Official Proclamation

I thought it would be a good idea to post the Official Proclamation that April 16, 2010 is North Andover Foursquare Day.  On April 5th 2010 the Board of Selectmen gathered for their meeting, and at 7:35pm took a rather unique vote.  With unanimous approval, all the board members signed the attached proclamation.

We should be very proud of our Board of Selectmen for being so progressive. There are actually very few municipalities that have made an official proclamation. Many have endorsed or talked about it, but few have made it official.

In essence this states that North Andover believes in local business.  That North Andover supports new initiatives to drive business into our borders.  That North Andover is willing to support new endeavors to differentiate itself.  Just another reason why North Andover is such a great place to work, live and play.

This proclamation is a great way to kick off a long term relationship between new social media and Main Street businesses.  Although we will try to never loose sight of what made us successful in getting to where we are, we look to the future in gaining new customer relationships and building long lasting loyalty.  We as business owners can never rest on our laurels.  There is always a struggle to keep up with the trends and demands of our customers, but in this case we believe we are actually ahead of the curve.  And for that, the early adopters will be rewarded.

I would like to extend my personal thanks to the Board of Selectmen, the business owners who have embraced this new opportunity, and the town for being ever so supportive.

Best regards,

Paul Boulanger
twitter.com/pwbj

Thanks to Brian Messenger at the Eagle Tribune for writing a great article on what this is all about.  Hopefully the North Shore, Southern NH, Boston and of course North Andover can come out on Friday, checkin, have fun, explore, party, earn some badges, and… oh yeah, kick Little Rock’s butt!

Click to View Article on North Andover Foursquare Day

http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_103215423.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Paul Boulanger
North Andover Foursquare
(978) 590-8437
paul@na4sq.com

www.na4sq.com

Follow us: twitter.com/na4sq

North Andover, MA Businesses Organize to Represent Massachusetts in National Foursquare Day with “Foursquare Crawl”

New Social Media Phenomenon On April 16, Drawing a Crowd

NORTH ANDOVER, MA, APRIL 12, 2010 – Fifteen North Andover businesses will celebrate National Foursquare Day in a very local way this Friday (April 16). The number of business offering Foursquare promotions, a new social media application, more than doubled in the past week, and more requests to join from North Andover keep coming in.

Each hour, a business will roll out the red carpet for Foursquare users that checkin. The day will start at 9:00 a.m. at Perfecto’s Caffe, and will wind its way around North Andover at various shops, salons and restaurants.

“By focusing each hour on a particular business, it increases the user’s chance of gaining the hard to get swarm badge,” says Paul Boulanger, organizer of North Andover Foursquare and co-owner of Turtle Lane Maple Farm.

The swarm badge requires 50+ people to checkin at the same location at the same time, and is not easy to attain. “It’s also a way for users to travel together, therefore adding to the fun of the day,” says Boulanger. “Not everyone will be able to spend the day traversing the town, but this way people will know where to be if they have an opportunity.”

Participating Foursquare Crawl merchants include: Perfecto’s Caffe, Beabe Gallery, Nova Salon Spa, Taki’s Pizza, Turtle Lane Maple Farm, Rose & Dove, Bella Vita Salon & Day Spa, Lobster Tail Fish Market, J&M Wine and Convenience Store, Burtons Grill, Mad Maggie’s Ice Cream, Joe Fish Seafood, and The Loft Steak and Chop House. Each business offers Foursquare users special discounts when they check in, but on April 16, they will offer additional incentives as the “crawl” moves through their business.

The day will end at the 13^th venue, The Loft, at 9:00pm. This is where the party gets started.  “Having a party at The Loft is a great way to end the day,” says Jim Dietz, owner of The Loft and Joe Fish Seafood. Our objective is to earn the Super-Swarm badge with 250+ people checkin at the same time. If we do this, I will provide a free buffet to everyone that made it happen.”

Feedback from Twitter and Facebook indicate that this event will draw quite a crowd.

To make things a little more interesting the National Foursquare Day organizers have introduced inter-city challenges. North Andover has challenged Little Rock, AR to see who can get the most checkins on April 16. Little Rock was quick to take the challenge and start talking “smack”, until they realized that although North Andover is a small town they are well organized, and only being 30 minutes from Downtown Boston doesn’t hurt either.

