It’s back! Foursquare Day returns to Portsmouth on April 16 and we are getting excited.

Foursquare Day is an international grass roots effort to get businesses to take part in Foursquare by offering special promotions to people “checking-in” to their businesses location. Foursquare Day was born in Tampa, Fla. in 2010 and quickly spread throughout the country. And, not to brag (okay, we’re totally bragging) but in 2010 Portsmouth was the number one Foursquare Day city – trumping even New York City.

Foursquare Day is simple: you download Foursquare for free to your smartphone, then use it to “check in” at locations around town. Each time you check in at a participating business, you unlock specials, discounts and free stuff. Cool, right?

The day will culminate in a 5 p.m. meetup at the Music Hall‘s Founder’s Lobby, followed by a screening of Spaceballs. So, to recap: Bargains, cocktails, Spaceballs. You want to be there, trust us. Check out the Portsmouth Foursquare Day website, Facebook page and Twitter for all the details, and don’t forget to use the #Ports4Sq hashtag on Twitter to find deals and share your new discoveries!

Why Small Businesses Should Use Foursquare

Because Foursquare is about location, it’s also about community and word-of-mouth. Creating a Foursquare special is a fantastic, free way for small businesses to attract new customers. Not only do you get new people coming in to check out your Foursquare special, but those people will check in and tell their friends. A lot of people share their Foursquare check ins right to their Twitter feed, so when someone checks in at your business, all of their Twitter followers will see that they were there. They can add a comment to their check in, or even a tip–like “Try the onion rings!”– for the next people who check in.

So why use Foursquare for your business? By tapping into Foursquare’s network, you can reach a huge local audience – not just the people checking in, but their friends too. If I see one of my friends check into a new sushi place in town, I’m going to get excited to try that place too – maybe I didn’t even know it existed until I saw that update. My friend can tell me about it instantly, just by checking in.

Big brands like Walgreens and Starbucks have been using Foursquare specials for a while now, but there’s a huge potential for small businesses to use it, too. That’s why we love Foursquare Day – it encourages people to patronize businesses that are participating, and small businesses have an incredible opportunity to bring in new customers, who in turn will tell their friends about their newly discovered favorite spots.

Here are a few local businesses participating in this year’s Foursquare Day:

• Warren’s Lobster House – $10 off $30 or more. Appetizers, entrees, desserts or any combination of the three (Max discount: $30 for $90 of purchased food).
• Seaport Fish – $5 off a purchase of $25 or more with every check in (excludes alcohol).

• Seacoast Science Center – One free admission with one paid admission of equal or lesser value.

• The Flower Kiosk – 1 free rose when you check in.
• Paradiza Boutique – 10% off a purchase of $20 or more with check-in. Trollbeads excluded from offer.
• Celtic Crossing – Check-in and receive a FREE candy bar of your choice. They carry Cadbury, Butlers Irish Chocolate and more. Yum.
• Fa La Lo – Join our email list and be entered to win monthly drawing for $20 gift certificate.

List via Portsmouth Foursquare

There is still time for your business to get in on the action! Head over the Portsmouth Foursquare website to find out how to create a Foursquare special. If you’re an avid Foursquare user, we want to hear from you about where the best specials are in town, whether they’re related to Foursquare Day or not – tell us in the comments or send us a tweet  @Vital_Design.

Want to learn more about how social media like Foursquare can help grow your small business? That’s what we do best. Get in touch with us today.