Foursquare and the Rebirth of the Regular

I was a Regular in college. My friends and I went to Uccello's every Wednesday. The same bouncers worked every week and gave us a smile instead of exercising their small power. We had the same waitress. She knew our beer preference, our food preference, and our preference for dominating the trivia game. Everyone really wanted to say my name when I walked in, but they must have been too shy.

Then the owners turned over the staff, and all of the sudden I was a nobody again. That never happened at Cheers, and I've never been a Regular anywhere since.

Until recently, because there's an app for that.

Sure, companies have had ways to reward loyal customers. There are frequent flier miles and rewards points, and I have a punch card for every pharmacy, grocery store, and ice cream shop within a five-mile radius. But the minute my credit card company or airline treats me like a prince, or when I'm treated to something better than a free waffle cone every few months, I'll be sure to let you know.

Enter Foursquare

Fortunately, I now have a cure. I have my Foursquare, Gowalla, and BrightKite accounts. They're fun. Competitive. I get badges. I get a title. I get discounts:

Who will emerge as location-based Social Media champion?

If corporations all hop on the location-based Social Media discount bandwagon, which application will win out? Gowalla? Foursquare? Brightkite? Each has their advantages and disadvantages for the user. Check out an adept study on the subject from uTest.

And the lurking giants have yet to really make their mark on the market. Twitter added location tagging to their tweets in early June. Facebook could supplant them all with plans to add locations to their features (though put on hold thanks to the privacy scandal).

At this stage in the game, any of the players could dominate the market. More than one will survive, but it will be interesting to see which ones thrive – which ones get the most corporate attention. Will unique features or an established user base ultimately win the day? Or is it something else?

Social Media Marketing Will Be Refined

The consumer and the companies will be the real winners. Social media marketing is about to become much more refined.

Companies will be able to target their social media marketing more effectively toward potential customers. Customer loyalty will increase by rewarding frequent purchases and visitation.

Consumers will get discounts to their favorite places and get incentives for trying new spots in their neighborhood.

The Rebirth of the Regular

With a little tagging work, we can all be regulars, even in the new corporate world.

If only location-based Social Media had been around when I was in college. I would have been Governor of Uccello's. Missing out on that is perhaps the single biggest regret of my college experience. You know, that... and not inventing Twitter.

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