Boulanger decided to take it up one more notch, by issuing a personal challenge to the organizer of Foursquare Day in Little Rock, by pledging Four two-pound Massachusetts lobsters delivered fresh to their doorstep in the unlikely event that they win. Organizers from Little Rock acknowledge the friendly wager, and state they are thinking about their counter offer.  Boulanger says, “This is all in good fun, and hopefully this will bring attention to both cities as we take advantage of this new social media opportunity.”

For an explanation of Foursquare go to:
http://www.na4sq.com/intro-to-foursquare/
For details on the North Andover Foursquare Crawl go to:
http://www.na4sq.com/announcing-north-andover-foursquare-crawl/
For details on the Foursquare Day Party go to:
http://www.na4sq.com/the-loft-restaurant-to-host-foursquare-day-party-416/

For additional information or a sample copy, contact:

Paul Boulanger
North Andover Foursquare
(978) 590-8437
paul@na4sq.com
www.na4sq.com

Follow us: twitter.com/na4sq

For more information about Foursquare see www.foursquare.com

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So most people have heard of a “pub crawl”.  Maybe the term brings back memories of hanging out with friends in college, or maybe nights laughing and sharing stories.  The concept is to move from place to place, experiencing different venues and indulging in a bit of free-spiritedness.

Well, we have put a little twist on the concept, and on April 16th we are having a Foursquare Crawl in North Andover.

On top of having a festive Foursquare Day where businesses all around town will be offering specials to 4sq users, we have 13 businesses that are doing something a little extra special.  Starting at 9:00am and going throughout the day till 10:00pm, each hour, one featured business will roll out the red carpet to those that checkin.  What does this mean for you?  Well a couple things…

1. Each business will have a special tasting, demo or promotion for Foursquare users beyond the traditional checkin promotions they have every day
   
2. They say “two is company and three is a crowd”, but 50 is a swarm.  By focusing users to one location each hour, it increases the chance of gaining a swarm badge (50+ users checked into a business at the same time)
3. We just think it will be fun moving from place to place with a group of people.

Here we go…

Our first stop on the crawl is at Perfecto’s Caffee at 9:00am.  We figured this would be a great way to start the day, get a little fuel in your tank.  Perfecto’s is a local morning hotspot, with friendly staff and tasty food.

After we have indulged in some java and treats, we will make our way down the street to Beabe Gallery.  Heather is an incredible photographer and has a gorgeous studio.  We will want to create a swarm at her place and so she can take our picture, and send it off to Little Rock.

Now that the paparazzi is done with you, it is time to checkout the salon, Nova Salon & Spa.  Wait maybe I should have done these in reverse, oh well, you are beautiful just the way you are.  The staff at Nova will introduce you to all the services they provide.

A little time at the spa is good for the soul, but you know it has been a couple hours since we last ate something, so let’s go to Taki’s Pizza!  Taki’s has really good pizza (try the Taki’s Special with tomatoes, basil and 4 cheeses), but they also have huge subs and fresh salads.  And if you are a cheese lover like me, their large mozzarella stick has 20 in there, did you hear me 20!

With a full tummy we are off for a sweet natural treat, maple.  At Turtle Lane Maple Farm, they turn the water like sap that comes from a maple tree into all sorts of yummy goodies.  Maple isn’t just for pancakes anymore!  Maple cream has been described by some as “legal crack.”  Then there is always the highly desired maple candy.  And maple sugar is great on and in just about everything.  And don’t worry they have syrup too.

Now that we have satisfied our sweet tooth, it is time to head off to Rose & Dove.  Rose & Dove is a beautiful gift shop full of both elegant and casual items.  I tried to get Kellee to bring in the shirt “I went to North Andover Foursquare Day and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”, she says it’s not going to happen.   But her store has wonderful gifts for all occasions, so I am sure you can find something to tickle your fancy.

After doing a little browsing, and maybe you picked up something for that special someone, it is time to pamper yourself, so off we go to the spa.  Bella Vita Salon & Day Spa is the ultimate in taking care of oneself, or buy a gift card for someone else.  Being a full service spa and salon, they can take care of you from head to toe.

