Foursquare and VH1 Collaboration Illustrate Potential for Social Impact

Businesses typically will establish a presence on the platforms and with the assistance of SEO companies, manage and optimize the social accounts efficiently to grow the businesses' reach and help them achieve their marketing goals. Here is a great blog post on the utility and present usage of Foursquare by businesses. Typically, SEO companies will also pair this social media action with SEO campaigns that improve their search engine page rankings in addition to combining with ppc management (paid search).  

Adoption of social media has been steady, as 86% of all web-using US adults and 79% of web-using European adults engage to some degree in social media activity, according to Forrester Research. Although all haven't joined the social space to actively put forth their own content, as only 24% in the US and 23% in Europe are characterized as creators, many go online and participate by engaging in a number of fashions. That engagement has driven the success of Foursquare, a location-based social platform. The platform allows users to check-in at various locations throughout the US and now internationally, as it was rolled out in select European and Asian markets in 2011. This platform immediately lends itself to purposeful use by businesses to engage with their patrons by enabling their check-ins and encouraging user interaction on the platform.

ow, Foursquare is partnering with VH1 in support of VH1's Save The Music Foundation. The collaboration seeks to increase awareness of the foundation's mission and raise money for its cause. For the initiative, concertgoers follow VH1 on the Foursquare platform and earn a Save The Music badge. Then when users check-in at concerts throughout the US, they will be able to unlock the badge and $1 will be donated to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation. 

This sort for collaboration opens the door to what social media can do for social change initiatives. The power of social media has not been duly leveraged by nonprofits or other entities to achieve a positive social-issue impact. There is a real opportunity for organizations from both the for-profit and non-profit sides to use social media and SEO to achieve marketing and exposure goals but also garner financial impact for social causes. This is an area that has not seen enough attention, but opportunities abound.