Foursquare, the location-based social media platform taking the Internet by storm, is averaging 10+ check-ins per second. Co-founder Dennis Crowley expects the website to hit 1 million check-ins daily by mid-June.

Brands that use the network to their advantage stand to gain increased exposure and consumer loyalty. In addition to collecting badges and “mayor” titles at locations around town, users are also encouraged to share tips and recommendations with others. Insider advice like “try the passion fruit juice” and “50 cent oysters during happy hour” equate to free advertising for companies.

Take a cue from Starbucks and reward these brand ambassadors with incentives. Since the debut of their nationwide mayor promotion ($1 off Frappuccinos), the coffee house has experienced a 40 percent increase of check-ins week-to-week. The following are a few examples of best practices:

• Golden Corral – Mayors eat free once a day, and in some cases, are entered in a contest to win a free iPad.
• UNC Charlotte – The first university to host a Foursquare promotion on campus, students receive free t-shirts for checking in at basketball games and other school events.
• Miss Shirley’s Café – At this busy Baltimore restaurant, mayors never wait in line.

If you are interested in integrating Foursquare into your business, do it in a way that reflects your company’s personality – and be sure your customers know. Whether it’s coupons, freebies or a pass to jump the line, your generosity just might earn you a shout-out on Twitter.

Photo source: @maxwellzorick

There’s been a lot of chatter recently about companies that don’t “get” social media … or that are using it wrong … or only enter when forced by a crisis. (Dominos anyone?)

Well, don’t be mistaken. There are plenty of companies who do get it … who are using Twitter and other social media tools to engage current and potential consumers.

One example: Teleflora. Just look at this series of tweets from last week.

That simple gesture — engaging one person with one quick tweet — sets Teleflora apart. It differentiates them from all the other flower delivery services out there. Now, let’s be realistic. This won’t lead to a sale tomorrow (I don’t need to order anyone flowers), but you can bet that the next time I need to send flowers, Teleflora will be at the top of my list.

Isn’t this what social media is all about? We’ve all heard about Comcast and JetBlue. What are some other examples of under-the-radar companies engaging in social media? What are they doing that works?

I recently overheard an interesting analogy that went something like this: Ann Landers couldn’t respond to all the letters she received personally, so how could someone like Scott Monty possible participate in ALL those networks himself?

Now, for those of you who follow Scott Monty (who heads up Ford’s social media) on any one of 20+ networks, the notion that he doesn’t personally engage on those social networks is hard to believe. But, the comparison got me thinking about the “tried and true” way of doing things and the new world we live in.

Old-school thinking was all about the newspaper. Place an ad. Get a clip. Write Ann Landers and hope that she responds in her syndicated column.

New school: Be everywhere. In Scott Monty’s case, he’s probably a member of some of those networks for personal enjoyment. But, the majority has to be professional. That’s because Ford customers are literally everywhere. So, it’s mission-critical for Scott to have a “long-tail” online presence. It’s safe to say he never knows when or where he’ll have the opportunity to connect with a current or future Ford owner.

So, how does that apply to us? We’re not all Scott Monty — leading the social media efforts for a humongous company with those kinds of resources to devote to social media. But, “new school” still wins. Even if you haven’t found enough time to actively engage in dozens of social networks, you absolutely need to monitor them. Whether you’re Ford … the regional accounting firm … or a local coffee shop — YOU MUST LISTEN.

We had the chance to participate in a Radian6 demo this week. It’s an impressive service, but the pricing model probably isn’t scalable for small companies. Don’t be deterred. There are a host of listening tools and services — many of which are free or very inexpensive. If you want to be more Scott Monty than Ann Landers, give a few of them a try. Seventy percent of the information people learn about your brand comes from social networks — and 45% of that knowledge is shared within users’ networks. At minimum, you need to be listening to what people are saying about you (or your brand) and respond when appropriate. And, if you see a community where you’re being mentioned a lot — find the time to participate. It’s worth it.

Photo Credit: Cote

“Social media isn’t for our company. People might leave negative comments!”

How often have you heard some variation of that line of thinking? Unfortunately, the truth is that if someone has something negative to say about your company — they’re going to find a way. If not on your blog, than on some other social media outlet. That’s why companies need to incorporate “listening” into their communication strategy. People are talking — whether you’re participating or not. (For more on professional listening, see Chris Brogan’s post on growing bigger ears.)

