Dive summary:
- Foursquare is testing out paid promotions with a handful of New York City small businesses.
- Previously, small businesses were only able to advertise with Foursquare by offering a check-in special on the app; now, merchants can lure in nearby potential customers with a photo of a dish, a positive review, or just promote their listing.
- Previously, advertising of this type was only available to large national businesses, but not Foursquare. The company is testing the concept out on a select few to help work out any problems before opening it up to all businesses.
From the article:
"Merchants can turn on and off their Foursquare promotions at will and will only be charged on a 'per action' basis (fees are accrued when a user taps on a promoted listing as opposed to merely viewing it). Foursquare typically charges $0.50 to $3 per action, but that may differ for local merchants."