Social Marketing with Foursquare, Gowalla, and Yelp

There is no doubt about the effects of social media on marketing efforts. The increase of social applications within marketing plans is growing at an exponential rate. Checkout Buddy Media Helps Marketers Take Advantage of Facebook’s New “Likes” to see what you can accomplish with social media integration into your marketing plan.

If you have heard about Foursquare, Gowalla, and yelp, you are probably wondering what they are and how they can be used to help your business.

These geo-locating applications combine online interaction with real world interaction. In a recent post on Mashable, you can find tips on ways to improve your business through the use of Fousquare.

There are a few other popular geo-locating applications that are worth mentioning: Gowalla and Yelp. In a recent post Jared Hill gives a tour of these applications and more in Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp and Brightkite for Small Business Owners. He really digs in and shows how these applications are used and how they can benefit your business.

Of course security and privacy are a major concern when dealing with social applications that broadcast your every move in real time. Be sure to understand privacy settings, as well as, where your check-ins are being sent before jumping headlong into letting everyone know exactly where you are all the time. When used wisely, these applications combine a game like atmosphere to improved business and customer interaction.