Ok, my friends wonder how I am not 300 pounds when they see all the food places I checkin to.  What can I say, I love food.  The next place is unique, because most people know it as one of the best fish markets around, but it is also a small restaurant that serves the same fresh seafood.  I am talking about the Lobster Tail Fish Market.  Ever tried deep fried lobster tails with melted butter, yummm!!  Or get some sushi grade tuna and play sushi chef at home.

What would a crawl be without a little libation, and hey it is 5 o’clock somewhere, yeah right here!  Our next stop is J&M Wine and Convenience Store.  They have a wonderful and growing selection of wines, at all price points.  And Jim is having a special wine tasting, for Foursquare users, to come on in and try some different things.

Our next stop is to one of North Andover’s premier restaurants, Burtons Grill.  Class and quality are found throughout, and if you like to just hang out in the bar, you are sure to rub all sorts of elbows.  They have a spectacular wine selection and delish dishes.

Are you full yet?  Well I don’t want to hear any excuses because there is always room for ice cream, and Mad Maggie’s has the best around.  All their ice cream is made on site, and is thick and rich.  They have all the standards, but they also have some interesting flavors as well.  My favorite is the Maple Bacon, ask for a sample before you order, you might just want to get a cone of it.  And yes, the maple is from North Andover.

So by now you have surely earned your Overshare Badge, and hopefully a Swarm Badge or two as well, but YES, THERE IS MORE.  Off to Joe Fish we go!  Joe Fish has a great oyster bar, heck they have a great bar.  Their food is top shelf and so is the service.  The menu specials are unique, have you ever heard of sushi tuna and mushrooms, me neither until I had the Shandong Tuna and wow is all I can say.

You have crawled all over North Andover, and now it is time to celebrate.  We are going to party at The Loft, and we are hoping for a big party at that.  My hope is that we all have a couple of swarm badges under our belts, and now we go for the big kahuna, the Super-Swarm Badge.  Before now, there was only one opportunity to get the Super-Swarm, and that was at SXSW.  But now you don’t have to travel that far.  We are calling all 4sq users from Boston, North Shore, Southern NH, and lets party like it’s a film festival!!  Other cities are telling us it can’t be done, but I have faith in the greater Boston area being a hub of social media.  And, if “you can’t do it” isn’tenough enticement, Jim D. the owner of The Loft has pledged that if we get the 250+ checkins required for a Super-Swarm, he will roll out a free buffet for all the Foursquare users at the party.  Can it get any better than that.  So lets pack the place, standing room only, 5 people deep at both the upstairs and downstairs bars and let have some fun.

A Foursquare Crawl, can it get any better than that?  Hope you had fun.  Hope you got to meet new friends and hang out with old ones.  Hope you got to see an interesting side of North Andover.  Hope you got a bunch of new badges.  Hope we get to break some records and make some press.  And I really hope we beat Little Rock, AR who thinks that just because they are a city and we are a town that they can beat us in the Swarm Challenge.  Let’s show those Southerners how we party up here in Boston.

Here is a map of the North Andover Foursquare Crawl

View North Andover Foursquare Crawl in a larger map

It is likely, if you have a Facebook account, that you have seen the message “Your friend [insert friend here] has just checked in”.  And you probably have wondered to yourself what that is all about.  Well I am here to help explain that.  For reference, here is my profile on Foursquare: http://foursquare.com/user/pwbj

What has happened is your friend decided to jump on the social networking bandwagon and downloaded the Foursquare App to their smart phone.  We all lead busy lives, going from here to there.  Some places are interesting like that neat little restaurant or great little pastry shop.  Other places are more mundane; dry cleaners, endless walking through Home Depot (one of my favorites), or grocery store.  But everything is just that much more interesting when you can share it with friends.  Now I am not suggesting piling all your friends into the minivan for a jaunt off to HD, but you can allow them to tag along with Foursquare.  Foursquare allows you to go into a business, and with your smartphone, checkin.  You can even write a little note to add some flavor.

