Foursquare, QR Codes, Google Goggles, oh my!

My single biggest learning from exploring Foursquare, QR Codes and Google Goggles is that they are being underutilized by brands and companies.  Companies aren't taking advantage of the promotional, sales and  customer loyalty opportunities these tools can offer. Furthermore, these social tools cannot be used solely by themselves to bring awareness to a campaign, company or brand. Their functions are not valuable as a stand alone tactic.  They have the most value when used in addition to existing campaigns on Facebook or Twitter. They need to be used to spread word of mouth so they must co-exist with other social media platforms in order to maximize how many people will read what people are saying about a particular company or brand.

When thinking of three examples of uses for these tools for public relations many of my ideas were marketing driven, used best for promotional purposes or in advertising. However, the following are three examples that I think would compliment any PR campaign:

Teasers

They can be used to act as a teaser to an event or a significant day. People can check-in to different venues to unlock an invite or scan a code or image of something inconspicuous to retrieve important information to an upcoming event. They can also be used on an invitation to an exclusive event to make it more intriguing and mysterious.

Competitions

There can be a contest to leave tips in different venues around the city or scan different QR Codes or images of a particular company, brand or product to win a giveaway.  

Corporate Reputation 

A company can be seen as an influencer in their community and culturally involved if they share tips when checked-in at different venues in their area or share images and interesting factoids of events and venues nearby. They can also encourage customers to leave tips when checked-in at their venue, create their own badge or provide a forum for customers to source information and ask questions of a company through the visual service tools.

What a company can't live without: An online reputation management program

I often read and learn about the various and newest online tools companies should implement in order to build relationships and engage with their customers. As described in, Social Media ROI and Demystifying social media, it's not enough to just implement these tools. What is important is to know how to use them and how its function is not a standalone initiative but should be incorporated in the business' goals and objectives and as an add-on to the other communications programs. This concept is by far the most important in successfully building a reputation online.  

Customers are going to talk, they are going to express their views, opinions and experiences and they are going to do it on a platform that will get other people's attention. People like nothing more than to share a positive or negative experience they've had with a brand or company with their friends and colleagues.  Word of mouth happens whether we like it or not and the way people are making their voices heard is through social media. Thus, companies cannot afford not to be where people are talking about them. Furthermore, to provide the platform where people can make their voices heard allows a company instant access to what is being said about them and the ability to control or mitigate a potentially negative outcry.  It also allows companies direct access to build meaningful relationships with their customers.

A tool can quickly lose momentum or popularity if companies don't use them correctly.  Foursquare and QR Codes will only be successful if users feel there is value in using them.  People will not follow a brand on Facebook or Twitter unless they are given a reason to.  It's not enough to want people to like your page or follow you on Twitter. What's key is that there is always a call to action to keep people engaged and able to share and comment with others. And for users who are like me and mainly use social media as a source of news and information rather than to engage, it is important for companies to keep an online activity current, relevant and ongoing.

I like using Foursquare because it's easy to use with just a quick click to check-in somewhere but mostly because it became a competition among my friends to steal mayorships away from them. However, I am less inclined to use it as often as I would like because it often holds little value to check-in to the same place many times when I get nothing out of it.  I may get bragging rights with my friends but I don't get acknowledgement from a company for being a valued customer.  O&B Canteen is the only place where I have checked in that would make it worth my while to strive for mayorship.

Steam Whistle has a great Facebook page. They are constantly asking for their fans to engage with them by responding to their posts or by allowing them to post their own pictures at various events or holidays.  They keep their content ongoing, current and relevant to calendar events.

I can't say whether me liking these companies on a social media level holds a purchasing power over me. I do know I look at these brands favourably which would probably not change if I heard something negative about them.

What companies or brands do you think are doing it right or wrong?