What are you doing for Foursquare Day?

It’s coming soon – are you ready? Your Foursquare Day events or promotions can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish and whatever you choose, will more than likely be extremely effective. For example, did you know that McDonald’s simple 2010 Foursquare Day promotion brought them a 33% increase in foot traffic?

The important thing to remember is that you must use your promotion to generate publicity, before, during and after the event. Be sure to have a photographer at hand – preferably an Instagrammer – see below. Share what’s going on in real time.

An obvious promotion would be to aim for a swarm. That’s only fifty people and any destination, resort or hotel should be able to manage that. Arrange your swarm time for early evening and promote the event via social media on the day before and on the day itself. Be creative – your guests will automatically get a Swarm badge from Foursquare but is there some tiny prize or incentive you can offer? Involve your Foursquare mayor to help spread the word.

Make sure that local businesses participate too so that you can leave tips for each other’s businesses to keep people within your local area.  Remember that Foursquare users are going to be particularly alert so make the most of the opportunity.

Think about promotions that involve – and I know this is obvious – four squares. Imagine a dice made from white cardboard. Four of the six faces have a discount on them or a special – ask everyone who checks in to throw the dice to see which, if any, of the specials they receive.

It’s a great time to use (square) QR codes too. Think about squares that you might already have or that can be easily produced -  square plates, square slices of pizza or some other dish  - “check in on Foursquare Day and sample four mini square pizzas for just $4″. Lots of foods can be squares – apple pies, pastries, cookies,  square slices of potato or eggplant – your chef can let his or her imagination run riot with this one. I’ve never tried but I imagine that square poached eggs are easy. Offer a ‘square meal’.

Hold a square dance – think ‘square peg in a round hole’ and develop a game. or run a checkers or chess tournament  –  ask Foursquarers to bring in four of a certain item to receive a special – offer a ‘square deal’ – re-price items to include 4s (our $4.44 special) – create your own Monopoly-type game (Washington Square, Times Square) or quiz - Devise a promotion using song titles – It’s Hip to be Square, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square …

Foursquare Day would be a great time to hold an Instagram contest or event. After all, Foursquarers all have one thing in common – a smartphone – and Instagrams are, of course, square.

Then, ice-cubes. I have some great ideas for promotions using ice-cubes …