The importance of listening was perfectly illustrated on Jeremiah Owyang’s blog. He wrote a post about the role corporate culture plays in a company’s ability/willingness to participate in social media. The post included an embedded presentation about IBM’s company-wide incorporation of social computing. But, the lesson about listening actually took place in the post’s comments. Jimmy, an ex-IBM employee commented on the post and used the forum to express his deep-rooted frustration with the way the company reacted when he needed time off to deal with a family crisis. His comments painted a very ugly picture.

And that’s why it’s important to listen. Adam Christensen — who, according to his blog, does “social media communication” for IBM — read the original post and the ensuing comments. Adam responded with his own comment to address the accusations:

By inserting itself into the dialogue, IBM diffused a potentially negative situation. Additional comments discussed corporate culture; however, IBM wasn’t the target of further criticism. We can only guess how the thread would have developed if IBM hadn’t jumped in. Maybe readers would have posted more attacks on IBM … or maybe not. We’ll never know — but is that a risk your company wants to take? If not, it’s time to start listening.

Photo Credit: David Plotzki.

A recent Weber Shandwick survey asked 700 executives from around the world about online reputation management. According to the participants:

• Traditional media (television, radio, newspapers) plays a greater role in deciding reputational fates than new media (web sites, blogs, social networks).
• They [the participants] are five times more likely to trust traditional media appearing online as they are to trust strictly online media.
• The leading online source of company information is the corporate web site.

While monitoring coverage in traditional media is certainly important, times have changed. According to a Pew study from December 2008, more people get their news from the Internet than from newspapers. A ClickZ study found that 74 percent choose to do business with companies based on the customer care experiences shared by others online.

What does this mean?

There’s a clear disconnect between what these executives believe to be true, and what’s really happening. People are talking about your company, and they’re just not doing it in newspapers, on television, or on the radio. The conversation has moved to web sites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and other social media outlets. Ignoring these types of media puts you (and your company) at a disadvantage. How are you supposed to manage your online reputation if you aren’t listening to what’s being said?

What’s the return on investment? In years past, ROI served as the yardstick for measuring traditional marketing campaigns. Did the campaign generate the desired results and how did they stack up against the costs?

Well, that’s just another concept that has evolved, thanks to flourishing online communities. As David Armano wrote in Business Week, marketers can listen, learn and adapt … thanks to new focus groups.

By listening and engaging the “collective” through all phases of our initiatives, we now have opportunities not only to be more in tune with customer needs, but also to adapt as quickly as they do. In our digital world, that could be the most important ROI possible.

The game has changed. We don’t have to wait — in fact, you shouldn’t wait — until the end of a campaign to see how it worked. Instead, gain valuable insight during the implementation phase and adjust as needed to maximize effectiveness.

Springpad — a free online list-making and notebook service — engaged the Twitter community to conduct an online focus group. The Springpad moderator asked four questions, mainly focusing on service use and user interface. Springpad users offered their feedback and input, and the moderator asked follow up questions — much like a typical focus group. While the results aren’t scientific, Springpad received valuable feedback, such as:

The moderator also engaged participants in conversation — and showed that the company is open to ideas, as illustrated by this exchange:

This new “I” — insight gained from listening to online communities — will help marketers make better decisions and ultimately deliver a stronger product. They’ll get more bang for their buck — which is critically important during this challenging economy. In this ultra-competitive marketing landscape, the winners will be those companies that understand how to incorporate insight to strengthen the return on investment.

Why does social media matter? Because people are talking about your company … whether you know it or not.

Consider Idea Paint, which is supposed to “transform any smooth surface into a high-performance dry-erase utility surface.”

Not so, according to Alex Rudloff – a fairly influential member of the Twitter community. The other day, he revealed to his 1,703 followers that Idea Paint dried with bubbles and bumps on his wall. Clearly, a bumpy dry-erase board won’t get the job done. This is not the message Idea Paint wants spreading through the Internet.

If Idea Paint had created “alerts” – using services such as Google Alerts or Tweet Beep – they would have known immediately that someone was telling the world that their product fell short of expectations … and they could have responded quickly. Instead, almost 2,000 people – many of whom might find the idea of “dry-erase board” paint appealing – only know that this product dries with bumps. Not exactly the message the company wants to communicate.

On the flip side of the coin, a growing number of companies are embracing Twitter as a tool to improve customer service and strengthen their brands. See ComcastCares or WholeFoods.

Is your company listening to what is being said? If not, don’t you think it’s about time to start? Your brand reputation depends on it.