking realm. It's a place to socialize and manage connections.

Eliminate the newsfeed, the goofy photos, snarky comments, and over-use of the 'Like Button', and it's all about connections.

Now, smart search will allow us to traverse connections, allow us to sort connections, and allow us to connect with a greater amount of people in different types of ways.

by Brian Reilly 16 January 2013 19:14pm 6 comments

Can Foursquare compete with Yelp?

Foursquare has been on the list of candidates for the 'next big thing' for some time, but the location-based service's future seems uncertain.

Last week, reports surfaced that the company, which has already raised upwards of $70m in funding, was looking for investors to provide an additional $50m to $100m of capital at a valuation of $700m-plus. According to TechCrunch, investors aren't exactly rushing to check in to a deal.

by Patricio Robles 06 November 2012 14:54pm 6 comments

Six mobile marketing tools fit for small and local businesses

With mobile usage skyrocketing, it's no surprise that large brands are increasingly investing in mobile ad campaigns. But what about small businesses?

If mobile is ever going to grow into the advertising behemoth some believe it's destined to become, small and local businesses will need to be on board too. And, according to a recent study, they are.

by Patricio Robles 18 October 2012 15:53pm 5 comments

Will Passbook be Apple's key to cracking mobile commerce?

Apple's iPhone may be the smartphone, and the latest iteration of it, the iPhone 5, which was unveiled Wednesday, looks set to sell like hotcakes, even if some are disappointed that Apple hasn't done more.

But while Apple may not have made any bold strides this week with the iPhone 5 itself, one new application in iOS 6, Passbook, could represent an important step for Apple as it looks to taking its dominance in the smartphone arena and extending it to other mobile opportunities, such as commerce and advertising.

by Patricio Robles 14 September 2012 18:36pm 3 comments

American Eagle: Bringing offline to online and vice versa

American Eagle (AE) was founded in 1977 and now has over 1,000 stores in the US, Canada, Asia and the Middle East. As more and more customers are moving online, AE has been adopted a strategy of bringing offline to online and vice versa.

When you have a store front, it's much easier to get your offline message out to the customers who love your product. They are already coming in to buy so you have a chance to integrate that experience with an online one or just make them aware you have one!

by Heather Taylor 24 July 2012 21:25pm 0 comments

Expecting more from mobile in 2012

Why should we expect more from our usual social media mobile platforms? Well, why not?

Without feedback, preferences, and usage patterns, companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare wouldn’t be connecting us on a daily basis.

In 2012 however, we should expect a contextual experience from these sites – desktop and mobile alike.

by Brian Reilly 09 July 2012 14:48pm 0 comments

Is the Google Maps API price reduction too little, too late?

Last October, Google introduced limits to the Google Maps API and unveiled pricing for users exceeding those limits.

It was not a happy day for developers and companies running popular services on the Google Maps API. The reason: Google's jaw-dropping pricing, which pegged the cost of every 1,000 map loads above 25,000 at $4.

by Patricio Robles 25 June 2012 14:56pm 0 comments

Foursquare looks to merge check-ins with coupons

Thanks to supportive venture capitalists with deep pockets, some of the most prominent startups in recent years have been able to put off the 'making money' part of creating a new business.

But no business can survive forever without a revenue model, and for Foursquare, it looks like it's time to make money.

by Patricio Robles 09 May 2012 16:08pm 3 comments

How much longer will Foursquare and Twitter continue with Blackberry app updates?

Blackberry apps may not have the greatest reputation in the world, but recent updates suggest that social networks haven’t given up on the old boy just yet.

Foursquare announced on Friday that it had upgraded its Blackberry app to make it “speedier” and improved the GPS logic.

But that’s not all - notifications will now delivered into the Blackberry inbox and new NFC capabilities mean users can “share places and tips among other BlackBerry and Android devices… with a simple tap of your phone.”

The updates come shortly after Twitter rolled out Promoted Tweets to Blackberry devices following similar updates on Android and iOS.

by David Moth 30 April 2012 13:36pm 4 comments