Today’s guest post is written by Andy Huston incudes some practical advice for small business owners considering the addition of Foursquare to their marketing efforts.

“If You Build It, They Will Come.” Yes, that worked in the movie Field of Dreams. If you are planning on setting up Foursquare for your business you better forget this saying. Foursquare is a location-based service that allows users to check into venues to unlock specials, tips and badges. Cross-marketing of Foursquare is critical to its success.

A successful Facebook Page for your business does not stand on its own. You have to market your Facebook and Twitter presence elsewhere. The same applies to Foursquare. It is important to market your Foursquare presence in the same way. The more you connect with your audience on foursquare, the more likely they are to share their checkins on Twitter and Facebook.

Businesses that combine Foursquare into their total marketing plan are the biggest winners. Foursquare should be thought of as one tool in your marketing toolbox. Your Foursquare presence should be shared through email, events, social media, website, TV, radio, direct mail, print ads or displays in the restaurant. Just be sure to share wherever you are present.

John Stewart and Stephen Colbert organized the largest Foursquare gathering to date when over 3000 people checked in during the Rally for Sanity (and/or Fear) in D.C. unlocking Foursquare’s first EPIC Swarm Badge. Not everyone has their own TV show. It is just important to note that they utilized all channels they had available, including the Rally’s App.

Giving the time and effort to think about how new media can compliment your efforts to achieve your goals will go a long way.

Andy Huston manages social media for a trade association in Indianapolis. He is part of the Foursquare Indy team atwww.4sqindy.east44.com. You can find him on twitter as @hust0058.