<a href="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/photo.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1372" title="Pinkberry on Foursquare" src="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/photo-200×300.jpg" alt="Pinkberry on Foursquare" width="150" height="225" /></a>Last week I was eating at a local brunch spot in my neighborhood and decided to "Check-In" via <a href="http://foursquare.com/" target="_blank">Foursquare</a>. (<a href="http://foursquare.com/" target="_blank">Foursquare.com</a> is one of the new location-based social networking sites where users ping their network with their physical location, such as a restaurant, shop, park, or even a more specific location like a statue in a park.) When I checked in, Foursquare informed me that a "Special" was available nearby from <a href="http://www.pinkberry.com/" target="_blank">Pinkberry</a>, a frozen yogurt shop on the next block. As I ran neighborhood errands, I couldn't get Pinkberry out of my head. Of course, I ended up stopping for a cup of pomegranate yogurt with strawberries on the way home. I felt extremely self-satisfied as I "checked in" at Pinkberry and used the 10% off coupon for my order.

The experience got me thinking about hyperlocal marketing and why it is getting so much buzz these days. <em>Hyperlocal marketing</em> is a term used to describe communication efforts about events and offers to a very specific geographic area. Unlike <em>local marketing</em>, which refers to targeting at the city or state level, <em>hyperlocal marketing</em> refers to targeting at the community or neighborhood level.
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