Following on from Pinterest “Place Pins”, Foursquare is another location-based social networking site for smartphones helping you find the perfect places to go in your local area.
Foursquare has yet to find the right mix to make the app a real substitute for Yelp, Google Maps or other location-based services. People do however rely on multiple apps to make decisions so there is still hope for the social networking site.
The company is hoping the new iOS redesign emphasising push notifications will help attract interest. When you arrive somewhere new they tell you what you need to know, for example a money saving special offer at your local dentist, even if you don’t open the app.
Foursquare introduced location-based alerts and notifications into its Android app in August. Now it’s making them the centerpiece of its new iOS app which has gone well beyond its initial “check-in” functionality. This will hopefully make it more mainstream and re-engage users that have forgotten about the app on their phone since downloading it.
Foursquare won’t say how many of its 40 million users are actually “active”. That’s the main challenge for a company today… how to engage casual or lapsed users to boost their engagement. They will however need to add more compelling and differentiating features to re-engage and broaden its user base, giving users a reason to add this to their long list of social media outlets.
If you would like further information about how to use social media to your practice’s advantage give Dental Design a call on 01202 677 277 and we will be happy to help you.