Connecting with customers through Foursquare
December 22, 2011 By Dave Koehler

If you've never heard of Foursquare, Wikipedia offers this definition:

Foursquare, stylized as foursquare, is a location-based social networking website for mobile devices, such as smartphones. Users "check-in" at venues using a mobile website, text messaging or a device-specific application by selecting from a list of venues the application locates nearby. Location is based on GPS hardware in the mobile device or network location provided by the application. Each check-in awards the user points and sometimes "badges".

While this may seem like a silly mobile phone game for teenagers, it actually has potential as a tool for businesses that have a store. With Foursquare's Merchant Platform, you claim your business, and then they verify your listing either by phone or mail. Once that is complete, you can set up specials (for free) where you reward customers who check in by giving them a discount or exclusive deal of some kind.

If you are interested in trying it out, or learning more, head over to the Foursquare Website.

Twitter redesign and businesses
December 15, 2011 By Dave Koehler

Twitter's latest redesign simplifies the interface, while featuring a few key tabs across the top of the page that are useful for businesses. Nathan Eddy, from eWeek sums it up well:

On the homepage tab, photos, videos and conversations are embedded directly in tweets, allowing businesses to offer visual details of products and special offers and to spread viral marketing campaigns. The new Connect section is where businesses can get in on the conversation by seeing who has followed or mentioned the company, or who retweeted or favorited one of the tweets, giving businesses insight into potentially untapped customers or enabling them to respond to compliments (or criticisms).

The Discover tab lets users tap into a stream of information that can be customized just for a business based on current location, what you follow and what’s happening in the world. As Twitter use increases, Discover gets even better at serving up more content that applies directly to the company’s market and interests through tracking people, organizations or brands. The Discover tab also lets users search for contacts by name and import contacts from an email account.

Twitter is in a bit of a battle with Facebook for users. Twitter usage continues to grow. Depending on what sort of business you have, you probably should consider having a least a basic presence on one or more of these sites.

To learn more about Twitter's update, read the full article from eWeek.

Use Google Webmaster Tools like an SEO
December 02, 2011 By Dave Koehler

If you are an advanced user with a bit of time on your hands, Google Webmaster Tools can give you a lot of useful information about the performance of your Website.