Here is how it works…

• You enter the business
• Pull out your wizbang phone with the Foursquare app installed
• Select Checkin, and a list of nearby businesses will appear (it knows because your phone has a GPS in it)
• Select the business, if it isn’t there you can add it
• Choose to add a note (ie. “checking out the 100th wine at Burtons”)
• Choose to send to friends (Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook)
• Click checkin.  And there you go you are checked in

You will get a welcome screen with some little messages such as, number of stops you have made that day, the points you have accrued that day, and how many times you have been to that venue.  If you are the “Mayor” it will let you know, but more about that in a minute.  And if you got a “badge” it will let you know as well, more about that in two minutes.  And for those that like to cheat, “winners never cheat, and cheaters never win”, and if that doesn’t convince you, the application is smart enough to know where your phone is when you checkin.  So if you are to far away, it will let you know, and then “no points, no badges for you!”

You can become a Mayor by being the person that has checked into that business the most (also, you need to have a profile picture uploaded otherwise you can’t be mayor of anything).  Sometimes there is a friendly competition between customers on who can be the mayor.  That equates to more loyalty and more traffic for the business.

What is all the talk about those silly badges?  Foursquare is part game, and this game can sometimes get serious.  Users of Foursquare are constantly on the quest for new badges.  You get badges by doing certain things, checking in a number of times, or going certain places.  I for one am working on my Barista Badge which I will get once I have checked into five different Starbucks.  I am not a usual customer of this high-brow coffee house, but recently I am quick to pull in when I pass by a new one.  By the way, I really like their Vanilla Frappuccino things.  This clearly is driving new business for them, and it really can for those businesses that embrace this new social marketing opportunity.

“Enough Paul, I am convinced, how do I get on this train?”

Ok, yes I can get long winded (no comments from the peanut gallery).  So becoming a Foursquare User is pretty easy, especially if you have a smartphone (iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, etc) …

1. Go to www.foursquare.com and register for an account
2. After creating an account, on your phone go to your App Store, search for Foursquare, and install
3. Login to Foursquare on your phone
4. When you get to a business where you want to checkin, follow the steps above

I hope this helps get you acquainted with Foursquare.  And if you are in North Andover, please make sure you take advantage of the Foursquare promotions that local merchants are providing.

If you want a more professional overview I suggest these two links…

• Foursquare overview
• Awesome little video on Foursquare

We are announcing that The Loft Restaurant will be the site for the North Andover Foursquare Day Party.  At 9:00pm on April 16, 2010 we encourage all Foursquare users in the greater Boston area to converge on North Andover to celebrate North Andover Foursquare Day.  Foursquare Day is a way for businesses to connect with their customers who are plugged into the new media craze, using the application Foursquare.

Jim Dietz, owner of The Loft, has agreed that if we can gather 250+ users to checkin at 9pm, and gain the rare “super-swarm” badge, he will provide a free buffet for those checked in.  Jim says “we are in a very traditional business, and we have gotten used to very traditional ways of marketing.  This is an exciting opportunity to get ahead of the curve, and attract new customers”.  Forging new customer relationships and building loyalty is even more critical than ever, given this economy.  ”Social media is here to stay and we are looking forward to embracing the brave new world, starting with a party on April 16^th,” states Jim.  We are planning fun activities through out the day at various businesses.  The day will end with a big party at The Loft.

So far we have 14 businesses signed up to present Foursquare users with promotions if they checkin while at the venues (check out the list of venues on this site).  And although they have special promotions on the 16^th, they will continue to offer “checkin discounts” to users on a go forward basis.  Some businesses are even stepping up the promotions as the number of checkins (and thus loyalty) increases.

We are encouraging people to let us know if they plan on attending:

Comment on FB: www.facebook.com/northandover4sq

Tweet us: www.twitter.com/na4sq

Email us: rsvp416@na4sq.com

Welcome to the new North Andover Foursquare site.  ”Think social, support local”

We will be making updates soon.  Things are crazy trying to coordinate everything.

Don’t forget that April 16, 2010 is North Andover Foursquare day.

You can follow us on twitter at : www.twitter.com/na4sq

You can follow us on our FaceBook Fan Page at: www.facebook.com/northandover4sq