I've had a lousy 24 hours, so I am a little more cranky than usual...
I've been at this Publix Foursquare Watch for a while now. 35 total check-ins...14 blog posts. And, I am not proud to report, a growing list of people and blogs that are talking about this little crusade of mine. Just yesterday, I had a gentleman retweet the link to the whole series, which resulted in a handful of further retweets.
And...nothing. Either Publix sees me as a gnat and not worth the trouble, or they just aren't listening. Which, to be honest, boggles my mind.
Now, I am not saying this because I want Publix to kiss my ass. To be honest, all I want is for my local store to send me a note that says, "Hey Todd, thanks for being a great customer. We appreciate you."
That's all I am looking for. I don't care about specials. Or discounts. Or special mayoral privileges.
A friend of mine, who is in a constant battle to be Mayor of her local Publix with her own husband, told me that the manager of her local store did actually acknowledge them when they were in the store one day. So, it can happen. And don't tell me it has to be a decision/policy that comes down from corporate. It's a decision to care.
Foursquare causes conversation to happen on the social web. In two ways. From bloggers like me who stir up dust like I am doing on a blog series such as this one. Or two, because people are talking - and buzzing - about a real cool, innovative, clever, action-provoking campaign to reward your Foursquare users and evangelists.
Either way, you, as a company (read: Publix) ought to be listening. Technology and the social web makes it silly easy to set up listening posts and monitoring stations to listen for - and respond to - dialog about your company and brand (good or bad).
Honestly, I just can't believe no one is listening. What an amazing opportunity lost. [well, not for me. I am learning a heck of lot to teach and educate my clients on what NOT to do]
Todd's FREE Foursquare Tip For Publix!: Just frickin' say thanks. Foursquare builds a list of real people that have been to your store. You probably see hundreds, heck, maybe even thousands, of people come through your doors each day. But Foursquare creates a list of bunch of them. Use it to say hello...
What other Foursquare/geolocation ideas do YOU have for Publix?
Using Foursquare, Todd has checked-in to his local Publix 65 times, without hearing so much as a peep. He will blog after every check-in until he gets recognized as a loyal customer. In the meantime, he will offer some ideas free of charge on how they might use Foursquare. Join the Watch!