Comet Branding - Branding | PR | Social Media

I have definitely thought the same thing before, and the lottery idea is a great solution to only a very small minority of users getting prize-type benefit. On the other hand, a lot of people (myself included) check in not necessarily out of a need for some prize, but just to let their friends know where they are. I quite often use Foursquare to determine where the next place is to go is based on where I see others I know checking in. However, if the majority of my friends were not on Foursquare, then I would agree that a few meaningless badges would not be enough to keep me using it.

Hey Mike -

Thanks for the post and we think a lot about this stuff too… in fact when we talk to local merchants, they’re usually the ones that want to reward more than just one person (aka, more than just the mayor). In the past few months we’ve built in other ways of letting venues reward folks – e.g. you’ve been here 10x, or 5x in 30 days, etc. And while everyone always talks about the “mayor specials”, there’s actually thousands of venues offering these other types of specials too (we call them “frequency” and “count” specials).

The good news is that we’re working on even *more* types of specials and rewards. For example, we’re just starting to see the first instances where badges can be redeemed for prize packs, special dinners and VIP access at certain events and we expect to see lots more of this in the future.

Anyway, bear with us… the last few months have been tough since we’ve been growing so quick (we were around 150k users in December, 2 million today!) Because of this, we’ve had to focus more on scaling (keeping the servers up and running!) than building new features, but we’re getting back in the zone so stay tuned…

Thanks!

- @dens
co-founder, foursquare

Nice letter Mike… I’m still in the giddy stage with foursquare. I love the cheap thrill… the adventure, even if I don’t get anything.
And when the place I’ve checked in offers a special or discount just for the check in… I feel like a winner!

Marjie -

Thanks for the comment. From @dens comments, it sounds like Foursquare is poised for some big changes in the near future. That should keep you in the “Honeymoon” phase for a long time.

- Mike
@mjwizzy

@dens-

Thanks for your response. I am glad to see that you are looking to continue to evolve your offerings. I can imagine the challenges you are facing between growth and updating product offerings.

I do have to say the new offers sound intriguing, but I hope that is not sweet talk to try to win me back. If you are willing to make those changes, I just might consider giving this relationship another try.

If you’d be willing to talk this through this, we would love to have you on our Comet Branding Radio Show to discuss all the new offerings and changes at Foursquare.

Thanks for reading and being understanding to my needs.

Mike
@mjwizzy

Luke-

Thanks for the comments. I agree, Foursquare is a great social tool. But with all of our other communication tools and platforms, I was questioning to see how Foursquare would adapt and change. We got some insights from @dens, see his comments. They all sound very positive and good for the masses.

Apps and social media platforms come and go, I just did not want to invest heavily into a platform that I would have to transfer from in a year.

Mike
@mjwizzy

Great stuff, Mike…accurate and presented in an entertaining manner. Thanks for getting those thoughts out there and, even better, eliciting a response from Foursquare!

Seamus-

Thanks, it is good to see some companies are still listening to their customers. It sounds like Foursquare has some good things hopper. Stay tuned.

Mike
@mjwizzy

Absolutely love the idea! There are so many establishments that would be on board with this and, of course, generating that feeling of “butterflies in your stomach” every time you check-in is well worth a helping of free fries, soda, what have you!

Finding pilot businesses to do research and development with should be easy enough. I hope Foursquare is truly listening.

Thanks Shannon. Dennis Crowley at Foursquare commented and said they are working on some new and exciting things.
I agree some progressive owner should step up and beta a program this this. It can only help drive business and customer excitement. Stay tuned.

Mike
@mjwizzy

Interesting idea… As a Foursquare user, I’m definitely up for seeing more rewards. But I also get use out of the app by seeing where other are, as well as logging places I’ve been for my own use. Are those features of interest to you, or are rewards the main draw of using Foursquare?

Thanks Pete. I do see the value in Foursquare keeping you connected to your friends. With all the other communication platforms and the way other apps are becoming more social, I would like to see Foursquare or another app become more agressive. Really give the user an incentive.

Mike
@mjwizzy

Mike,
Great to have run into you last night at Gallery Night and to have discussed this very post. @Dens proposed changes are happening as we type here. Many, many, new options are being added on the venue management side of foursquare to make it more engaging for the customer. I have a fun idea if you’d like to participate. I’d be willing to give you guest control of our venue page and foursquare specials for a week @AJBombers. You’d be able to see a bit more into the venue side of things to gather information, but selfishly, I’m also interested to see what you might do for our guests to spark, or, re-spark their interest in checking in.
What say you good Sir?
Joe

Joe-

That sounds good. I would be interested in seeing things from the other side and feel it
would be a good way to generate some new ideas/promotions for your restaurant.
Let’s figure out something soon.

Thanks

Mike
@mjwizzy

[...] to solve it? Mike Wisniewski of @CometBranding offered a good solution. Read it here. (GigaOM has a story worth reading, [...]