Foursquare recently added tools to make its Explore feature more customizable.

Foursquare’s Explore tool allows users to search for business in their area based on reviews posted by others users. The company recently announced that it has made adjustments to the feature to give users more customized search results, and local marketers should take note.

According to Foursquare’s blog, users can conduct searches with new filters for results based on places they have visited, those they haven’t and locations their friends have checked-in from. This will likely provide Foursquare with a more social component that will drive users to create more content.

The geosocial company belives users are more likely to trust advice and recommendations from their friends than from the general user base (though Brafton has reported that search recently eclipsed friend referrals in terms of influencing purchase decisions). Foursquare hopes allowing them to find companies based on their contacts’ recommendations will make the Explore tool more appealing for users.

Marketers looking to generate a stronger social media marketing presence for themselves can encourage users to participate by rewarding them for posting positive reviews and detailed content to Foursquare.

Foursquare reported in December that it has passed the 15 million-user mark, and more than 600,000 businesses actively use the network as part of their social media marketing strategy.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.