Verify your Business at Foursquare for $10

Until recently, businesses who wanted to verify themselves with location-based discovery service Foursquare had to wait... and wait. The snail mail process takes anywhere from two to four weeks to complete.From there, merchants can verify that they manage the business, and can begin added foursquare specials found on the merchant platform, including Swarm, Friends, Flash, Newbie, Check-in, Loyalty, and Mayor:

Now there is a much quicker way. For a one-time fee of $10 businesses can complete the verification process online in just minutes after which they have full access to Foursquare's tools and stats.Foursquare is rolling out the new instant verification feature today, and points out that users can still register by physical mail for free if they’d like, and that users who are already registered aren’t required to pay anything.

According to Mashable, "companies will start the process by submitting a phone number. Foursquare makes an automated call to the number and records the caller's name and the name of the business. Those who opt for instant verification are then prompted to enter their credit card information online."

For those businesses that can't, or don't want, to register online the snail mail option is still available. The instant verification option is currently only available in the U.S. 

Foursquare, which presently has about 20 million users, 750,000 of which are businesses, recently celebrated it’s 3rd annual “foursquare day” on April 16th.

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Gero Location Networks: Facts Vs Fiction

Those who use social location-based apps such as Foursquare or Facebook Places represent just 17% of the mobile population, according to a study commissioned by digital agency Beyond and exclusively shared with Mashable.

Of those opting out of participating in the checkin craze, or any other social location behavior for that matter, 48% cited privacy concerns as their primary reason for not doing so. And 50% were merely unable to do so because they did not have a smartphone.

The study uncovered some positive findings for the top brand names in social networking (Facebook) and group buying (Groupon). Ninety percent of respondents actively using checkin applications indicated they use Facebook Places; 40% of those who have never checked in would consider sharing their location with Groupon.

Some other Insights From the Statistics

• Nineteen percent of mass consumers are motivated to check in to learn about the location.
• Early adopters are more likely to check in at locations that sell food or drinks. The top places are restaurants (53%), coffee shops (40%), hotels (38%) and bars (36%).
• Mass consumers check in most frequently at the homes of friends and family (35%) and restaurants (33%).

The fact is that many studies indicate that percentage of the population willing to embrace checkins is quite small — just 4% according to the Pew Research Center — and that mobile users have a strong predilection for coupons over checkins.

According to Mashable More than half of mobile users who do use checkin apps (54%) said they are motivated to share their location when discounts are involved. Just 21%, however, said badges and status rewards motivated them to check in.As for consumers not using checkin apps, 99% said they do not consider badges or status an incentive for sharing their location.

The message, at least in the digital agency’s not-so-objective opinion, is that brands do have an opportunity to develop geosocial strategies that reach consumers through Facebook and Groupon.

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Location Based Apps: Infographic on Top 5 Trends

This infographic comes from location-based marketing/applications survey from the readers of SocialWayne.com and The Location Based Marketing Association.

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Twitter Local Trends Expands to 70 New Locations

Twitter has extended its Local Trends feature to 70 more cities and countries, including Japan, South Africa, Santiago, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

Now, users in more than 100 international locations can discover what topics are trending in their region. To see what’s being discussed in a given area, click the “change” link underneath the “Trends” subheader and select a location.

. The most mentioned ones get highlighted as a Trending Topic in real time, letting people zero in on hot news in specific locations as it’s bubbling.

Santiago, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, South Africa,India and  Japan and many more.

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